Solid/liquid separation cross-flow filtration

In situations where a low concentration of suspended solids needs to be separated from a liquid, then cross-flow filtration can be used. The most common design uses a porous tube. The suspension is passed through the tube at high velocity and is concentrated as the liquid flows through the porous medium. The turbulent flow prevents the formation of a filter cake, and the solids are removed as a more concentrated slurry. 

A basic appreciation of slurry rheology, or flow behaviour, is in oitant in many solid-liquid separations, e.g. when feeding pressure filters, punq)ing thickener underflow, hydrocyclone feed and exit streams and during cross-flow filtration. This Appendix is designed to introduce some of the terminology and basic concepts. A more thorough text such as Wilkinson [1960] should be referred to for further details, if necessary. 

Yim S.S. and Kwon Y.D., 1997. A unified theory on solid-liquid separation Filtration, expression, sedimentation, filtration by centrifugal force, and cross flow filtration, Korean J. Chem. Eng., 14, 354-358. 

In conclusion to cross-flow filtration as a unit operation, it is probably the most exciting development in solid-liquid separation yet to be fuUy explored. Its advantages are in high filtration rates due to minimized particle deposition on the medium without a strong effect of particle size on performance, and in the absence of chemical additives or filter aids in the products. 

Belfor G. Fluid mechanics and cross-flow membrane filtration. In Muralidhara HS, ed. Advanees in Solid Liquid Separation. Columbus Battelle Press, 1986, pp 182 183. 

Pharmaceutical Removal of suspended matter is a frequent application for MF. Processes may be either clarification, in which the main product is a clarified liquid, or solids recovery. Separating cells or their fragments from broth is the most common application. Clarification of the broth in preparation for product recovery is the usual objective, but the primary goal may be recovery of cells. Cross-flow microfiltration competes w l with centrifugation, conventional filtration by rotary vacuum filter or filter press and decantation. MF delivers a cleaner permeate, an uncontaminated, concentrated cell product... 

The driving force for filtration in pressure filters is usually the liquid pressure developed by pumping or by the force of gas pressure in the suspension feed vessel. Alternatively, or in addition, the liquid may be squeezed through and out of the cake by the mechanical action of an inflatable membrane, a piston or a porous medium pressed on top of the cake. Pressure filtration is, therefore, defined here as any means of surface filtration where the liquid is driven through the medium by either hydraulic or mechanical pressure, greater than atmospheric. The solids are deposited on top of the filter medium (as in all surface filters), with the possible exception of some cartridge filters which also use a certain amount of depth filtration. In this chapter, the suspension is assumed to approach the medium at 90° and this excludes the so-called dynamic fUter/thickeners or cross-flow filters (also driven by pressure) which are dealt with in a separate chapter (11). 

---