Simulation of shear induced diffusion based separation processes

Abstract

Experimentally it has been shown that the pores used in the filtration part can be much larger than the particles present in the suspension because the segregation is established earlier while flowing through the closed channel, and only the layer near the membrane needs to be removed [15,17]. To really understand the complexity of shear induced diffusion and use it as a basis for process design, also numerical studies are needed in combination with experimental validation, and quite some information is available. Vollebregt et al. [14,20] and Miller et al. [21] e.g. focused on modelling of concentration profiles of monodisperse and/or bidisperse suspensions in a closed channel, while Lyon and Leal [22,23] and Semwogerere and coworkers [18] focused on experimental verification of this phenomena. Van Dinther and coworkers [15-17] have taken this one step further and applied the principle of shear induced diffusion in a filtration setup similar to the one described in Figure 1.3 for bidisperse suspensions. All these studies have contributed to improved understanding of shear induced diffusion, but especially for the filtration system still a lot of parameters that are essential for process design are unknown. For example pore dimensions and placement, and the effect of polydispersity, still need to be investigated, and are all in the core of the work presented here.