title: Pore design and engineering for filters and membranes.
abstract: In filtration, the concept of pore size is not easy to define. In microfiltration, there are numerous advantages in employing a surface filtering membrane, rather than one relying on depth filtration mechanisms from a tortuous pore flow channel. Modern manufacturing techniques provide means to produce surface filtering membranes. For filtration, it is shown that a suitable pore design is an array of long thin slots. An analysis of fluid flow through the slots suggests that a short slot is adequate, but experimental data with suspended material indicates that slot length is important. Using long slots and careful control of the flow through the membrane it is possible to filter deforming particles such as oil drops from water.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UK. r.g.holdich@lboro.ac.uk
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Holdich
authors.forename: Serguei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kosvintsev
authors.forename: Iain
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cumming
authors.forename: Sergey
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhdanov
mesh_terms: D002616:Chemical Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D016062:Porosity; D014462:Ultrafiltration / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D011108:Polymers