A study of the porosity of gas filtration cakes

Abstract

The purpose of this work was to determine the porosity of gas filtration cakes composed of powdery organic and inorganic materials, employing a technique whereby an optical microscope generates images of the powdery layer deposited on the surface of the filtering medium. To this end, experimental cake filtration porosity data were obtained as a function of the surface filtration velocity. The images generated by the optical microscope were analyzed by using an image analyzing program that supplied the cake porosity values. The results revealed that porosity decreases as surface filtration velocity increases. The average porosity of corn starch was higher than that of tapioca powder and phosphate concentrate, possibly due to the shape of the particles, differences in the physicochemical characteristics of the materials, and grain distribution. Based on the relation of the experimental average porosity data and the filtration velocity, an empirical correlation was found that better fit these parameters.