Plate and Frame Filter Press

JAMAICA CHRISTELLE P. PEÑALOSA

BS Chemical Engineering

College of Engineering and Architecture

Department of Chemical Engineering

Cebu Institute of Technology – University, N. Bacalso Ave. Cebu City, 6000 Philippines

The experiment's objective was to study about the activity and operation of the filter press
for filtration of calcium carbonate slurry and to determine the volume of the filtrate as a function
of time from the information acquired. Calcium carbonate solution was utilized as the filtrate.
Many process operations produce slurry of solid particles suspended in a fluid which must be
isolated into the solid and fluid stages. The least complex strategy is to filter the slurry through a
fine mesh filter cloth so the solid filter cake is saved on the cloth while the clear fluid filtrate moves
through. Either the cake or the filtrate or both might be the valuable results of the operation. As
the cake develops on the material cloth the resistance from stream increases and a greater pressure
would be required to drive the fluid through the cake itself. Based from the outcomes, the volume
of filtrate increases with time.
1. Introduction

Filtration is a broadly utilized unit operation of Chemical Engineering Process which uses
the division of solid and fluid. It utilizes the hypothesis of solid and fluid separation by streaming
fluid with solid suspension through permeable mediums of screens which hold the solid
suspensions and fluid streams out as filtrate. It is by and large utilized as a part of different industry,
for example, wastewater treatment industry, food and refreshments industry, pharmaceutical
industry and chemical industry. Plate and frame filter press is a standout amongst the most utilized
filtering machines around because of its effortlessness in use and proficiency it delivered.

Filters are divided into three main groups: cake filters, clarifying filters and crossflow
filters. Cake filters isolate generally a lot of solids as a cake of crystals or sludge as seen in Figure
1.1a. Clarifying filters remove small amounts of solids to deliver a clean gas or a clear fluids, for
example, refreshments. The solid particles are caught inside the filter medium as appeared in
Figure 1.1b. In a crossflow filter the feed suspension streams under pressure at a genuinely high
velocity over the filter medium as appeared in Figure 1.1c.

Figure 1.1 Mechanisms of filtration: (a) cake filter; (b) clarifying filter; (c) crossflow filter

A filter press contains an arrangement of plates intended to give a progression of chambers

or compartments in which solids may gather. The plates are secured with a filter medium, for
example, canvas. Slurry is admitted to every compartment under pressure; liquor goes through the
canvas and out a discharge pipe, leaving a wet cake of solids behind. The plates of a filter press
might be square or round, vertical or level. Most ordinarily the compartments for solids are shaped
by recesses in the characteristics of formed polypropylene plates. In other designs, they are shaped
as in the plate-and-frame press as shown in Figure 1.2.

Figure 1.2 Schematic diagram of a filter press equipped for automatic operation

2. Materials and Methods

2.1 Apparatus and Materials

 Plate and Frame Filter Press equipment

 Water
 Calcium Carbonate
2.2 Methods
……………………………………………………………………………………….
18L of slurry containing 10% by weight of CaCO3 and 90% by weight water was prepared.
The feed tank was filled with the predetermined amount of slurry. The movable head was tightened
to lock. After it was locked, the necessary valves such as the pressure and control valves were
opened. The agitator and the pump were switched on simultaneously. When the slurry from the
feed tank was consumed, the switch and the pump of both agitators were turned off. The above
procedure was repeated but instead 20% by weight of CaCO3 was used.
3. Results
3.1 Tables

Table 3.1 shows the test run data using 10% by weight CaCO3 in 18L of slurry.

Note: The data is based from Group 4 with 5% increment.

Vf T Rate (Vf/t) (ml/s) t/Vf (1/Rate) (s/ml)

1383.165 21.43 64.5434 0.015493
2561.16 43.21 59.27239 0.016871
3326.4 60.08 55.36618 0.018062
4490.535 84.32 53.25587 0.018777
5448.345 105.21 51.78543 0.01931
6320.265 124.16 50.9042 0.019645
7877.94 159.5 49.39147 0.020246
Table 3.1 Data and Results of Plate and Frame Filter Press

ρslurry = 1.074 kg/L Solids in cake = 378.25 g Weight of slurry = 9.4 kg

Weight of water in slurry =8.625 kg Volume of water in slurry = 7.58 L

3.2 Calculations

9 liters of 10% calcium carbonate solution

Vslurry = Vwater + VCaCO3

Mwater MCaCO3
9L = +
water CaCO3

0.9M 0.1M
9L = +
water CaCO3

0.9M 0.1M
9L = +
1kg / L 2.93kg / L

M = 9.635 kg

MCaCO3 = 0.1(9.635 kg) = 963.46 grams

Vwater = 0.9(9.635kg)(1L/kg) = 8.67 L

Computations gathered on data

Rate (Vf/time) t/Vf (1/Rate)

(1383.165)/(21.43) = 64.5434
(2561.16)/(43.21) = 59.27239
(3326.4)/(60.08) = 55.36618
(4490.535)/(84.32) = 53.25587
(5448.345)/(105.21) = 51.78543
(6320.265)/(124.16) = 50.9042
(7877.94)/(159.5) = 49.39147
1/(64.5434) = 0.015493
1/(59.27239) = 0.016871
1/(55.36618) = 0.018062
1/(53.25587) = 0.018777
1/(51.78543) = 0.01931
1/(50.9042) = 0.019645
1/(49.39147) = 0.020246
4. Discussion

The factors affecting filtration are the following: (1) the properties of the liquid, such as
density, viscosity, and corrosiveness, (2) the properties of the solid, such as the particle shape,
particle size distribution and the rigidity or compressibility of the solid and lastly, (3) the
proportion of solids in the slurry.

Volume of Filtrate vs Time

180
160
140
120
Time (s)

100 R² = 0.9992
80
60
40
20
0
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000
Volume of Filtrate (mL)

Figure 4.1 Volume of Filtrate versus Time

From the results obtained, it can be seen in figure 4.1 that as time increases, the volume of
filtrate collected increases as well. Which means that time and the volume of filtrate is directly
proportional to each other. According to the linear regression of 0.9992 that there is only a small
error since R2 is close to one.

The result of the experiment may not be accurately correct because of the machine may not
be functioning properly. This may cause error of the experiment which means it is not the same as
the theory.
5. Conclusions

Volume of filtrate vs t/Vf

0.025

0.02
t/Vf (s/ml)

0.015 y = 7E-07x + 0.0151

R² = 0.926

0.01

0.005

0
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000
Volume of the filtrate

Figure 5.1 Volume of filtrate versus t/Vf

As filter cake is shaped by the substances that are held on a filter. The filter cake develops
over the span of filtration, winds up thicker as particulate issue is being held. With expanding layer
thickness, the flow resistance of the filter cake increases. As time volume increases, the filter cake
resistance is expanding until the point when the cake was completely stuffed at the plate. The filter
medium resistance changed just when the pressure drop changed. Cake resistance depends on the
volume of filtrate loaded in the channel. With some filter cakes, the specific resistance fluctuates
with the pressure drop across it. This is on account of the cake ends up denser under the higher
pressure thus gives less and littler passages to stream. Filter cake develops on the upstream side of
the cloth that is the side far from the plate. In the beginning times of the filtration cycle, the pressure
drop over the fabric is little and filtration continues at pretty much a consistent rate. As the cake
builds up, the process turns out to be increasingly a constant-pressure one and this is the situation
of this test. Calcium carbonate is straightforwardly influenced by the pressure drop on account of
the measure of its particle, this does not have any significant bearing to materials with littler
particle like salt and sugar.
 An increase of the slurry concentration, decreases the volume of filtrate per time.
Which means that they are both inversely proportional to each other. From the results obtained, it
can be seen in figure 5.1 that as time per volume of filtrate increases, the volume of filtrate
collected increases as well. Which means that time per volume of filtrate and the volume of filtrate
is directly proportional to each other. According to the linear regression of 0.926 that there is only
a small error since R2 is close to one.

6. Recommendations

The result of the experiment may not be correct as the machine may not be functioning
properly. Proper maintenance should be done for better reliability of the experiment or a new
replacement of the equipment can be done.
If the equipment is functioning well, then there should be different kinds of filtrate to
further understand the process in filtration using a plate and frame filter press.

REFERENCES
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[4] B. M. Trost and I. Fleming, eds., Comprehensive Organic Synthesis: Selectivity, Strategy
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