ASSIGNMENT 1- Filtration

1. Beer containing 6% citric acid is filtered on a continuous rotary vacuum filter. The filter
has an area of 18.1 m2, a negligible medium resistance, a cycle time of 75 sec and a pressure
difference of close to 1 amt. the cake which forms has a washing efficiency of 60%, but is
incompressible and permeable. The cake retains 7% of filtrate leaving and should be
washed until the cake contains only 10% citric acid originally entrained. Calculate the
filtration time and the washing time required to process 3000 litres/hr of beer. Given :

2. A slurry, containing 0.2 kg of solid (solid density ρS = 2500 kg m-3) per kilogram of water,
is fed to a rotary drum filter with length L= 0.88 m and diameter D = 0.8 m. The drum
rotates at a speed of one revolution in 10 min and 20 per cent of the filtering surface is in
contact with the slurry at any instant. Specific cake resistance α = 2.8*1010 m/kg and
medium resistance RM = 3.0*109 m-1. Liquid density ρL = 1000 kg m -3, liquid viscosity
ηL= 0.001 kg m-1s-1.
a. Determine the filtrate and dry solids production rate when filtering with a pressure
difference of 45 kN/m2.
b. Calculate the thickness of the cake produced when it has a porosity ε = 0.5

3. A cell broth containing Bacillus subtilis is filtered at a rate of 2000 litres/h on a rotary
vacuum filter at a vacuum pressure of 70 kPa. The cycle time for the drum is 60 s and cake
formation time (filtering time) is 15 s. The broth has the viscosity of 2cp and cake solids
(dry basis) per volume of filtrate of 10 g/litre. From laboratory tests, the specific cake
resistance has been determined to be 9×1010. Determine the total area of the filter that is
required. Consider the medium resistance to be negligible.
4. Auromycin crystals are separated from acetone suspension using a filter of negligible
resistance. The following data is obtained:
t (sec) V (litres)

10 0.500
20 0.707
 30 0.866

In this process, we have used a filter with 89 cm2 area and pressure drop of 2.6 m of water.
We now plan to filter a much larger crop of crystals containing 7300 litres of solvent by
using a filter of 1.3 m2. However, this larger crop has a concentration of 0.28 g/100 cm3
solvent, less than that in our test filtration, which is 0.34 g/100cm3 of solvent. How long
will it take to filter this new crop at the same pressure drop?

5. Slurry of sitosterol is filtered through a filtration medium. The resistance of the medium is
negligible. The laboratory test data is:
Weight of crystal: 62 g, pressure of filtration: 15 psi, filter diameter: 5.08 cm, cake depth:
12.5 cm, cake volume: 253.3 cm3, filtration time: 163 min.; slurry density = 0.3 g /100 cm3
The cake is incompressible.
On the basis of this laboratory test, predict the number of frames (30 in. × 30 in. × 1 in.
thick) needed for a plate and frame press. Estimate the time required to filter a 63 kg batch
of steroid. In these calculations, assume that the feed pump will deliver 10 psi and that the
filtrate from the press must be raised against the equivalent of 15 ft head.