ABSTRACT CTS-9523524 The objective of this proposal is to determine the effect of the orientation and degree of randomness of the filter media fibers on particle capture efficiency and energy dissipation during cake formation. An experimental facility will be constructed to measure both the microscopic (fiber orientation, individual particle penetration and capture, particle-fiber interactions) and macroscopic (medium pressure drop, flow rate, amount of particle penetration) filtration characteristics. Basic understanding of mechanisms such as particle capture and evolution of cake structure will be sought. A correlation between the retention efficiency and fiber orientation will be determined. The main applications are in petroleum industry, ground water hydrology, chemical processing, paper making and food processing. ***
