An experimental study of electroacoustic crossflow microfiltration

Results from an experimental study of the effects of the principal process and suspension characteristics on crossflow microfiltration augmented by electrical and ultrasonic force fields are presented. It has been found that both fields, either in isolation or in combination, can reduce membrane fouling: the extent of filtration improvement is affected by field strengths, acoustic frequency, suspension concentration, liquid viscosity, and particle size and surface charge. Synergistic effects were observed when the fields were applied simultaneously. As well as increasing filtrate fluxes, use of either or both force fields allows lower crossflow velocities to be used. This implies that smaller equipment can be used for a given throughput, reduced energy consumption is possible by the recirculation pump, there is a lesser tendency to degrade shear sensitive streams, and heat transfer duties may be reduced for recirculation loop exchangers.