Predicting the Collection Efficiency of Agglomerates in Fibrous Filters

Particle collection in fibrous filters is a very complex problem in filtration theory, and therefore spherical particles are mainly considered. Nevertheless, real particles often have a complicated structure, which influences their deposition behavior. The equivalent diameter concept can be used to account for non-sphericity. We predict the penetration of carbon agglomerates through fibrous filters using a model for spheres and suitable equivalent diameters for the agglomerates. In addition, penetration measurements were performed through a glass fiber filter and a non-woven stainless-steel wire filter. The measured penetrations agreed well with the calculations.