Lattice Boltzmann Simulation of Non-Steady-State Particulate Matter Filtration Process in Woven Fiber

To enhance the design process of high-performance woven fibers, it is vital to clarify the evolution of particle dendrites, the dynamic pressure drop, and the capture efficiency with respect to dust loading during the non-steady-state filtration process. A general element (orthogonal elliptical fibers) of woven filter cloths is numerically simulated using the 3D lattice Boltzmann-cell automation (LB-CA) method, where gas dynamics is solved by the LB method while the solid particle motion is described by the CA probabilistic approach. The dendrite morphologies are evaluated under various particle diameters, aspect ratios, packing densities, and inlet fluid velocities. For submicron particles in the “Greenfield gap” range, it is revealed that the normalized pressure drop is an exponential function of the mass of deposited particles, and the rate of increase is exactly proportional to the perimeter of the elliptical fibers. Moreover, the normalized capture efficiency is a linear function of the deposited mass. It is not advisable to increase the packing density too much, as this might simply increase the pressure drop rather than enhancing the normalized capture efficiency. It is also worth noting that the fitting slope is more likely to grow linearly once the aspect ratio exceeds 1.6, indicating that orthogonal elliptical woven fibers offer higher capture efficiency than normal orthogonal cylindrical woven fibers. The work is beneficial to gain insights into the angular distribution of particle dendrites, as well as the prediction of dynamic growth of pressure drop and capture efficiency of the elliptical fiber. These efforts could help to deepen the understanding and realize assistant designing for the filtration performance of woven fiber in the future.