Benjamin Y. H. Liu, Principal Investigator

Monte Carlo Simulation of Particle Loading on Fibrous Filters

Air filters are used in a variety of industrial and commercial applications for removing aerosol particles from the air. In a typical filter, the dust particles are initially collected on the filter fibers both deep within the filter mat and also on the surface of the filter. As the dust loading progresses, the filter enters a loading regime where most of the particles are collected in the filter surface in the form of a dust cake. This condition is known as the “surface loading” or “cake filtration” regime. When the filter enters this surface loading regime, the resistance to flow increases rapidly, making it difficult for the fan or pump to maintain the required air flow rate through the system. In practice, when the flow resistance becomes high enough, the filter is either replaced or cleaned. It is in the interests of optimizing filter design to know when this transition to “surface” filtration occurs.

This research group is simulating the progressive loading of spherical particles onto fiber-like cylinders that constitute a simple model of a real fibrous filter. Particles are loaded onto the filter using a random Monte Carlo technique and the progressive growth of the particle layers is monitored to obtain an idea of the particle mass required for the filter as a whole to reach the transition condition. Filter fiber diameters, filter pore diameters, particle size distribution, and particle shape are varied to observe the influence of these parameters on the loading rate. Using this information, filter manufacturers can vary the parameters to optimally design their filters.

The group is using Supercomputing Institute resources to visualize the particle-loading process and to produce Web-based animations for subsequent analysis and presentation.

Research Group

Sho Takagaki, Graduate Student Researcher