| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/S04758/01 |
| Title: |
The Separation of Oil Drops from Water Using Micro-Slits |
| Principal Investigator: |
Holdich, Professor RG |
| Other Investigators: |
|
| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
|
| Project Partners: |
|
| Department: |
Chemical Engineering |
| Organisation: |
Loughborough University |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
| Starts: |
01 January 2003 |
Ends: |
31 December 2005 |
Value (£): |
229,733
|
| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Oil & Gas Extraction |
Separation Processes |
|
| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
| Chemicals |
Environment |
| No relevance to Underpinning Sectors |
|
|
| Related Grants: |
|
| Panel History: |
|
|
Summary on Grant Application Form |
|
The separation of oil drops in water, with diameters greater than a micron, can be achieved by the non-tortuous type of microfilters operating in crossflow. The tortuous type of microfilter provides an internal surface on which drops deposit, thus fouling the microfilter internally. However, circular pore non-tortuous microfilters can still clog at the surface because drops sit trapped over the holes in the membrane. The force holding the drop in place over the hole is a combination of surface forces and the pressure drop across the membrane. When filtering on micro-slit membranes an oil drop on the slit like pore will not be held in place by the pressure drop over the membrane, because the oil drop does not completely block off the flow through the slit like pore: i.e. the force holding the drop in place is primarily the liquid drag force of the permeate over the drop. This force is much less than the force due to the pressure field over the membrane. However, careful control of the force on the drop must be exercised to prevent the squeezing of the drop through the slit like pore. This project investigates the flow of drops through slit like pores and provides an optimum geometry for micro-slit pores to maximise the rejection of oil drops.
|
|
Key Findings |
|
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
|
|
Potential use in non-academic contexts |
|
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
|
|
Impacts |
|
| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
|
| Date Materialised |
|
|
|
|
Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
|
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
|
| Project URL: |
|
| Further Information: |
|
| Organisation Website: |
http://www.lboro.ac.uk |