Simulation of filtration for suspension transport in porous media

This thesis describes the development and application of a novel method for analyzing the filtration of particles transported through a granular porous medium. The proposed analysis considers the deposition of particles through discrete simulations of particle-laden flow in a cylindrical model pore. The pore model assumes that particles collect, mound up and ultimately clog the pore under the action of hydrodynamic and gravitational forces. By simulating particle deposition processes at the pore scale, the current analyses provide a more realistic physical framework for interpreting filtration experiments than conventional continuum models that implicitly assume length scales much larger than the pores. A detailed parametric study has established relationships between the collection efficiency, mound height and deposit depth as functions of the model pore dimensions, orientation (relative to the gravitational field) and particle settling velocity for injection at constant flow rate. The results showed that the maximum mound height and deposit depth can be correlated with the pressure difference necessary to maintain flow through the model pore. A quasi one-dimensional network 'bubble' model (Datta and Redner, 1998) was developed to simulate 1-D suspension transport problems. The bubble model comprises a serial linkage of bundles of cylindrical bonds with shared nodes at each end. Bubble model simulations include distribution functions for the pore dimensions. Filtration in an individual bond is characterized by correlations from the model pore simulations.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2005

Author dc:creator

• Kim, Yun Sung, 1974-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Andrew J. Whittle.

• Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/30187

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/30187