Tangential Filtration Flow Control for Continuous Membrane Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tangential filtering systems face frequent interruptions and laborious cleaning due to high solid fraction concentrations, making it difficult to maintain efficient filtration and detect solid concentrations continuously, leading to suboptimal permeate quality and increased cleaning times.
Innovation Solution
A tangential filtering system with a recirculation circuit and a centrifugal pump, equipped with a flow rate sensor and control unit that automatically adjusts the cleaning process based on detected flow rates, ensuring continuous membrane cleaning and optimal solid fraction concentration management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If tangential filtering is used to separate liquid from solid fractions, then filtration efficiency is improved, but the system requires frequent interruptions for cleaning when solid concentration increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary cleaning action by continuously circulating retentate through the filter membranes during the filtration process. This prevents complete obstruction of the membranes by solids, allowing the system to operate continuously without frequent interruptions for cleaning, thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining filtration efficiency and avoiding cleaning time losses
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuous filtration operation by implementing a recirculation circuit that constantly moves retentate back through the filter. This continuous action prevents the need to stop filtration for cleaning, as the membranes are kept clear by the ongoing flow, thereby maintaining productivity without time loss to interruptions
2Productivity
If recirculation circuit with centrifugal pump is added to maintain continuous operation, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The recirculation circuit serves multiple functions: it maintains continuous flow through the filter membranes, enables automatic cleaning by preventing solid accumulation, and allows for concentration management. By making this single system perform multiple functions, the added complexity is justified by significant gains in productivity and automatic operation
3Measurement precision
If flow rate sensor and automatic control are implemented, then solid fraction concentration management is improved, but measurement and control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flow rate sensor provides continuous feedback on the retentate flow characteristics, which indirectly indicate solid concentration levels. The automatic control system uses this feedback to adjust operating parameters, maintaining optimal filtration conditions. This feedback mechanism enables precise concentration management through a relatively simple control architecture
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for continuous operation without interruptions, effective removal of solid fractions, and consistent permeate quality, reducing membrane obstruction and cleaning time, while enabling the filtration of products with high initial solid concentrations.
Implementation Method 1
a centrifugal pump (20) which circulates the product to be treated
Implementation Method 2
the filtering is obtained by means of the pressure difference existing between the inside and the outside of the membrane wall
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
An improved tangential filtering method, in particular for filtering organic liquid products in the food processing sector, of the type which uses a tangential filter (3) comprising at least one filtering element (6), along which the fluid product to be treated is intended to flow in parallel so as to separate the permeate, which is collected and extracted through at least one permeate outlet, from the retentate, which is then reintroduced into the filter itself by means of a recirculation circuit (18), characterized in that: - the speed/flow rate of the product to be treated is detected by means of a speed/flow rate sensor (22) positioned inside the recirculation circuit (18), in which a centrifuge pump (20) for recirculating said product to be treated is also provided, - the speed/flow rate detected by means of said sensor (22) is periodically compared with at least one predetermined value, and the activation of a device (38), which cleans said filtering elements (6) without interrupting the filtering, is controlled on the basis of such comparison.