Deep-bed filtration: Accumulation-detachment model parameters

Bed capacity, expressed in weight of accumulated material per unit of bed volume, and bed hydraulic conductivity, expressed in velocity terms, are suggested to effectively represent bed retention ability and the clogging process in deep-bed filtration. A mathematical relationship between these parameters and the specific deposit was established on the basis of saturated flow in soil equations, some filtration models and experimental results. The controversial issue of detachment and breakup of adsorbing particles within the filter pores is discussed in this work in light of parallel phenomena in flocculation. It is concluded that a proper description of filter behaviour should take into account detachment mechanisms which oppose removal.