HIGH-TECH LABCOURSES
HIGH-TECH
LABCOURSES
Membrane ultrafiltration processes and rheological behaviour of aqueous colloidal suspensions
The purpose of this lab course is to give Master/PhD students the opportunity to discover the mechanisms involved in membrane ultrafiltration processes in relation with the rheological behaviour of the aqueous filtered suspensions. During the filtration process under shear flow and pressure forces, the filtered particles accumulate near the membrane surface forming a concentrated layer of a few hundred micrometers. The changes from a dilute phase to a concentrated phase induce a change in the rheological behaviour of the suspensions which control the performance of the process. The proposed approach, is to combine the characterization of the filtration properties of the suspensions, the in-situ visualization of the accumulated layers and the rheometric behaviour of the suspensions.
The goal is to understand the principal mechanisms governing the ultrafiltration process used in several industrial applications, bio- and agro-industries, chemical industries, pharmaceutical, nuclear, as well as water and sludge treatment.
PREREQUISITE
This lab-course is well suited to M1, M2 and PhD students having a background in fluid mechanics, chemical engineering, and some knowledge on particles suspensions properties and theirs rheological behaviour.
DESCRIPTION
Mechanisms involved during membrane ultrafiltration processes of aqueous dispersions in relation with theirs rheological properties at increasing concentrations.
Aqueous clay or cellulose nanocrystal suspensions, composed of nanometric sized particles (a few nm in diameter and hundreds nanometer in length) will be will be concentrated using membrane ultrafiltration processes. This ultrafiltration set-up will allow to characterise the filtration properties of the suspensions (permeation flux) as a function of time and external applied forces (transmembrane pressure).
Simultaneously the structural characterization of the deposit will be observed inside the filtration canal in the accumulated layers above the membrane, thanks to Small-angle Light Scattering (SALS).
In parallel, the rheological behaviour of the suspensions will be characterised as a function of the particles concentrations, thanks to rheometric measurements. Theoretical modelling of the ultrafiltration process will be addressed to highlight the link between the rheological behaviour and the filtration performance.
