Filtration Performance of Real Polymeric Fiber Media for Non‐Spherical Particles Based on CFD‐DEM Simulations

ABSTRACT

To elucidate the influence of particle morphology on filtration in real polymeric fibrous media, the present study employs Computational Fluid Dynamics–Discrete Element Method to investigate the capture dynamics of spherical, cubic, and regular tetrahedral particles. Results indicate that the pressure drop remains nearly identical across particle types. The capture efficiency of particles rises rapidly with Stokes number (0 < St < 0.8). Under the inertial‐impaction‐dominated conditions characterized by St , regular tetrahedral particles achieve the highest capture efficiency, followed by cubic and then spherical. For Reynolds numbers in the range of 0 < Re < 1, where the shape‐dependent flow‐field structure plays the primary role, the cubic particles are more readily captured by the fibers compared to the other two particle shapes. Regular tetrahedral particles are less susceptible to capture by the fibers than spherical particles. It is found that the polymeric fibrous filter exhibits a higher quality factor for capturing cubic particles when varying the flow velocity. However, regular tetrahedral particles show a higher quality factor with decreasing viscosity. This study reveals the capture mechanism of irregular particles in real polymeric fibrous media, providing insight into the effects of non‐spherical particle morphology on filtration performance.