2017/11/29 by Liot, Olivier, Singh, Akash, Bacchin, Patrice +3
#FOS: Physical sciences #Fluid Dynamics (physics.flu-dyn) #Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft)
paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1711.10881
Blockage of pores by particles is found in many processes, including filtration and oil extraction. We present filtration experiments through a linear array of ten channels with one dimension which is sub-micron, through which a dilute dispersion of Brownian polystyrene spheres flows under the action of a fixed pressure drop. The growth rate of a clog formed by particles at a pore entrance systematically increases with the number of already saturated (entirely clogged) pores, indicating that there is an interaction or "cross-talk" between the pores. This observation is interpreted based on a phenomenological model, stating that a diffusive redistribution of particles occurs along the membrane, from clogged to free pores. This one-dimensional model could be extended to two-dimensional membranes.