Experimental study on mechanical filtration through tobacco columns: Influence of cut-filler shape and size distribution on filtration efficiencies

Tobacco columns are extreme examples of heterogenous packed beds, which have various cut-filler shapes and a wide range of size distribution. The behavior of mechanical filtration through tobacco columns has been investigated by using polystyrene latex (PSL) standard particles to compare the actual filtration efficiency with the predicted filtration efficiency calculated by theoretical equations for spherical packed beds. The influence of cut-filler shape and the range of cut-filler size distribution on filtration efficiency have been examined. The effect of diffusion in tobacco columns was lower and the effect of interception and inertia were higher than in spherical packed beds. These results show that a partially faster flow could have occurred in tobacco columns. It means that it is difficult to utilize the theoretical equations for spherical packed beds to heterogenous packed beds as proposed. Filtration efficiency through tobacco columns had a relationship with the factor that shows cut-filler shape and size distribution (r = 0.894, p < 0.05) and the factor that shows cut-filler size distribution (r = 0.683, p < 0.15). The factor showing cut-filler shape and size distribution was expected to be an effective factor of filtration efficiency for heterogenous packed beds. From these experiments, empirical equations that can be applied to tobacco columns have been proposed, and the prediction accuracy during burning was validated. It has been found that the prediction accuracy was precise, revealing the importance of taking the influence of cut-filler shape and size distribution into account in the filtration equations.

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