Limiting flux in microfiltration of colloidal suspensions by focusing on hydrodynamic forces in viscous sublayer

Cross‐flow microfiltration tests were performed on colloidal suspensions under turbulence conditions. By changing the particle diameter, flow rate, and channel height in the membrane housing to measure limiting fluxes, the influence of each parameter on the limiting flux was assessed from the viewpoint of hydrodynamic forces exerted on a particle in the viscous sublayer. In analyzing all the data taken, the particle Reynolds number calculated from the limiting flux is proportional to the 1.5 power of that calculated from the flow rate at the boundary between the viscous sublayer and the intermediate layer. This fact indicates that the limiting flux can be determined in situations where the drag force exerted by the flux is balanced by the lift force in the viscous sublayer. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 64: 1760–1765, 2018