Modelling, simulation and process design of the filter cycle

Taking a vacuum belt filter as a basis, the authors show how different stages of solid-liquid separation interact and affect one another in an attempt to point a way towards more rational design of a separation system. The models used are based on fundamental concepts of varying complexity, and sufficiently developed to facilitate design calculations. They can also be readily incorporated into process integration and optimisation packages, and form part of a suite of computer software packages being developed at Exeter University.