Finite element analysis of three-stage micro-sieves based microfiltration technique

Abstract

Background: The micro-sieves filter out the suspended solid particles and microorganisms from the sample fluids such as water, blood samples, etc. Water is the most essential element among all the natural resources. It gets polluted as it flows and comes in contact with the atmosphere or earth’s surface. The reduction of suspended particles such as iron, manganese and chemical oxygen dissolved in the water makes it potable Micro-sieves are microfiltration membranes with uniformly patterned pores of size in the range of 0.1–50 µm. Objectives: The main objective of the study was to analyze the three-stage microfiltration using COMSOL 4.3a with micro-sieves of pore size as low as 0.1 μm in the third stage. Methods: This study involves finite element analysis performed using the COMSOL Multiphysics® software package. Modeling of a three-step microfiltration process utilizing micro-sieves with pore sizes as small as 0.1 m has been demonstrated. Results: Particles that are smaller than the pores of the membranes are retained on the surface of the membrane. The filtration efficacy against dissolved solids, removal of turbidity and microorganisms is determined by the size of the pores in the membranes. The changes in pressure and velocity are studied at the output of each microfiltration membrane. The pressure has decreased by 2 mPa and the velocity has increased by 0.13 µm/s after the third stage of filtration demonstrating the removal of microorganisms. Conclusion: The findings of the finite element analysis performed by the COMSOL multiphysics® program has provided us with the option to develop these devices using microfluidic mixers and microsieves.

Keywords

• Microorganism
• Micromixer
• Microsieves
• Filtration
• Solid particles
• Finite element analysis