The effect of solids on interfacial rheology and the performance of coalescence filters

The paper presents a research work on the process of emulsion separation by filtration-coalescence method in the presence of solid particles. A polyester PBT coalescence medium was used in experiments of water removal from diesel fuel. Apart from parameters representing the geometry and inherent properties of coalescence filters, the additional emulsion constituents such as surfactants and solid particles also affect the process. These constituent can cover fibres and they can also influence emulsion properties. It has been experimentally confirmed that contrary to surface active compounds, which stabilise the emulsion, the presence of specific solid particles decreased the system stability. If surface active compounds are present in the system, the influence of solid particles is different at the same concentration level depending on their type. The destabilization of emulsion due to the presence of Arizona dust was more pronounced. Although the presence of particles mitigated the effect of surfactants, their deposition in the filter media oppositely affected the coalescence process depending on solid type. Oleophilic iron oxide particles improved the separation efficiency of water from diesel fuel, while Arizona test dust had a negative impact on the separation process performance.