Extending Applicability of Correlation Equations to Predict Colloidal Retention in Porous Media at Low Fluid Velocity

In this work, we analyzed causes for a recently noted shortcoming of filtration models, which is to predict collector efficiencies greater than unity under low fluid velocity conditions. For Eulerian flux approaches, both the underlying mechanistic model and the correlation equation used to export model results may contribute to this error. For particle trajectory approaches, the error results solely from the correlation equation, not from the underlying mechanistic model, making correction a relatively simple endeavor. Whereas a fitted saturation factor was recently used in a correlation equation to try to force collector efficiencies to remain below unity, we herein develop a different saturation factor based on classic mass transfer relationships to extend the applicability of our correlation equation to low fluid velocities.