Prediction of Brownian particle deposition in porous media using the constricted tube model

The deposition of colloidal particles onto the collector surfaces of porous media is investigated using the Brownian dynamics simulation method. The pore structure in a filter bed was characterized by the constricted tube model. The effects of various shapes of the total interaction energy curves of DLVO theory and the effects of different particle diameters on the collection efficiencies of particles are examined. The simulation results show that the particle collection efficiency is strongly dependent on the geometry of the tube and on the shape of the total interaction energy curve. In a comparison with the available experimental measurements of the filter coefficient, it is found that the present model can give a smaller discrepancy than that of the convective diffusion model in the unfavorable deposition region.