Stochastic modelling of membrane filtration

Membrane fouling during particle filtration occurs through a variety of mechanisms, including internal pore clogging by contaminants, coverage of pore entrances, and deposition on the membrane surface. In this paper we present an efficient method for modelling the behaviour of a filter, which accounts for different retention mechanisms, particle sizes, and membrane geometries. The membrane is assumed to be composed of a series of, possibly interconnected, pores. The central feature is a conductivity function, which describes the blockage of each individual pore as particles arrive, which is coupled with a mechanism to account for the stochastic nature of the arrival times of particles at the pore. The result is a system of ordinary differential equations based on the pore-level interactions. We demonstrate how our model can accurately describe a wide range of filtration scenarios. Specifically, we consider: a case where blocking via multiple mechanisms can occur simultaneously, which have previously required the study through individual models; the filtration of a combination of small and large particles by a track-etched membrane; and particle separation using interconnected pore networks. The model is significantly faster than comparable stochastic simulations for small networks, enabling its use as a tool for efficient future simulations.