Influence of multimodal fiber distribution on the permeability of fibrous media
Elise Cabaset, Nathalie Bardin‐Monnier, Augustin Charvet, Dominique Thomas
Abstract
• Flow simulations in structures with bimodal to multimodal fiber size distribution. • New permeability model and comparison with experimental and simulated data. • Better permeability predictions than the models in the literature. This article deals with the impact of fiber size distribution on the permeability of nonwoven fibrous media, a major issue in the general field of filtration. The conventional method to determine the permeability of nonwoven fibrous media involves equating complex fibrous media with structures composed of a single equivalent fiber diameter. Based on numerical simulations of flow through tridimensional structures with polymodal and polydisperse fiber size distributions, we proposed a new equivalent diameter. In conjunction with a packing density function, the approach is compared to experimental data and simulations available in the scientific literature and shows better permeability predictions than other existing models for a wide range of solid volume fractions (1 % to 20 %) and fiber diameters (1.5 µm to 30 µm). This predictive model of permeability is an essential step in developing a decision-making tool for the design of fibrous media.