Experimental and Simulation Study of Particle Deposition Characteristics and Pressure Drop Evolution in Pleated Filter Media

Pleated filter media are widely used in particulate filtration, but the particle deposition and pressure drop during particle loading remain insufficiently explored. This study visualizes the particle deposition patterns in pleated filter media, along with the evolution of pressure drop and the effective filtration area (EFA) using simulations. The results indicate that, as the volume of deposited particles increases, the pressure drop of the pleated filter media initially grows linearly, but this rate of increase accelerates as particle deposition continues. The particle deposition characteristics are related to the pleat ratio. A smaller pleat ratio results in a smaller initial EFA, leading to a high initial resistance growth rate. Conversely, a larger pleat ratio leads to faster aggregation of particles, resulting in a faster rise in the resistance growth rate. The dust-holding capacity is optimal at a pleat ratio of 6.67. When the inlet flow rate or the particle size increases, it is more favorable to reduce the pleat ratio. The reliability of the results is verified using experiments, and the error is within 20%. The findings provide theoretical and practical insights for optimizing the design of pleated filter media for better performance in particulate filtration.