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Hydrometallurgy

Filter Area & Capacity Calculator

This is an OPERATING CHECK ONLY: it returns the filter area required to handle a dry-solids throughput at a specific filtration rate you supply, plus the dry-cake production rate that area sustains while filtering. It is the operating analog of the thickener solids-loading-rate calculator — required area from a unit rate. From the dry-solids throughput (t/h), a user-supplied specific filtration rate (kg dry solids per m² per hour, from a leaf test, testwork, or the literature), and an optional on-stream/availability factor, it computes the required area A = G / (R × f) and the dry-cake production rate A × R. It is NOT equipment sizing, NOT equipment selection, NOT vendor filter design, NOT a vacuum-filter design tool, NOT a pressure-filter design tool, and NOT a filtration simulator. The filtration rate is ALWAYS a value you supply — the calculator never predicts it — and the on-stream factor is a user-supplied allowance, not a designed value. Selecting and designing a filter (media/cloth, vacuum/pressure system, cycle, vendor model) requires testwork, vendor methods, and qualified review.

TypeInteractive engineering calculator

Calculator

t/h

dry solids to be filtered

kg/m²·h

from a leaf test / testwork / literature — a value you supply

fraction

optional; 0 < f ≤ 1 (default 1 = always filtering)

Result
Required filtration area100 m²
Cake production rate20 t/h
Cake production rate20000 kg/h
  • !OPERATING CHECK ONLY — required area from a throughput and a filtration rate YOU supply (leaf test / testwork / literature). It is NOT equipment sizing, equipment selection, vendor filter design, vacuum/pressure-filter design, or a filtration simulator.
  • !The filtration rate is never predicted here, and the on-stream factor is a user-supplied allowance. Selecting and designing a filter requires testwork, vendor methods, and qualified review.

OPERATING CHECK ONLY: the filter area required to pass a dry-solids throughput at a filtration rate you supply, plus the dry-cake production rate the area sustains. Not equipment sizing, not equipment selection, not vendor/vacuum/pressure-filter design, and not a filtration simulator. The filtration rate and on-stream factor are user inputs; filter selection and design require testwork, vendor methods, and qualified review.

Related: Filtration & Dewatering Calculations Explained · Filtration Mass Balance · Thickener Solids Loading Rate · Hydromet & Slurry Calculations

Formulas

Required filter area
A = G / (R × f) (G in kg/h)
Dry-cake production rate (while filtering)
G_cake = A × R = G / f

Diagram

Filter area requirement — required area from throughput and a supplied filtration rate (operating check only)G (t/h dry)required area A (m²)A = G / (R · f)R = supplied filtration ratecake rate = A · R20 000 kg/h ÷ 200 kg/m²·h = 100 m²operating check only — NOT equipment sizing, selection, or filter design

Worked example

A duty must filter 20 t/h of dry solids. A leaf test gives a specific filtration rate of 200 kg dry solids/m²·h. With the filter on-stream the whole time (f = 1), find the required area and the dry-cake production rate.

  1. 01Convert throughput: G = 20 t/h = 20 000 kg/h
  2. 02Required area: A = 20 000 / (200 × 1) = 100 m²
  3. 03Dry-cake production rate: G_cake = A × R = 100 × 200 = 20 000 kg/h = 20 t/h
  4. 04With an on-stream factor f < 1 the required area rises as A = G / (R × f) — an operating check, not equipment selection
Result

Required filter area 100 m² at the supplied 200 kg/m²·h rate, sustaining 20 t/h of dry cake — an operating check on a user-supplied rate, NOT an equipment-sizing, selection, or filter-design result.

FAQ

Is this a filter sizing or filter selection tool?
No. It is an OPERATING CHECK ONLY. It tells you the area required to pass a throughput at a filtration rate YOU supply — the same idea as the thickener solids-loading-rate check. It does not select a filter, design a vacuum or pressure filter, choose media or cloth, or size vendor equipment. Those require testwork, vendor methods, and qualified review.
Where does the specific filtration rate come from?
You supply it — from a filter leaf test, pilot work, plant data, or the literature for a comparable duty. The calculator never predicts the filtration rate; predicting it for a given ore needs filtration testwork. Supplying the rate is what keeps this an operating check rather than an equipment-sizing tool.
What does the on-stream factor do?
It is the fraction of time the filter is actually filtering (allowing for cake discharge, washing, downtime). With f < 1 the instantaneous duty is higher, so the required area rises as A = G / (R × f). It is a user-supplied allowance, not a designed availability — supply a value appropriate to your filter and duty.
What is the "cake production rate" output?
It is the dry-solids (dry-cake) production rate the required area sustains while the filter is on-stream, A × R. At f = 1 it equals the throughput you entered; at f < 1 it is the higher instantaneous rate the running filter must achieve. It is the capacity check that pairs with the required area, not a vendor throughput guarantee.
Why is this not equipment sizing?
Equipment sizing and selection turn a duty into a specific filter — type, model, media, vacuum/pressure system, cycle, and number of units — using vendor methods and testwork. This page only converts a throughput and a supplied rate into a required area, with the rate and on-stream factor both user inputs. It is deliberately scoped to the operating check and stops short of selecting or designing any equipment.

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