Liquid Filtration
May 20, 2025, Tuesday
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM ET, USA
$USD 350
$USD 175 (Member Only)
Course Objective
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the science and practice of liquid filtration, focusing on basic principles, liquid filtration mechanisms, key equipment, and applications. Practical information and examples based on the instructor’s extensive field experiences are used to help the audience understand liquid filtration.
The contents are designed for people who are new to the filtration industry either in technical, sales or business functions. It is also a very good refreshing course for those who have been involved in filtration for a while, especially in relating fundamental principles to practical operations.
After the course, participants will have the basic knowledge and practical insights to evaluate filtration processes across various industries, including water treatment, food & beverage, pharmaceuticals, energy, electronics and more.
Course Outline
1. Introduction to Liquid Filtration
- Overview of solid/liquid separation and liquid filtration technologies
- Terminology and classification
- Industry applications and relevance
2. Particle and Liquid Properties Affecting Liquid Filtration
- Particle size, concentration, and charge
- Liquid viscosity, pH, volatility, and corrosiveness
- Slurry flow rate and characteristics
3. Principles of Liquid Filtration
- Filtration mechanisms: straining, cake filtration, depth filtration
- Filtration rate and resistance: Darcy’s Law and cake filtration equations
- Cake compactibility and its effect on filtration performance
4. Introduction to Liquid Filtration Equipment
- Types and selection of filters:
- Straining filters (screen, strainer, bag, cartridge, …)
- Cake filters (filter press, drum, disc, belt, …)
- Depth filters (granular beds, nonwovens,…)
- Membrane filters (MF, UF, NF, RO)
5. New Developments, Opportunities, and Trends
- Global needs in performance, durability, and sustainability
- Regulatory impacts and market drivers
Instructor Biography
Dr. Wu Chen
Instructor
Dr. Chen retired from a Fellow role at Dow Inc. in 2023 after 35 years of service. He has extensive industrial experience in engineering and process technologies, especially in solid-liquid separation and gas/air filtration. He also has expertise in project management, process design, plant/site startup and operation. His recent focus has been in sustainability which includes CO2 capture, plastic recycling and water sustainability. He has been teaching this course in numerous organizations and countries for 30 years. He has also been very active in technical communities. He constantly contributes to journal articles and books including the Perry’s Chem. Engr. Handbook. He has been Plenary and Keynote speakers at major conferences such as FILTECH, American Filtration & Separation Society (AFS) conferences, AIChE conferences, World Filtration Congresses and more. Dr. Chen had served as the chairman of AFS, board of directors, conference chairs, and currently leads the education programs of AFS. He was awarded numerous awards for his technical achievement, leadership and contributions. In 2024, he was awarded the AFS Lifetime Achievement Award which recognized his significant lifetime contributions to fluid/particle technologies and industry.
Dr.-Ing. Thomas Peters
Panelist
Dr.-Ing. Thomas Peters is an internationally renowned expert in membrane technology and environmental engineering. He has over 40 years of experience in the field of pressure-driven membrane processes for the treatment of water, process fluids, and wastewater. Related pioneering work was focused between others on the use of reverse osmosis for desalination of seawater, for the purification of landfill leachate and water reuse in different areas. He earned his Ph.D. in 1980 at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg on the subject "Production of drinking water from seawater with reverse osmosis“. After leading management functions in a middle-sized and multinational company, he has been a high-level independent technology consultant since 1986, authored more than 100 publications and more than 50 oral presentations. He is co-editor of a landfill compendium. He received the Stanley Gray Award - Marine Technology 2000/2001 of the IMarEST, London, and the ATCP Award 2007, Concepción, Chile.
Scott Yaeger
Panelist
Mr. Scott Yaeger is currently President/CEO of Filtration and Separation Technology International, Inc. (FAST International, Inc.) He has over 40 years with a broad range of experience in Membrane Filtration with several market leading manufacturers and marketers including Sartorius, Cuno/3M, Gelman/Pall, and PTI Advanced Filtration/Parker Hannifin. He has held worldwide senior level positions in Sales, Marketing, Engineering, R&D, Manufacturing, and General Management. Since 2004 as President of FAST Consulting, LLC, he has assisted in the development of new membranes into new and existing markets, new membrane device technologies, and new membrane applications for multiple market leading filtration companies. Scott was the Founding Chairman of the American Filtration and Separation Society (AFS), a past Member of the Board of Directors, and Program Chair. He is currently on the Board of Directors of the Electrocoat Association (EA). He was awarded the Wells Shoemaker Award from AFS and the Brewer Award from EA. He is the inventor on 4 US Patents and their International counter parts, has presented over 400 technical papers into more than 10 technical societies. Scott is on the Editorial Board for Filtration News.
Penalists
Dr. Swarna Agarwal, Senior Material Scientist at PTI Technologies, USA
Dr. Agarwal is currently at PTI responsible for all the liquid, air and fuel cell filter product development for aviation industry. Prior to this, she was Engineering Manager for filtration media R&D at Parker Hannifin, Engine and Mobile Original Equipment Division, USA. At Parker she was responsible for R&D for diesel fuel, hydraulic nand H2 fuel-cell filters. While working at Parker she has developed more than 50 new products and improved the R&D technology and capabilities to an advanced level. Prior to Parker, she worked as a filtration scientist at UCLA, Water Planet Inc. Los Angeles and ITV Denkendorf Germany. She has over 18 years of academic and industrial experience in new product development for various filtration applications, nonwovens manufacturing, nanotechnology and surface functionalization. She is an expert for coalescence through porous media, emulsion formation, characterization and separation, interfacial and wetting science, bio-inspired textiles, medical textiles, and project management She received the AFS Senior Scientist Award in 2018, Parker Inventor appreciation Award 2021, WFI product of the Year Award 2021. She has over 30 publications, one book and 3 patents. Dr. Agarwal received her PhD from University of Stuttgart, Germany.
Dr. Farzad Rezaei, Lead Scientist at Hollingsworth & Vose, USA
Dr. Rezaei leads the development of advanced membrane materials for liquid filtration at Hollingsworth & Vose, including the company’s Trupor® platform. With over a decade of experience in polymer chemistry, nanofiber engineering, and surface modification, he has driven key innovations in membrane performance, hydrophilic coatings, and plasma-treated media across biopharmaceutical, food and beverage, and industrial markets. He holds a Ph.D. in Fiber and Polymer Science with a minor in Materials Science and Engineering from North Carolina State University. Dr. Rezaei’s work has been recognized through patents, peer-reviewed publications, and awards for research excellence.
Dr.-ing Nicolas PETILLON (CTO, IFTS, France)
Dr. ing Nicolas PETILLON is the CTO of IFTS (Institut de la Filtration et des Techniques Séparatives) in France. He has over 25 years of experience in liquid filtration testing and over 10 years of experience in cleanliness expertise. He serves as Convenor and expert at ISO committee, such as ISO TC 70/SC7; ISO TC 22/SC34; ISO TC 131/SC6. He worked as as an assistant professor at the University of CAEN and a research engineer at SOGEFI FILTRATION in the past. He gratuated from Chemical engineering, ENSIC – Université de Lorraine (1991) and received his Ph.D. in 1996, Institut National Polytechnique de Lorraine, France.