{"id":11729,"date":"2026-09-13T22:43:26","date_gmt":"2026-09-13T14:43:26","guid":{"rendered":"\/jase\/?post_type=tkuisotope&p=11729"},"modified":"2026-09-13T23:18:31","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T15:18:31","slug":"jase-202612-35-038","status":"publish","type":"tkuisotope","link":"\/jase\/?tkuisotope=jase-202612-35-038","title":{"rendered":"CFD Analysis of Hydrodynamics and Oil\u2013Water Separation in Surface-Enhanced Quartz Granular Filtration Systems"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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<\/i> 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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<\/i> Volume 35<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Nthabiseng Ramanamane<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

University of South Africa, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bioresources, and Biomedical Engineering, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, South Africa<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Received: April 19, 2026
Accepted: August 20, 2026
Publication Date: September 13, 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Mesh structure<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/i> Copyright <\/strong>The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0)<\/a>, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are cited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Download Citation: BibTeX <\/a>| http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.6180\/jase.202612_35.038<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Download PDF<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Understanding hydrodynamic behaviour within granular filtration systems is critical for optimizing oil-water separation performance. This study presents a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis of flow characteristics and multiphase interactions in surface-enhanced quartz granular filtration systems. The model is developed based on the Navier-Stokes equations coupled with a Volume of Fluid (VOF) approach and a porous media framework to simulate the transport and separation of oil-water mixtures under varying operating conditions. The simulation results reveal that flow within the granular bed is inherently non-uniform, with localized high-velocity regions near the inlet reducing residence time and limiting effective separation. In contrast, reduced velocities along the filtration bed enhance fluid-surface interaction, promoting improved oil removal. The CFD results, interpreted in conjunction with experimentally validated wettability data, indicate that surface-enhanced quartz promotes improved fluid-surface interaction and enhanced separation performance. The pressure distribution indicates a gradual pressure drop along the bed height, consistent with porous media flow behaviour and indicative of stable, energy-efficient operation. The oil volume fraction analysis further confirms progressive phase separation, with significant reduction in oil concentration along the flow path. The findings highlight the critical role of hydrodynamic conditions and surface engineering in governing oil-water separation efficiency. This study provides a CFD-based framework for understanding internal flow mechanisms and supports the design and optimization of cost-effective, scalable, and energy-efficient granular filtration systems for industrial wastewater treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keywords: CFD, oil-water separation, quartz filtration, multiphase flow, hydrodynamic<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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