Effect of particle size distribution on filter cake pore structure and coal slurry dewatering process

The ease or difficulty of implementing the dewatering process is determined by the state of filter cake pores. These pores are the channels vacated by the filtrate and represent the storage space for water. In this study, the effects of particle size distribution on the filter cake pore structure and the coal slurry dewatering process were studied through visual and quantitative methods. Experimental results indicated that the proportion of micropores increased with the fine particle content. The uniformity of the pore size distribution first decreased and then increased; thereafter, its skewness and kurtosis gradually decreased. In the dewatering experiment, the filter cake moisture gradually increased with the increase in the −0.074 mm particle content, and the filter cake formation time increased. Moreover, the solid content proportion of the filtrate increased, and the filtration dewatering rate of the coal slurry decreased.