Fluid Flow Characteristics of Forced Flow Electrophoresis

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Fluid flow in forced flow electrophoresis has not been previously analyzed, even though it presents some interesting aspects. The effectiveness of this method for biological separations is due to a superimposition of an electric field on filtration. A mathematical model is presented, describing fluid flow and mass transfer for dilute solutions at electrical potentials less than the critical one. The calculated solute trajectories in a channel are determined by the ratio of the electrophoretic velocity to the withdrawal velocity through the permeable wall. The stationary layer and the layer in which all the solutes arrive at the permeable membrane at the end of the channel are also calculated. The concentration of the filtrate through the permeable membrane is obtained from the material balance of the solute entering the channel. Increased performance is obtained by means of a double-stage forced flow electrophoresis, where the ratio of final filtered solute concentration to inlet concentration is shown to be the square of the same ratio at the first stage.