Murilo Izidoro Santos (Halle (Saale) / DE), Daina Damberga (Bayreuth / DE), Ralf Wehrspohn (Halle (Saale) / DE), Andreas Greiner (Bayreuth / DE), Juliana Martins de Souza e Silva (Halle (Saale) / DE)
Abstract text (incl. figure legends and references)
The study of filtration properties, such as solvent permeability and diffusion through a material, is an essential step in developing efficient filter elements. Aiming at flexible and efficient filter production processes, fluid flow simulations can complement the empirical determination of these parameters with help from 3D X-ray images of real filters. Phase-contrast X-ray microscopy imaging is a technique suitable for imaging materials with low electron density. However, the segmentation of phase-contrast images is not trivial, frequently leading to unreliable results. Here, we analyzed a fibrous matrix of a filter material using different phase-contrast X-ray imaging conditions and evaluated the effects of a semi-automatic segmentation protocol in the simulation of solvent permeability and diffusion properties. We observed that the segmentation strongly influences the results output, causing significant variations in the values of diffusion coefficients (k) and apparent molecular diffusivity. Therefore, before running the simulations, there is a need to apply segmentation protocols that can be validated by other imaging techniques to guarantee relevant results.