A Theory of Smoke Filters
Tolman, Wells and Gerke, during the course of their work on toxic smokes, developed the following theory of smoke filters.
The phenomena occurring in the filtration of smoke are exceedingly complicated, but the general nature of the process may be simply described in terms of the kinetic properties of the small particles comprising the smoke.
A filter may be regarded as a series of minute capillaries through which the smoke slowly flows. In order that filtration may take place, it is not necessary to assume that the capillaries of the filter are smaller than the particle, for the particles may diffuse to the walls of the capillaries and it is believed that with typical filters this is the actual method of smoke removal for particles less than 10⁻⁴ cm. in diameter.
In accordance with this view as to the nature of smoke filtration, the important factors involved are (1) the Brownian motion of the smoke particles, (2) the area and arrangement of the internal surface presented by the filter, (3) the flow of the smoke as a whole, and (4) the attractive forces between the filter surfaces and the smoke particles. The first three of these factors determine how many particles come within the range of the mutual forces of the particle and filter surface, and the fourth factor determines the chance or expectation that the particle will permanently adhere to the surface of the filter.