Adsorption filters are a key technology for the removal of gaseous pollutants in various applications, including fuel cells, medical technology, and industrial air purification. Pleated filter elements are widely used due to their increased surface area, enabling compact designs with high efficiency. A central metric for their performance evaluation is the breakthrough curve, which describes the adsorption behavior as a function of time and pollutant concentration. However, the experimental determination of breakthrough curves is costly and time-consuming, as it requires prototype manufacturing and extensive test campaigns.

This work addresses the numerical prediction of SO₂ adsorption in pleated filters using CFD simulations. An empirically calibrated mathematical model was implemented in Ansys Fluent to reproduce breakthrough behavior and to investigate the influence of geometrical and operational parameters.

In Figure 1 the results of measurements and simulations are shown at different incoming flow velocities u and different pleat numbers, what correlates with different pleat distances.

The results in Figure 1 demonstrate that [...]. In particular, the effects of pleating on flow distribution and adsorption capacity were quantified, allowing a reliable estimation of filter lifetime. The approach significantly reduces the need for time- and cost-intensive testing and provides an efficient tool for the design and optimization of adsorption filters.