The mechanism of orthokinetic flocculation is assessed in relation to the geometric properties of laminar flow in an idealized capillary model of a granular filter. Mathematical expressions are derived for the parameters of flocculation and expanded to give expressions covering instantaneous and average values relating to experimental results. Each parameter of orthokinetic flocculation is compared with the removal efficiency of the filter under different operating conditions. Velocity gradient, which controls floc size, is found to have a significant effect on filter removal efficiency. Includes 16 references, tables, figures.