In this work, a CFD-based method for simulating the real-time pressure drop and dust cake distribution of the ceramic filter at the macro-scale is presented. In this CFD-based method, a unique mesh grids zone, i.e., a dust cake zone, is created to model the particle deposition process on the ceramic candle surface. In the dust cake zone, the mesh grids on the same ray are arranged into a queue to mimic the dust cake growth trajectory, and the pressure drop and porosity of the dust cake layer are modeled by 1-D empirical formulas. In order to determine the exact grid cell for particle deposition, a novel algorithm is developed, and near-wall corrections of the drag and lift force are applied. Then, a steady and a transient simulation were performed and compared to the experimental data. The comparison results of the pressure drop across the ceramic filter show that the deviation of the pressure drop between experiment and simulation is below 3.6% and 6% in the steady and transient simulation, respectively. Additionally, the dust cake thickness at different locations was tested and compared to the simulation results, and the difference is between 3.9% and 12.9%. Moreover, some less-particle-deposition-zones (LPDZs) are found in the middle and lower portion of the ceramic candles. The size and position of these LPDZs are well predicted by the transient simulation, and their forming reasons are carefully analyzed. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.