Industrial Fluid Filtration Equipment
Industrial fluid filtration equipment is used to filter dirt, swarf and other contaminants out of industrial fluids such as oils, cutting fluids, and coolants. There are many different types of industrial filtration products. Some industrial fluid filtration equipment uses bag, cartridge, or crossflow filters. Other products use reverse osmosis membrane, pressure vessel, gravity or vacuum filters. An automatic industrial fluid filtration system cleans filter media by removing trapped contaminants through backwash or gravity deposits of filter cake. Cross-flow filtration, which uses a portion of the fluid to carry away contaminants, is used to extend the life of membrane filters. Oil filtration is an industrial filtration product that includes the removal of water, gas, and particulate matter. Coolant filtration requires the removal of contaminants and maintenance of the chemical balance of the coolant. Cutting fluid filtration extends the useful life of cutting fluids, which are used in machining operations such as turning, drilling, and milling.
Specifications for industrial fluid filtration equipment include: means of fitting to existing equipment such as pipelines, flow rate in gallons per minute, filter efficiency, working and static pressure (for pressure filters), woven or non-woven medium, and method of removal of filter cake. An industrial filtration product can use surface filtration, in which contaminants load at the surface of the medium, or depth filtration, in which contaminants load throughout the medium. Industrial fluid filtration equipment can also alert operators to the need for maintenance, such as filter changes.
Industrial fluid filtration equipment differs in terms of approvals and certifications. Technical Committee 131 of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) maintains standards for industrial fluid filtration systems. For example, ISO 4406 defines levels of solid particle contamination in hydraulic fluids. Industrial fluid filtration equipment may also be required to meet design standards. For example, some pressure filters meet the requirements of the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code maintained by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). In the European Economic Area (EEA), an industrial fluid filtration system such as a pressure filter must comply with European Pressure Equipment Directive (PED) 97/23/EC.
