How to Select Your Industrial Water Filter
Ask Filter Man
considerations. In addition to removing the undesirable material from a
liquid stream, the filtration method selected must also satisfy other
requirements such as:
1) Installed costs must be weighed against operating costs.
2) Waste disposal costs must be considered.
3) Is continuous flow a requirement of the application, or can the
filtration equipment be operated intermittently?
4) Is working exposure to the process liquid during filter cleaning or
replacement a problem?
These and other factors must be weighed when selecting the right
filtration method for a particular application.
The products being removed from a liquid process stream are as widely
variable as the types of filters designed to remove them.
Products being removed in potable water treatment applications are
often molecular in size. However, many other filtration applications
are concerned with the removal of specific trace solids from a liquid
process stream. Surface-type filters using fibrous cartridges of mesh
screens made of woven wire or fabric are often used in these
applications.
The following analysis will focus on the removal of these trace solids,
rather than the entire scope of liquid filtration.
Filtration Methods:
There are three basic filter types to consider when specifying a liquid
processing filter:
1) Bag filters
2) Cartridge filters
3) Self-cleaning filters
Each one has advantages and disadvantages when compared with the
others, and the different types are appropriate for different
applications.
Self-Cleaning filters are typically most appropriate for applications
where:
* Flow rates are high
* Filter media replacement costs are high, or
* Exposure of the process liquid to workers or the environment is
undesirable.
They can be used to remove suspended solids of approximately one micron
and larger from all types of liquid process streams.
Bag and Cartridge filters can both remove suspended solids for
applications with lower flow rates, where
* Exposure to the process liquid is not a problem
* Lower volumes of solids must be removed.
Bag and Cartridge filters are roughly equivalent in price, although
self-cleaning systems tend to cost more initially. However, users
should consider the total operating costs of the filtration system, not
merely the initial purchase price.
Media replacement, disposal costs, labor costs, and downtime should all
be included when evaluating filtration systems.
Factors to Consider:
When selecting a filter for a particular application, the following
criteria should be considered:
1) How large is the process volume? What is the flow rate?
2) Is it a continuous or batch process?
3) What are the material characteristics of the solids being removed?
Such as:
* How large are the particles?
* Is the material hazardous?
* Can the material being removed be recycled back into the process
stream at another point?
4) What are the waste disposal costs? Such as:
* How often do bags or cartridges need to be replaced?
* Can the waste volume be reduced or eliminated by switching to a
different filtration method?
5) What are the labor and downtime costs for filter or cartridge
replacement? Such as:
* Can downtime be reduced or eliminated by switching to a
different filtration method?
by Ask Filter Man
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