There are quite a number of hydraulic system filtration technologies available in the market today.
They all aim to reduce system downtime by removing any possible contaminants in the hydraulic systems.
In this article, you will learn about 5 cost effective hydraulic system filtration technologies.
With these hydraulic system filters, you can improve productivity by reducing possible downtimes.
Below are some of the key hydraulic filtration systems to consider:
1. Basket Strainers
In this category, you can choose from either simplex filters or duplex filters.
The choice of a specific hydraulic filtration system will depend on the design of your hydraulic system.
Now, let’s discuss the two hydraulic filtration technologies:
· Simplex Basket Strainers
The simplex basket filters are suitable for applications where you can shut down the hydraulic system for a short period of time while going about routine maintenance.
Their designs conform to the ISO 4406 standards.
This is an inline simplex filter that the protects sensitive parts of hydraulic systems from contamination.
You can use simplex basket strainers as inline filters, suction filters or return line filters.
They are made from different materials such as stainless steel or cast iron.
Depending on the specific hydraulic system requirements, you can use simplex basket strainers in low, medium or high pressure systems.
· Duplex Basket Strainers
Duplex basket strainers are suitable for hydraulic systems that do not require the system to be shut down during maintenance.
The design is such that, the hydraulic system will use one filter basket until it gets clogged.
During maintenance, you will simply switch to the second basket strainer.
With this, you are always sure of a continuous operation of a hydraulic system.
This makes duplex strainer baskets a perfect choice for many hydraulic systems that are sensitive to a complete shutdown.
The filters come in a wide range of designs and shapes for medium, low and high pressure applications.
By installing duplex strainers properly, you will be guaranteed of an efficient and seamless flow of hydraulic fluid.
Remember, the duplex filter is simply a simplex filter thou with two filtration baskets.
This implies that in both cases, the two accessories have:
- Different types of valves, depending on their unique applications. A good example is the vent valve that helps to maintain pressure at equilibrium.
- Ergonomic design
- Easy to open casing
- Clogging indicator; shows when you should change the filter element.
- Oil receiving tray or drain plugs to help keep the working area clean
- Large dirt holding capacity; the simplex filters and duplex filters have a large volume for holding debris. It therefore guarantees a long service lifespan while minimizing frequent cleaning.
In short, to profit from these hydraulic system filtration technologies, you need to read all the specifications in either the simplex filter catalogue or duplex filter catalogue.
As a rule of thumb, you must buy a simplex filter or a duplex filter that guarantees “zero leakage” and conforms to ISO cleanliness codes.
2. Reverse Osmosis (RO)
Are you dealing in hydraulic systems where the main fluid is water?
Well, reverse osmosis is a reliable and popular water purification technology in most industrial applications.
For instance, you can obtain fresh water from oil field brine by using RO.
Diagrams illustrating two processes of osmosis
During the reverse osmosis, water is forced through a porous semi-permeable membrane.
You can see this as illustrated in the above image.
The process aims to remove all minerals or possible contaminates that could affect a hydraulic system.
So, far the hydraulic filtration system is commonly used in food processing, water filtration and oil industries, just to mention a few.
3. Bag Filter Systems
A bag filter is a cost effective way of removing contaminants in hydraulic systems.
They are common hydraulic system filtration technologies in water treatment, paint, food processing, pharmaceutical and chemical processing industries, just to mention a few.
This is an example of a filter bag.
As you can see from the above example, it consists of a cloth bag which the hydraulic fluid is forced to pass through.
Depending on the size of pores in the bag filter, it removes rust, dirt or small particles of contaminants.
The filter bags come in a wide range of configurations – from single to multi layer bags.
This depends on the specific application requirements.
Again, they have special housings where you can fit the filter bags.
These housings resemble those of the simplex filter or duplex filters mentioned earlier.
4. Cartridge Filter
This hydraulic filtration technology is a perfect choice in most industries such as beverage, pharmaceutical, food processing and petroleum industries, just to mention a few.
Different types of filter elements in hydraulic system.
Like other filter systems, the design of these cartridges is such that they protect expensive hydraulic components such as pumps and motors from possible damage.
The cartridge filter removes particles that may contribute to premature wear and tear of hydraulic system elements.
Hydraulic components are suitable for servo circuits, variable displacement pumps, precision machinery, hydrostatic drives, etc.
They are generally compact in design and can operate within a wide range of pressure.
5. Self-cleaning Filters/Strainers
If you need hydraulic system filtration technologies that guarantee worry-free operation then this is a perfect solution.
These hydraulic system filters come in numerous configurations such as:
- Tubular backwashing filters
- Mechanically cleaned filters, and
- Cooling towers, just to mention a few
Ideally, the idea behind the self-cleaning filters is to ensure that that the filter mesh remains clean irrespective of the working conditions.
This image shows basic information about filter element. Image source: Global Spec
For instance, as the hydraulic system operates, there will be a continuous backwash from the filtered output.
This way, the filter mesh will remain clean at all times.
The self-cleaning filters are a perfect choice for applications where flow rates are high or places with high environmental hazards.
In such places, it will be risky for operators to clean and maintain the hydraulic filtration systems.
Normally, the design and configuration of self-cleaning filter/strainer systems tend to be more complex.
Therefore, it is important that you study the configuration of the filter element from its catalogue.
Apart from these, it is important to acknowledge that the hydraulic system filtration technologies are still evolving.
The hydraulic filtration system manufacturers are focusing on effective ways of removing all contaminants without an increase in hydraulic system pressure drop.
This makes them to adopt a strict system design that neither increases unit costs nor compromises on efficiency.
It is for this reason that you have seen manufacturers adopting finer fiber technologies.
With such technologies, it is easier to increase the amount of dirt a filter can capture, while increasing the fluid flow area.
More importantly, they have managed to increase filter efficiency, thereby, controlling contamination levels.
Conclusion
From this hydraulic filtration overview, it is quite clear that you have over 5 technologies to adopt for your system.
It is upon you to decide whether simplex filters, duplex filters, bag or cartridge filters, will be suitable for the application requirements at hand.
The choice of a specific filter will depend on the type of hydraulic fluid, working environment and filtration levels you intend to achieve.
At FilSon Filters, we have hundreds of simplex and duplex filters that are available in both standard and custom designs.
For more information about our products, contact our technical team today.
Further Reading
- How Important is the ISO Cleanliness Code in Oil Analysis?– Source: Machinery Lubrication
- What is a Duplex Strainer?– Source: FilSon Filters Blog
- The Future of Hydraulic Oil Filtration– Source: Machinery Lubrication
- Duplex Strainer– Source: Wikipedia