Industrial water filters can be surface filters that physically strain water through a membrane.

Alternatively, they can be depth filters that have porous materials for the collection of impurities throughout the medium.

Surface VS Depth Filtration

Depth filters are the most common for industrial water filtration because they have a higher dirt retention capacity.

Cartridge Depth Filter

You can use either deep bed or cartridge depth filters.

When pressurized fluid passes through the medium, they restrain contaminants either through attractive molecular forces or direct collision.

Different industrial applications have special requirements for a certain number and types of filters.

Here is all you need to know about these

· Deep Bed Filters

The choice of materials for constructing a deep bed will depend on the type of contaminants that you want to remove.

You can use different materials placed in layers to filter out different kinds of impurities.

In the initial stage, the particles stick on the clean filters.

Then in the transient phase, they stick on already deposited on filter grains/media that are already covered by filtered particles.

The filtration layer is mechanically agitated to allow water circulate through the media as it removes the dirt.

Clean water comes out through the backwash screen, which retains the filter media and allows the wastes to pass through.

Deep Bed Filtration System

· Cartridge Filters

The filter media is composed of a single material wound around a metallic or plastic frame, which may be perforated in some cases.

The medium restrains the impurities and releases the clean water through the outlets.

That is, when contaminated water passes through it.

Water Filter Cartridge

They are relatively cheaper compared to deep bed filters and can achieve considerably high filtration efficiency.

There are several advantages to using industrial water filters to produce pure freshwater. They include:

· Lower Cost of Maintenance

The screens will remove harmful contaminants, which can affect the operation of machinery.

Protecting sensitive equipment in the application will translate into maximum productivity and lower downtime for repair.

· Reduced Energy Cost

Recycling municipal wastewater will reduce the cost of desalinating seawater if you don’t have access to freshwater.

You can save up to 95% of the factory energy used to treat water through recycling water.

· Increased Operation Efficiency

Using filters with a high level of efficacy will help you achieve the Zero Liquid Discharge policy if you are working in an environment where water is a scarce resource.

The ZLD policy is a fundamental production technology that has to be adopted by industries located in dry and arid regions.

· Sustainable Production

Environmental concerns have seen a lot of emphasis on the production process that supports sustainable production.

The rapid growth in population, industrialization, urbanization and climate change aggravates the situation.

You can come up with innovative ways to conserve the already scarce.

You can also ensure that the wastewater you produce does not contaminate the environment.

Consumer awareness of the need for preserving the environment is increasing, and failure to comply will affect your brand image and sales.

You can choose an industrial water filtration system depending on the specifications of the contaminants you want to remove.

They include;

· Ultraviolet Water Purification

It is one of the most effective ways of disinfecting contaminated water.

The ultraviolet rays destroy the DNA of microorganisms, killing up to 99.99% when exposed to light.

This method is vital for cleaning human consumption water.

It is fast, requires minimum energy, is easy to manage, economical, environmentally friendly, and does not use any toxic chemicals.

However, it can only kill microorganisms and will not remove any other types of impurities.

Furthermore, the water has to be clean and clear, as any particle of contaminants will block the rays of UV light.

· Media Filters

These devices consist of layers of the filter medium which trap different sizes of particles as contaminated water passes through it.

· Separators

You can use either sand or centrifugal separators.

Centrifugal separators have a large cylindrical container that hosts a rotating cylindrical container.

A less dense substance like oil will collect close to the rotating cylinder.

At the same time, water will gather at the edges and drained through the sides of the stationary container.

Sand separators remove contaminants through centrifugal and gravity forces.

It cleans out sand and other large solids from water.

Separators lack filter media or perforated mesh hence have no pressure loss.

They also require minimal maintenance.

However, these devices can only clean out large particles and have to be supported by filters to achieve a desirable level of filtration.

·Coolant Filtration Systems

The system removes impurities such as tramp oil and solid particles that can affect the operation of a coolant.

They also help manage the boiling point, pH, and flow rate of the coolant.

They remove debris and fines from metallic wear that accumulate during processing.

The debris increases the wear and tear in the whole system, thus damaging vital equipment like nozzles and pumps.

· Reverse Osmosis

This filtration system uses membrane filters.

The pressure is applied to the contaminated water to push it through the membrane so that you get clean water on the other side.

By doing so, the water moves from a region of high concentration to a region of low concentration, thus the name reverse osmosis.

This filtration system is perfect for desalination.

It can also remove all types of impurities, including microorganisms, ions, dirt, heavy metals, and organic molecules.

However, the process is slow, and a huge amount of concentrated water goes to waste compared to the amount that gets cleaned.

· Bag Filters

You can use this filter in a medium and fast waterlines because the water must have pressure for good results.

The filters have a fibrous material, which allows water to pass through while retaining solids and particles.

These filters are economical compared to other methods, reusable, suitable for numerous applications, and can tolerate diverse process requirements.

There are different types of industrial water filters for removing different types of impurities.

They include;

· Particulate Filters

They remove solid particles from water.

Particulate filters have fine wire mesh, which physically traps the impurities through impaction, interception, and diffusion.

· Activated Carbon Filters

These filters have activated carbon granules, which constitute charcoal that has burnt at a very high temperature in limited oxygen.

The filters can remove chemical impurities such as chlorine, pesticides, iron, manganese, and hydrogen sulphide.

You can also use them to freshen water by removing bad odour and taste.

You have to replace the filters after clogging up with impurities.

· Reverse Osmosis Filters

These are surface filters that use membrane screens to remove contaminants.

They use pressure to force the contaminated fluid through the membrane.

The water that comes out after the membrane filtration is usually free of most contaminants with particle size greater than membrane pores.

You can use the filter to remove salts, lime scales, and nitrates.

However, these filters produce a lot of wastewater.

You can recycle back the wastewater in the process for another filtration.

· Specialty Filters

These filters are constructed using silica sand and specifically designed to remove magnesium and iron from water.

They eliminate the use of potassium permanganate, which is toxic.

· Ion Exchange Filters

You will use these filters to soften hard water. Hard water contains compounds of calcium and magnesium.

The filter elements are composed of sodium-containing zeolite beads.

This material has a strong attraction to calcium and magnesium ions than sodium ions.

When water passes through the medium, they retain the calcium and magnesium ions, and release sodium.

You have to periodically add special salts that contain sodium ion to recharge the filter medium.

Different filters have different abilities and limitations.

You must consider all the factors that your application system demands to achieve the required level filtration.

The following factors will be crucial to the performance of your filters:

Industrial Water Filter

· Level of Contamination

You will need to use pre-filters if the raw water has high amounts of solid impurities.

Similarly, you will need to carry out frequent cleaning and replacement of filters if your water is heavily polluted.

· Type of Filtration

Applications that require continuous filtration continuously move the work units without a break.

You can use duplex filters for these applications to allow you to service the filters without shutting down the process.

Batch applications allow filtration of a given volume of water at a time. You can use simplex filters in these applications.

· Quality Standards for Filtration Needed

The quality of water you want after the filtration process will also determine the types of filters you need for your operation.

If you are filtering water for human consumption, then your filters should be able to remove pathogenic bacteria, heavy metals, and any other hazardous products.

· Operation Conditions and Requirements of your Process

You should match the filters with the operation requirements, including flow rate, pressure, and temperature.

Each screen has optimal and maximum operating pressure, temperature, and flow rates.

Choosing filters with lower flow rates will tremendously slow down your operations.

On the other hand, filters that have lower working temperatures and pressure are likely to break down and force you to shut down the process.

· Nature and Characteristics of the Contaminants

You should know the size and type of impurities you need to filter out.

Solid and liquid contaminants will require different types of filters.

You should determine if the pollutants pose a health risk to employees.

If so, then you will need more specialized installation and support equipment to ensure maximum protection of human health.

· Operation Cost of the Filters

You should consider the initial cost of the screen and other operational expenses, such as installation and replacement costs.

You should also take into account of the cost of waste disposal and downtime cost during filter replacement.

If you are changing the filter very often, then you must be using the wrong filter for your process.

Similarly, you need to choose a screen that is going to minimize losses due to extended downtime from servicing and maintenance.

You can use industrial water filters in a wide range of industries.

You can decide to customize industrial water filters to meet particular needs requirements for your application.

They are essential in the following sectors;

• Hydroelectric power production
• Automotive manufacturers
• Paper manufacturing factories
• Food and beverage industries
• Chemical processors
• Agricultural and irrigation applications
• Drinking water treatment
• Mining water industries
• Petrochemical industries
• Wastewater treatment
• Dye and Pants industries
• Pharmaceutical water treatment among others

You should choose materials that are resistant to rust and strong enough to withstand the harsh working conditions.

For these reasons, stainless steel offers the best material if your process operates at high temperatures and pressure.

It is also resistant to rust and is easy to clean.

Industrial Filter Element and Housing

Alternatively, you can use plastic materials that can withstand high pressure because they are also resistant to rust and are cheaper.

Industrial filter housings made of carbon steel are also available.

You can choose any of the following for the construction of a top-quality filter element.

· And Gravel

Sand and gravel are widely used materials in water filtration.

It is suitable for removing suspended particles and turbidity.

The gravel is coarse, spherical and provides sufficient flow and even distribution of water.

· Activated Carbon

It is one of the most useful materials for purifying drinking water.

You will use this filter media to organic impurities, chlorine and refresh the odour and taste of water.

· Calcite

You will use this filter media on acidic water.

When the water passes through it, the calcium carbonate dissolves and raises the water pH of the water in the process.

It also reduces the levels of lead, copper, and other metals.

· Anthracites

This filter media supports higher flow rates.

You can use it when you want to reduce the concentration of silica in water.

It also removes turbidity to a limited extent.

· Garnet

The medium is granular and very hard, making it perfect for in cooperation as part of dual strata deep bed filters.

Also, the main advantage of using this material is because it is very resistant to abrasion and chemical erosion.

· Zeolite

It provides high cation exchange capacity and surface charge density.

These properties allow it to bind to different kinds of materials and hence suitable for many industrial applications.

· Filter AG

It is constituted of anhydrous silicon dioxide and is ideal for removing suspended solid particles

· Manganese Greensand

Contains siliceous material for filtering water contaminated with hydrogen sulphide, iron, and manganese

· Dolomite Mineral

Increase drinking water pH after reverse osmosis filtration

· Cation-Anion Mix Bed Resin

Removes carbon dioxide and silica in demineralized water

· Resin

It is most suitable for filtration systems that also require water softening.

Different industries have different quality standards for the manufacture and use of industrial water filters.

Standards hosted under ISO 22519:2019, Purified water and water for injection pretreatment and production systems, provide a guideline to follow on selecting material, designing and testing water filtration equipment.

Different countries also have different standards for evaluating structural integrity and material safety, especially when subjected to pressure.

Usually, different standards cover the reduction of various contaminants.

International Standards Organization has developed approximately 300 standards for water quality management.

Section ISO/TC 147 of ISO standards provides guidelines on how to sample, test, and report different contaminants present in water.

The pollutants include biological, microbiological, radioactive, and physio chemical properties of water.

They also list common terminologies that apply to water quality.

Different countries also provide legislative regulations on desired conditions for state water bodies.

The regulations provide a guideline for managing pollution in water bodies with the primary goal of protecting human and aquatic life.

Some of the critical components of water quality standards include;

• The designated use of water bodies
• Criteria for the protection of designated use
• Requirements to avoid degradation of the protected water bodies.

The cost of industrial water filters varies considerably to the type and size to filter.

However, you will pay more for reverse osmosis filters compared to other types of filters.

Chlorine is the leading contaminant of commercial and municipal treated water.

Therefore, you have to reduce it to nontoxic levels before the water gets to the consumption point.

Activated carbon filters clean chlorine.

When pressurized water passes through the screen, the surfaces of activated charcoals bind to chlorine ions in the water.

The service life of industrial water filters depends on the type of filter, the intensity of use, and the level of water contamination.

A filter can take between two to three months under regular operation while others might take less or more months.

Ensure that you follow the manufacturer’s recommendation to avoid using a filter cartridge that is clogged.

Yes, you can clean industrial water filter.

You can clean most industrial water filters through backwashing with pressurized water or air.

The quality of process water determines the frequency of backwashing.

For highly contaminated water such as a river or underground water, you can wash after three days or less, but for clean water, up to two or three weeks can work.

You can also get filters that have an automatic backwash system.

When the differential pressure reaches a marked level, it signals the control to trigger the self-cleaning mechanism.

The system flashes out the dirt through reversing the flow of filtered fluid.

Yes, you can remove bacteria in water through reverse osmosis.

However, chlorine and ultraviolet radiation are more useful purification methods for commercial disinfection of water.

Automatic Industrial Water Filter

You must schedule and conduct routine maintenance of all industrial water filters to ensure adequate filtration and long term service.

Ensure that you clean and replace your filter elements according to the manufacturer’s instructions to avoid a shutdown.

Schedule periodic inspection and replacement of the pumps and lubricating oil appropriately.

Check the conductivity and pressure gauge of the filter elements and reverse osmosis membrane to ensure that they are working correctly.

Periodically clean the reverse osmosis membrane elements to avoid sediment accumulation and reduction of permeability.

Do not expose a soften resin tank to the sun.

The differential pressure indicates when the filter is due for replacement.

Though most industrial filters will need replacement between 2-3 months, the level of contamination and frequency of use will determine the service life.

From this guide, it’s clear that choosing industrial water filters requires you to evaluate a number of aspects.

The best part, this guide provides a comprehensive overview of everything you should consider.

Also, FilSon Filters team is also here to help you get the best filters for your industrial applications.