05/03/2012

TWO APPROACHES

TO CONTAMINATION CONTROL

The capability of a filter to stop contaminants from entering the hydraulic system requires precise technology by design engineers and manufacturers.  Their careful precision ensures that the filter you install will do the job it is designed for—keeping your hydraulic system clean.  

With all the options on the market, choosing the right filter boils down to what your equipment requires to achieve maximum performance and protection. Let’s examine the two basic filter types that trap contaminant:

·       Surface filters create a barrier between the fluid stream and media to trap solids of a specific size. Media is often one layer of closely-woven fabric or treated paper of uniform pore size that catches contaminants directly on the surface as fluid flows through the pores. This design provides good control of pore size in the wire cloth—contaminant larger than the pore size is trapped on the upstream surface. The accumulation of contaminant over time allows the capture of particles smaller than the pore size as well.  

Advantage: Surface filters provide low restriction and can serve as initial filtration before a primary filter. Acting as “strainers”, they effectively filter particles greater than 60 micrometers.

·       Depth filters force fluid through a complex passage of openings with several layers of fiber media. The media has many more pores of much smaller size than surface filters and is composed of cellulose or fiberglass pleated fiber. Its unique pleat design increases the amount of media in the filter, as well as supports the column strength of the element. This construction provides improved collapse resistance under differential pressure in the hydraulic system. 

Advantage: Depending on pore size, depth filter media can achieve a very high contaminant capture rate at very small particle sizes and provide finer filtration than surface filter media.

QUALITY FILTRATION CAN HELP YOU

SELECT THE RIGHT FILTER TYPE

FOR YOUR EQUIPMENT NEEDS!

There is an old saying, “the proof is in the Pudding.”  What does this mean?  This is an old proverb that has joined the microwave generation!  It has been clipped down from the original phrase which was: ‘The proof of the eating is in the eating.”  It means that the true value or quality of something can only be judged when it’s put to use or in this case, tried and tested.  The meaning is often summed up as: “Results are what counts…it’s not how you start, but how you finish.”

For years hydraulic users have known that the number one cause of hydraulic component failure is contamination.  It has been reported that anywhere from 75%-90% of failures are related to contamination.  It has also been proven that 85% of those failures can be solved with proper filtration.

QMedia offers superior protection from contaminants that can cause costly component failures.  Its microglass fibers are smaller in diameter than those in typical cellulose media to provide much lower restriction.  QMedia also has greater efficiency and higher capacity.  You can always rely on QMedia to protect your valuable equipment from contamination.