What Is A Cartridge Filter And How Does It Work?
A cartridge filter is a piece of tubular filtration equipment that can be used across various industries for an array of Filtration requirements. A cartridge is encased within a housing or a casing and used to remove unwanted particles, pollutants, and chemicals from liquids. The cartridge is exposed to water, liquid or solvent that needs filtration, as it flows inside the housing and passes through the filter element. Cartridge filter can also remove submicron particulates.
What Are The Two Categories Of Cartridge Filter?
You can find two categories of cartridge filters –
a) surface filters and
b) depth filters.
| Surface filters | Depth Filters | ||||
| Surface filters do not let the solids/contaminants enter through the medium. They restrict them outside the filter . | Depth filters trap all the contaminants, pollutants and solids within the media. | ||||
| Surface filtration refers flow of fluid through to a layer of material that restricts particles on the surface | Depth filtration refers to a thicker layer of media/or multiple layers that sets a torturous path for the particles and restricts them from passing through. | ||||
| The cartridge filter size of particles restrained from entering the medium is higher than the mean pore size of the medium | The size of particles in much smaller than the mean pore size of the medium | ||||
| Over a period of time, the surface filter gets caked on the outside with particles and restricts the flow beyond acceptable limit. At this point the filtration surface has to be cleaned and reused. | Contaminants travel through the depth filter and get trapped there, gradually the pores in the filter get blocked and have to be cleaned using a reverse flow of fluid or replaced by a new medium. | ||||
| Surface filters are comparatively cheaper and have a shorter shelf life. | Compared to the surface filter, a depth filter is expensive but it has a longer shelf life. | ||||
| Mechanical strength of the filter medium is less (with the exception of filter medium made of stainless steel) | Mechanical strength of filter medium is high | ||||
| Example : Pleated cartridge filter, cellulose filter | Example: String wound filter, Ceramic filter and Sintered filters |