Industrial Filter - Reusable / Cleanable

[Bruma89]

Hello,

I have a filter element here which claims to be cleanable. It is nominal 40 micron, so kind of a coarse one. Given the price of nearly two thousand dollar I would like to know if an ultrasonic cleaning gives it some of its lifetime back. Even more important would it also work on 20 micron elements and how long does cleaning usually take?

Kind Regards,

Jens Orda

 

[romke]

With ultrasonic cleaning you might be able to loosen deposits from the filter surface that then go down due to gravity. They not necessarily leave the filter, but may be trapped at the bottom part of it. Finer filters usually are of the "depth filter" type: the bigger particles are caught at the outside surface of the filter, smaller parts are trapped more deeper inside the filter. It will be difficult to remove the smaller particles from the filter because they have to find a "gap" large enough to pass through to the outside of the filter.

Your chances of cleaning the filter may improve if you apply a reverse flow with ultrasound - you might be able to get more particles out, that you need to settle elsewhere. However, this might be a dangerous operation: the filter may not be able to withstand the pressure applied, some parts of the filter that have been glued may not be compatible with the "cleaning fluid"

And how on earth are you going to make sure the filter is both cleaned and again fit for purpose?

When the manufacturer states the filter to be cleanable, i would ask them for precise instructions how that can be accomplished and whether they can guarantee the filter will work as it should when done so.

 

[mk3223]

IMO, the filter element may not be worth to clean and put back to the process. The 2 grants is a lot of money. But, comparing to the cost to shutdown process and extra maintenance work because of the shorter service life, a new and clean part can be a good investment.