Basics of Filtration

Filtration systems can be arranged in a number of different configurations or plumbing arrangements. These configurations affect the P of the system. One possible variation is to have an open system, or a system, or a system in which the clean effluent is dumped into a tank open to atmospheric pressure. Under these conditions, the total P is equal to the influent pressure, since all system pressure is lost on the downstream side. Another possible plumbing arrangement is to have two or more systems (housings + cartridges) set up in parallel. In this scenario, the total flow rate will be the sum of the flows of each system. The total P will be the same as the P for each component of the overall setup.

Another configuration is a series filtration system. In this case, coarser prefilters are plumbed in before tighter final filters, producing an accumulative reduction in contaminant levels.

The size of particles removed by cartridge filtration is defined by the term micron. A micron is defined as one millionth of a meter in length.
Micron = mm = 1/1,000,000 m = 1 x 10^-6m
Some common particle sizes are listed below. Visible particles are greater than 40 mm. Hazes are caused by 15-20 mm particles.

Common Particle Sizes