We can define mechanical water filtration as a process in which untreated or raw water passes through a filtering element that stops the suspended solids or particles from continuing with the flow.
It is a very common process in various industries which involve the use of water such as the food industry, water treatment facilities and water plants, to name a few.
Typical contaminants are clay, sand, organic matter and debris.
A filtration process can be divided in several stages depending on the type of contaminant. Usually, the first filtering stage removes coarse suspended solids. Those can be of various sizes and of different nature. The water then could appear clear and transparent, but this does not mean that it is free of contaminants or particles. Even in clear drinking water there could still be small particles that are invisible to the naked eye.
These are usually retained with the help of a simple cartage filter with a filtration degree of 10 µm.
There could still be, in modest concentration, additional substances with dimensions from 0.001 to 0.01 microns such as sugar molecules, viruses and bacteria. On an even smaller scale (less than 0.001) we find dissolved salts and metallic ions. Potentially, any substance present in the water could be removed with the right filtering technique.
That’s why very often mechanical filtration is used in combination with other filtration systems, for example to remove dissolved particles.
We focus on a large span of filtration degrees down to 1 µm and our filters can therefore be used to separate most of the particles present in the water.
Filter choice
We divide our filters in 3 main categories based on the way the filter element can be cleaned. Automatic or self-cleaning filters, non-automatic filters and manual or semi-automatic filters.
In non automatic filters the operator needs to open the filter in order to clean or replace the filtering element ,when the accumulation of solids on the surface of the filter is such to cause a pressure drop that is too high.
In manual or semi-automatic filters the action of the operator is still required, but it is possible to clean the filter without the need to open it or to replace the filtering element.
Finally, in self cleaning filters the cleaning process is completely automatic. The filter sensors will detect the pressure drop level and trigger the cleaning cycle.
Additionally to the choice of filter based on the desired level of automatization, an important aspect to consider is the choice of the correct filtration degree. Furthermore it is important to choose the correct filter type depending on the nature of the particles that need to be separated from the water. For instance, a filter that separates sand could be less effective in the filtration of colloidal particles.
This brief description should give an overview over the mechanical water filtration systems and specifically over our product range.
Contact us and we will support you in finding the most suitable solution for your water system.