Clarification and Prefiltration
Surface view of a used Bevigard filter | Bioburden and unwanted particles can affect your downstream product quality and plug your membrane filter reducing its effectiveness and service life. Clarification and prefiltration are therefore critical steps, that remove these contaminants early in the process, thus extending the life of your final filters. The economic advantage of extending the life of your more expensive membrane filters is far greater than the cost of prefilters. Millipore offers a wide range of cartridges and capsules to meet a variety of today’s applications. In this section, you will find a general overview on clarification and prefiltration. Our experts are ready to assist you in selecting and sizing the most appropriate filters to meet your specific needs. |
Where to use a prefilter?
Clarifying filters and prefilters are recommended for use in applications where 99% to 100% retention of contaminants above a specified pore size is not required. A membrane final filter should be used to guarantee microbial retention.
Select a clarifying filter and/or a prefilter
The right clarification and/or prefiltration selection must yield your desired product quality as well as be the most efficient and cost-effective solution for your application.
Your selection should be based upon the retention efficiency required for your filtration process as a whole. We suggest you determine the final filter first and then select clarifying and/or prefilters to provide the best combination of retention and capacity. By selecting the proper pore size rating, you will ensure the required dirt-holding capacity.
In some cases, it may be practical to use an efficient clarifying filter followed by more retentive prefilters. This will allow each filter in the train to be more fully utilized while removing as much contamination as possible. In some cases, different media are available, enabling you to select the one that will answer your specific needs such as chemical compatibility or thermal stress resistance.
A non-fiber releasing membrane-like prefilter could be used as a final filter. However, the fiber matrix of these filters may occasionally unload retained contaminants into the filtrate if subjected to extreme pressure fluctuations, flow surge, or fluid “hammer”. These phenomena are not uncommon in the high flow/high volume piping systems beverage manufacturers utilize and are usually caused by pump on/off cycling, quick closing valves and other process flow control devices.
Filter Selection Guidelines
Please click a link to learn about how to choose the best filter for your beverage production needs:
Beer production
Bottled water processing
Soft drink processing
Wine processing
Products
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