Glossary
- Absolute Rating
- A rating that is absolute is pure filtration at the micron rating established,100 %, without exceptions.
- Absorption
- The drawing in or soaking up of a liquid into a porous substance such as a sponge.
- Activated Carbon
- Carbon created under high temperatures to increase the adsorptive capabilities, which removes dissolved colour, odor and taste from liquids and gases.
- Adapter Head
- A plastic or stainless steel adapter that threads on to a supply pipe allowing a reverse collar filter bag to hang vertically in an open filtration system.
- Adsorption
- The adherence of a liquid to the surface of a solid to form a thin film on a surface.
- Affluent
- Fluid entering the filter or filter system. The opposite of effluent.
- Agglomerate
- Multiple particles gathering together to make a mass.
- Ambient Temperature
- The surrounding temperature, room temperature.
- Amorphous
- Without distinct shape.
- Atmospheric Pressure
- The pressure above any area in the earth's atmosphere caused by the weight of air.
- Autoclave
- Vessel for heating materials under high steam pressure. Used for sterilization and other applications.
- Automotive Seams
- Seams that are positioned inside the filter bag rather than outside in order to minimize fibre migration from seam stitching or seam binding.
- Backwash
- To reverse the flow of fluid through a filter media, in an effort to remove solids.
- Bar
- A unit of pressure one (1) bar = 14.5 psi.
- Blind Spots
- Surface area on a filter media that has not been utilized during filtration.
- Blinding Off
- Drastically reduced or restricted fluid flow due to the pore opening of a filter media being blocked by contaminate.
- Bubble Point
- The method used for pore size determination. It is based on the fact that, for a given fluid and pore size with a constant wetting, the pressure required to force an air bubble through the pore is inverse proportion to the size of the hole."
- Bursting Strength
- A filter media's ability to resist breaking open under pressure.
- Bypass
- The fluids ability to flow around the filter unintentionally allowing particulate to flow downstream
- Cake
- Solids retained by the filter media in the form of a thick mixture.
- Centipoise
- A unit of measurement describing viscosity.
- CFM
- Cubic Feet per Minute. A means of measuring the rate of flow for a liquid, gas or air volume into or out of a space.
- Channeling
- A course into which fluid may be directed, or a path chosen as the path of least resistance.
- Collapse Pressure
- Pressure across a filter bag that is great enough to cause it to collapse.
- Configuration
- The arrangement of components to create a filter for each application.
- Contaminant
- The gas, liquid or particulate needed to be retained by the filter.
- Delta P
- Pressure drop or differential pressure over the filtration system.
- Depth Media
- Fibres constructed into a three dimensional material creating a torturous path to catch contaminate.
- Differential Pressure
- The pressure difference in pounds per square inch (psi) between the upstream side of the filter and the downstream side of the filter.
- Dirt Holding Capacity
- The amount of contaminate a filter media can hold before it becomes exhausted.
- Disposable Filter
- A filter that cannot be cleaned and re-used. It must be discarded and replaced at time of change-out.
- Dissolved Solids
- Any solid material that will dissolve (disappear) in the liquid that is being filtered, such as sugar and water.
- Downstream
- In reference to filter bags downstream is the flow of fluid after filtration.
- Efficiency
- A filter bags ability to remove or retain a specified percentage of contaminate, under a certain concentration and at a particular micron size, under controlled laboratory conditions. Example 98% efficient at removing 2 micron particles or greater."
- Effluent/Filtrate
- The liquid that is flowing after the filter and has been filtered.
- Emulsion
- A liquid that contains a secondary liquid that will not mix together. Eg. oil and water
- FDA
- An approval from the American Food and Drug administration stating that the raw materials from which a filter bag have been constructed, are suitable for food applications.
- Felt
- A depth filtration media providing three dimensional filtration, resulting in greater particle retention due to entrapment throughout the depth of the fabric.
- Fibre Migration
- The inherent tendency of fibres to release from a media and flow downstream.
- Filament
- A fine thread like strand consisting of smaller threads or fibres twisted together, or a single extruded thread (like fishing line) for the purpose of weaving or knitting fabric.
- Flash Point
- The lowest temperature at which vapour given off by a liquid can ignite.
- Flow Rate
- The rate at which a fluid flows through a system. Units commonly used are gallons per minute (GPM) or liters per minute (LPM).
- Fluid Compatibility
- The material and retainers ability to withstand the fluids characteristics.
- GPM
- Unit of measurement describing flow rate Gallons Per Minute.
- Graded Density
- Medias of different CFM ratings, layered to perform specific levels of filtration. Usually layered from the coarses media to the finest media with each layer filtering at the level it is intended to do. "
- Hydrophilic
- The ability of a medias surface to become wet with water. Easily wetted with water.
- Hydrophobic
- The ability of a medias surface not to become wet with water. Water-aversive.
- Impregnation
- The process of completely saturating a material with a liquid.
- Integral Handles
- Handles that are integrated into the manufacturing of the filter bag not added separately.
- Isolation Valves
- A valve that allows the fluid to be turned off at specific point in a system.
- Liquid Filter Bag
- A filter bag used to remove contaminants from a liquid.
- Liquid Filtration
- The process of separating contaminants from a liquid.
- Melt Blown
- A process to thermally bond microfibres to form a filtration structure. This media offers higher adsorptive capacity for the removal of oils from a fluid stream, as well as higher void volume for particle retention.
- Mesh
- A unit of measurement performed by counting the number of strands or yarns per inch of woven media. A 100 mesh fabric has 100 strands or filaments per inch of fabric in both directions.
- Micron
- An accurate unit of measurement which describes the size of the pore openings in a fabric and can also be used to measure the size of a contaminate particle 1 micron = 1/1000 mm.
- Monofilament
- A mesh fabric in which each strand consists of a single filament which has been extruded (like a fishing line). It is a high strength woven media providing excellent surface filtration.
- Multifilament
- Each strand or filament in the fabric consists of many smaller strands twisted together. It is a low cost woven media that provides very good surface filtration.
- Nominal Rating
- A rating that is determined by providing the average micron retention capabilities of that media.
- Particle Size Distribution
- Measuring the size of particles within a sample of fluid, then calculating the amount of each specified size within a specific range
- Parts per Million
- PPM - A method of describing the level of contaminants in a fluid. Exactly like a percentage except out of one million instead of one hundred. (1 ppm = 0.0001%)
- Permeability
- A medias ability to permit the flow of fluids through its pore spaces.
- Pore
- A hole or opening in a media that allows passage of a liquid, gas or air.
- Porosity
- The ratio of volume occupied by the pores in the media to the total volume of the media.
- Positive Seal
- A suction or tight fit, eliminating bypass.
- Retention
- A filter media's ability to remove and hold dirt.
- Reverse Collar
- A filter bag collar that is wrapped outside the retainer to facilitate use on an adapter head designated by x in the part number.
- Service Life
- The duration that a filter bag stays in application before reaching the maximum allowable differential pressure required for change out.
- Silicone Free
- A process that is absent (not present) of Silicone (an inorganic-organic polymer).
- Strainer Bag
- A gravity flow filter bag generally supported by a pail and used for small batch coarse filtration.
- Surface Area
- The amount of filter bag material that is exposed to the fluid being processed.
- Surface Media
- Fibres constructed into a two dimensional media which only allows the particulate to line the surface before becoming exhausted.
- Suspended Solids
- Solids suspended in a fluid.
- Tie On Filter Bag
- A filter bag that is tied on to a supply pipe with a drawstring or wire used in an open filtration system.
- Tortuous Path
- A flow path that is difficult to maneuvre because of a lot of bends or twists along the way. Intended to trap or stop solid particles from continuing to flow through the media.
- Turbidity
- The measure of unsettled particles in a fluid which can look cloudy.
- Upstream
- The flow of fluid before the filter.
- Vessel
- A pressurized canister that houses cartridges or filter bags.
- Viscosity
- A measurement of a fluids resistance to flow.
- Void Volume
- The open area of a filter compared to the filter fibres. The smaller the fibres usually means a higher void volume.
