PP Pleated Filter Cartridge

How is structure and process for PP pleated filter cartridges?

• Pleated structure: Fold the PP fiber membrane to significantly increase the effective filtration area
• Hot melt welding: The shell, center rod, and end cap are all connected using hot melt technology, without any adhesive, to avoid secondary pollution
• Gradient design: Some models use a combination of multi-layer filter materials with gradient aperture to achieve deep filtration and high pollutant absorption capacity

Can PP pleated filter cartridge replace melt blown filter?

Although the main raw material for both is polypropylene (PP), the fundamental differences in manufacturing processes determine their differences in performance and applications.

PP pleated Filter Cartridge:

It uses polypropylene ultrafine fiber membrane as the filtering material and is made through the process of folding and folding. This structure gives it a very large effective filtration area per unit volume. The various parts of the filter element (shell, center rod, end cap) are usually formed by hot melt welding technology without using any adhesive, ensuring the cleanliness of the filtration process. Its filtering accuracy range is relatively wide, usually between 0.1 μ m and 50 μ m .

PP melt blown filter cartridge:

It is a tubular filter cartridge made by heating and melting polypropylene particles, spraying them into ultrafine fibers through high-speed hot air flow, and relying on the fibers’ own thermal bonding for one-time molding. Its fibers randomly form a three-dimensional microporous structure in space, and the pore size of the filter holes follows a gradient distribution along the flow direction (sparse on the outside and dense on the inside), belonging to deep filtration. The filtering accuracy range is mostly from 1 μ m to 100 μ m .

 Comparison of Performance and Application

Based on different structures, their performance in practical use has its own emphasis.

• Filtration accuracy and efficiency: Due to the use of membrane filtration technology, the PP pleated filter cartridge has higher and more stable filtration accuracy, which can effectively intercept smaller particles. PP melt blown filter mainly relies on deep filtration to intercept particles, and its filtration efficiency is usually not less than 95%.
• Pollutant carrying capacity and lifespan: The PP pleated filter cartridge has a relatively longer lifespan due to its large filtration area and large pollutant carrying capacity. PP melt blown filter cartridge, with its gradient filtration structure, also has good dirt holding capacity, but compared to foldable filter cartridges, its dirt holding capacity and service life are usually shorter.
• Flux and Pressure Difference: The folding design of the PP pleated filter element reduces the resistance of fluid passing through, and usually has the characteristics of high flow rate and low pressure difference. The PP melt blown filter cartridge has a decent initial flux, but as it is used, its pressure difference increases rapidly.
• Cost comparison: The single purchase cost of PP melt blown filter cartridge is usually lower than that of PP pleated filter cartridge, which has a price advantage. But if we take into account longer replacement cycles and less downtime, the long-term comprehensive cost of PP folding filters in specific applications may be lower.
• Chemical compatibility: Both are made of polypropylene material, which has good chemical stability and is resistant to acid, alkali, and various organic solvents.

What are the application of PP pleated filter cartridge?

• Electronics industry: Pre filtration of high-purity water and reverse osmosis (RO) systems
• Food and beverage: clarification and filtration of mineral water, fruit juice, and alcoholic beverages
• Pharmaceutical Biology: Pre filtration for sterilization of pharmaceuticals, biological products, and compressed air
• Petrochemical industry: filtration of organic solvents, acidic and alkaline liquids, and oilfield water injection

Operation and selection tips

In practical use and selection, there are several key points that need special attention:

• Sterilization operation: If online steam sterilization is required (usually 121 ℃, lasting 20-30 minutes), the inlet and outlet pressure difference must be strictly controlled (such as △ p less than 350mbar) and the temperature rise and fall process must be followed to prevent damage to the filter structure caused by high temperature and high pressure.
• Backwash effect: PP folding filter cartridges are usually not recommended for backwash regeneration, especially when the working temperature is above 60 ℃, the backwash effect is not ideal.
• Accuracy and model selection: The requirements for filtering accuracy vary greatly in different application scenarios. For example, the preparation of ultrapure water in the electronics industry often requires high-precision filtration of 0.1 μ m or 0.22 μ m, while clarification filtration for food and beverage may choose a precision of 1 μ m or 5 μ m

In addition, for working conditions with high viscosity liquids or high particle content, specialized high pollutant absorption series (such as PPD series) can be selected