With filtration being as important as it is to the life of the entire system, proper sizing of the filter must be taken into consideration first and foremost. There are some basic questions that should be considered in order to determine the proper filter size.
1. What is the flow rate (gallons per minute)?
2. What is the viscosity of the fluid?
3. What is the fluid?
4. What is the line size being used?
5. What is the type of filter needed?
6. What type of pump is in the system (vane, gear,
piston, etc)?
7. Will the system operate continuously, intermittently, or infrequently?
8. What temperature will the system be operating at (hot, warm, cool, very cold)?
9. Is the system indoors or outdoors?
10. What micron or mesh size is required?
Of course, the questions above are applicable if no information is known about the system you are trying to size. Most of the time you will have the information needed to make your job at sizing the system a lot easier.
To make sure the filter you want to provide is used with the proper size pipe, please refer to the chart entitled, Oil Flow Capacity of Pipes. Of course to piece this altogether, you will find this chart in the next newsletter’s, Part 9. It will give you a basic understanding of pipe size vs. flow relationships. However, for a real fundamental lesson in pipe size/flow relationships you may recognize that pipe size should be selected on the basis of oil flow velocity.
