Mass Test

B&M Longworth has found it important to record the mass of individual filters. Over a period of time the mass of an individual filter sometimes increases as a result of gradual immovable contamination build up or decreasing due to medium loss. For this reason, it is important to gain such information in advance.

Following the first cleaning process of a stack of filter elements, a benchmark mass is obtained as is the case for the other tests to be carried out on a type of filter throughout its life cycle. Benchmarking allows subsequent cleans to be evaluated very effectively and simply.

Collation of mass test results can yield predictions regarding filter life cycles and approximate redundancy dates. There are two major effects to consider regarding the weights of filter elements.

Firstly, following each production run, there will be an incremental increase in mass associated with the accumulation of irremovable contamination. The second effect is the long-term degradation of the filter medium that will lead to a decrease in mass. These effects are somewhat inevitable. It is likely that once both effects have manifested themselves, they will, to some extent compensate for or offset each other. It is of course impossible to diagnose the extent to which this compensation is occurring.

It is therefore conceivable that a substantially degraded filter element, which is also heavily contaminated, may pass a mass test.

For this reason, further tests and examinations of individual filter element are usually necessary to ascertain the overall integrity.