07/21/2020 | Industrial Water Treatment | 8 MINUTE READ

The Ultimate Guide to Industrial Water Filtration Systems

The quality of the water in your industrial facility can be essential towards making sure that your facility is able to operate efficiently. To be certain that the water you use is always free from impurities, it’s highly recommended that you install an industrial water filtration system into the facility. Water filtration systems are designed to quickly and effectively remove the majority of contaminants that can be found in water, which allows the water to be purified.

These systems are essential for a wide range of industries, which include such industries as plastics, oil/gas production, medical, chemical production, and paper manufacturing. While it’s possible to use a standard water filtration system to get rid of impurities, industrial systems are designed to be used on a larger scale that should accommodate most industrial facilities.

This article provides a comprehensive look at industrial water filtration systems and the benefits they can provide to your facility.

The Basics of Industrial Water Filtration System

Industrial water filtration systems are able to remove most contaminants from the water in your facility. The reason that filtration is essential for many different types of industries is because fouling issues and corrosion can occur when contaminants increase in the water, which can lead to your equipment becoming less efficient. It’s also possible that untreated water would eventually cause damage to some of your industrial equipment, which can be very costly to repair. For instance, scale buildup occurs when there are too many mineral deposits in the water. Using a water filtration system should get rid of these issues and keep your equipment in good working condition.

When you use the right industrial water filtration system, the minerals and solids in the water should be effectively removed. These systems are usually outfitted with a semi-permeable membrane or similar barrier through which the water passes. Once water is sent through this barrier, any minerals and solids will be caught and filtered out of the water, which should leave you with water that’s over 99 percent pure. Because of the efficacy of these systems, they are commonly used with cooling tower water, boiler feedwater, pump water, process water, and wastewater.

Along with the scale buildup mentioned previously, not treating this water can cause fouling in boilers, reduced heat efficiency, scoring along shafts and bearings, and corrosion throughout any piping in your equipment. All of these issues are costly to repair, which is why you should consider taking the steps to prevent these issues from occurring in the first place. While it’s possible to get rid of some of these problems through the use of chemical water treatment, a water filtration system is oftentimes necessary to fully remove the contaminants from the water. If you want the equipment in your industrial facility to continue operating efficiently, a water filtration system may be needed.

Benefits of Filtration in Industrial Applications

The benefits of filtration for industrial applications are numerous and include:

  • Not being exposed to as many hazardous chemicals
  • Reduced costs for equipment maintenance
  • Reduced costs for effluent
  • Lengthier equipment life

Since you’re equipment won’t be damaged by the buildup of contaminants, it should last for a lengthier period of time. While repairs can be made for any type of damage that results from contaminant buildup, the damage isn’t wholly irreversible unless you take steps to prevent it from occurring in the first place. Less damage also equates to reduced maintenance costs. If you filter the water that flows through your facility, you should also be able to minimize the amount of effluent that you produce, which can be helpful for the environment.

Types of Industrial Filtration Systems

While all industrial filtration systems are designed to get rid of the majority of contaminants that exist in water, there are a variety of different types of industrial filtration systems that you can select from. These systems include:

  • Pipeline/basket strainers – These are closed water filtration systems that collect contaminants with the use of a mesh screen or perforated-plate screen that can be removed. When the screen has become full, it will need to be cleaned before reusing it.
  • Automatic self-cleaning strainers – This is a self-cleaning system that traps debris until pressure has increased in the system, after which a flush valve will be opened to remove the contaminants. These filters are ideal because they are versatile and are able to provide you with a continuous flow.
  • Ultraviolet purification – This water filtration method uses ultraviolet light to destroy the DNA of contaminants in the water, which means that these microorganisms will eventually die off while the water will be free from contaminants. This type of water filtration system is environmentally friendly and easy to manage.
  • Bag filter – These are simple industrial filters that work just like coffee filters and are able to trap any particles and solids in the water that passes through the filter. Bag filters are recommended for applications with relatively fast flow rates.
  • Reverse osmosis – This type of water filtration system uses reverse osmosis to filter the water, which requires the use of a semi-permeable membrane. These are heavy-duty water filtration systems that are capable of removing all contaminants from the water.
  • Media filters – These filters are comprised of several different layers of materials through which water passes. Along the way, any large contaminants will be trapped, which means that the end result of the process will be contaminant-free water.
  • Separators – These systems are unique in that they don’t come with any moving parts or screens, which means that maintenance is unnecessary. All that’s required to use this system is to occasionally open the purge valves to get rid of any contaminants.
  • Coolant filtration systems – These systems are designed specifically to get rid of any solids in a coolant solution, which allows for lower coolant costs and better production rates. A coolant filtration system operates quickly and comes with very little maintenance.

Is Industrial Water Filtration Right For Me?

There are a myriad of industries that benefit from water filtration systems. If your industrial facility requires the use of a heavy amount of water in order to operate, a water filtration system would likely be beneficial for you. The industries that benefit the most from industrial water filtration systems include:

  • Food and beverage industry
  • Plastics industry
  • Medical industry
  • Biotech industry
  • Chemical production industry
  • Automotive industry
  • Oil/gas production industry
  • Paper manufacturing
  • Electronics manufacturing

When you’re thinking about purchasing an industrial water filtration system for your facility, there are several factors to consider if you want to make an informed purchase decision. For instance, it’s important that you understand how every system functions, which should help you determine if your system of choice fits well within your facility. Keep in mind that each system is able to eliminate and get rid of certain types and amounts of contaminants. If you mainly want to get rid of calcium deposits, make sure that the filtration system you choose accommodates this need.

For low flow rates, you’ll want to select a more advanced filtration system. If you need to filter hundreds or thousands of gallons of water every day, an industrial water filtration system is likely right for you and your business. Before making your selection, it’s recommended that you ask yourself if the system you’re interested in is able to fit into your budget. If you find that your facility doesn’t require an industrial water filtration system, you could consider chemical water treatment, which is relatively inexpensive and doesn’t require much equipment.

Moving Forward with Industrial Water Filtration

If you believe that purchasing an industrial water filtration system is right for you and your business, it’s important that you’re aware of all of your options and have a thorough understanding of what industrial water filtration systems are. While this guide is comprehensive and should provide you with most of the information you need to understand water filtration systems, additional information about these systems can be found at this link. If you’re trying to decide between two different types of industrial water filtration systems, make sure that you look at the features of each type before making your decision. It’s only when you have all of the information that you’ll be wholly confident in the decision you make.

Your next step should be to purchase the system, which can be done at many different online stores. There are also numerous brick-and-mortar suppliers that offer water filtration systems. Make sure that you purchase this system from a reputable supplier that you can trust. It’s also recommended that you choose a supplier that will provide installation services. Each type of system comes with its own installation requirements, which can be difficult to understand if you’ve never used one of these systems before. To make sure that your system of choice isn’t installed improperly, it’s important that a professional handles the installation. With these tips in mind, you should be ready to purchase an industrial water filtration system for your facility.

Sensorex Logo

Posted by Sensorex on July 21, 2020

Sensorex is a global leader in the design and manufacture of quality sensors for water quality and process applications. The company offers more than 2000 sensor packages for pH, ORP, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, free chlorine, chlorine dioxide, UV transmittance and other specialty measurements, as well as a full line of sensor accessories and transmitters. Its expert technical support engineers solve analytical sensor challenges with custom designs and off the shelf products.

Back to The Blog


_linkedin_partner_id = "3347954"; window._linkedin_data_partner_ids = window._linkedin_data_partner_ids || []; window._linkedin_data_partner_ids.push(_linkedin_partner_id); (function(l) { if (!l){window.lintrk = function(a,b){window.lintrk.q.push([a,b])}; window.lintrk.q=[]} var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; var b = document.createElement("script"); b.type = "text/javascript";b.async = true; b.src = https://snap.licdn.com/li.lms-analytics/insight.min.js; s.parentNode.insertBefore(b, s);})(window.lintrk);