What is a Hydraulic Filter? What is It Use For?

What is a Hydraulic Filter? What is the function of the hydraulic filter? Let’s find the answer to everything hydraulic filter only at dimulti.id!

The hydraulic system is working with the principle of Pascal’s Law which states that pressure applied to an enclosed fluid will be transmitted without a change in magnitude to every point of the fluid and to the walls of the container. The pressure at any point in the fluid is equal in all directions.

With that being said, the presence of liquid in the hydraulic system is so important, and it will only work if the liquid in the system is clean.

If there’s any dirt or other contaminants such as oxidation, sludge, metal, sand, shredded elastomeric seals or chemical by-products entering the system, it will cause deterioration and malfunction to the whole system’s components.

Any contamination of the said contaminant can severely affect the physical and chemical nature of the hydraulic fluid, thus lowering its inefficiency.

This can cause damage to the parts, unnecessary repairs or even a complete breakdown of your hydraulic systems.

That’s not something you want to happen to your hydraulic system, right? Well, let’s get the information about the hydraulic filter, only at dimulti.id!

What is a Hydraulic Filter?

The hydraulic filter, just like any other filter in any system, is a component within a hydraulic system that removes any damaging particles such as dirt, metal, sand, etc that might be present in the hydraulic fluid from entering the system by forcing hydraulic fluid through a porous filter element.

Contaminants are captured by the filter element, preventing them from reentering the fluid flow and harming equipment. From dirt to water and reactive substances, contaminants can be found. 

Because of their micrometer-scale size, hydraulic filters need to be calibrated appropriately to remove even the tiniest particles.

There are several ways the said contaminants can enter the hydraulic systems, take a look below!

• Environmental: During the hydraulic system’s production process, some impurities might build up over time. Some contaminants might be easily removed using an air hose, the others need to be filtered out since they are too tiny to be seen. Also, a fresh oil isn’t always clean, the fluid existing in a system is usually cleaner than any new fluid you add. In order to maintain the fluid within the specified cleanliness level, you should use a filter cart or pre-filtered fluid everytime you add new fluid and adhere to appropriate filtering practices. Filtering fluid both before adding it to the hydraulic system and several times while it’s operating would be beneficial.
• System-Generated: Some internal parts of the hydraulic system like piston rods and pumps can generate contaminants during the routine hydraulic processes.
• External: Breather caps, faulty seals, and other gaps may allow air to enter the system, condensing on the walls and causing rust. Breather cap cleaning is essential because dirt ultimately finds its way back into the fluid.

Also Read: “What is a Hydraulic Reservoir?“

Functions of Hydraulic Filters

As we stated above the main function of hydraulic filters is to catch any contaminants that might be present within the hydraulic systems.

The hydraulic filter also can be placed at various locations throughout the hydraulic system at different points in the process.

But usually, for ideal filtration, filters would be before and after the pump, in the return lines, off-line and within the reservoir.

These are the types of hydraulic filters along with the usual locations within the hydraulic systems where those filters are applied.

• Suction Filters: A low-pressure filter that is used at the pump input to keep impurities out of the pump. 
• Return Lines: Another low-pressure filter that is used to collect contaminants from the fluid and can be positioned along the return line or inside the tank.
• Pressure Line: A high-pressure filter that is usually placed after the pump to keep the downstream components safe.
• Off-lines: Off-line is also called kidney loops are the filters that continue working even when the hydraulic system is turned off.

Also Read: “What Is a Hydraulic Hose? What Are Its Functions?“

There you have it! The answer to “what is hydraulic filter” along with its function and other explanations!

The presence of the hydraulic filter can significantly extend the life of your hydraulic system and its components.

These filters can also protect the components from failure and malfunction caused by the build-up or particles within the hydraulic systems.

Also, an efficient and well-placed filter can cut you a maintenance or repairing cost.

One thing that is worth noting is that the hydraulic system is one thing that needs to be certified by the SNI certification.

The SNI certification itself is a type of product approval that applies to almost every product and service sold and provided in Indonesia.

The product that is about to be issued by the SNI certification has to undergo a rigorous set of tests to determine its safety and whether or not the product is within the Indonesian standards.

To have your product certified by the SNI certification is so important and has a lot of benefits, as the product that has been certified and has an SNI logo on it will boost the trust from the Indonesian market for the said products.