Experimental measurements of head losses in filtration cartridges

In this paper the main results of an extended campaign of laboratory experiments on the hydraulic performance of filtration cartridges are presented and discussed. The hydraulic analysis mainly focused on the evaluation of the local pressure drops induces by the cartridges themselves when introduced into the plant, thus lowing the total pressure levels until sometimes compromising the smooth operation of devices connected to the plant. After analyzing the hydraulic performance of different filter cartridges, the research focused on wire-wound filtering cartridges, the most widely used type of cartridge in domestic plants among the commercially available ones. The filtration process and particles motion through the filter were also analyzed, in order to estimate the effects of the filter obstruction on the values of the pressure drops. Experiments have been conducted in the Laboratory of Environmental and Maritime Hydraulics (LIDAM) at University of Salerno, Italy.