What Is a Hydraulic Filter and What Are the Common Types?

In a hydraulic system, every filter performs an important function. In a perfect hydraulic system, the oil would be filtered at every stage along the circuit, before and after entering every component. In reality, cost, physical space and the need to reduce pressure to the system limit how many filters a machine can efficiently accommodate. Manufacturers design their systems to be as efficient and as cost-effective as possible.

That can mean some tough decisions about where to include filtration. The extent of filtration depends on:

• The cleanliness requirements and sensitivity of the components
• Ambient contamination
• The duty cycle of the equipment
• Ease of servicing components and replacement parts
• Other variables that vary from application to application.
• The tolerance between components (working pressure of the system)

What Is a Hydraulic Filter and What Are the Common Types?

Hydraulic filters are used in hydraulic systems to keep contaminants from the fluid. To do so, the filtration system works by continuously removing the contaminants, ensuring the fluid remains clean for a well-running hydraulic tank filter and system.

To purify and filter hydraulic fluid, different types of filters in hydraulic system units are used, ensuring each system is running well and clean. Some of the most common types of filters include:

• Suction filters: Placed before the pump, suction filters work to prevent large dirt particles from entering the system and damaging the pump;
• Pressure filters: Placed after the pump, pressure filters ensure the fluid is clean before entering the circuit from the pump;
• Return line filters: This is a low-pressure filter that purifies fluid before it returns to the reservoir, filtering out dirt that has accumulated from the pump and actuators;
• Off-line filters: A small independent filtration sub-system that includes a pump, filter, motor, and hardware connections. This filter operates when the machine isn’t active, ensuring the fluid keeps a constant contamination level;
• Air filters: Also referred to as air breathers, this filter focuses on the air entering the system. An air filter is essential to avoiding contamination of the fluid.

Function of a Hydraulic Filtration System

A hydraulic filter is essential to ensuring a hydraulic system runs at optimal functioning capacity. With this in mind, there are a few different reasons hydraulic oil filters are implemented in a hydraulic system, including:

• Removing foreign particles: As noted before, foreign particles, including elements like copper and iron, can have incredibly damaging effects on a hydraulic system when contaminating the hydraulic fluid. Thankfully, with a filter system, this harm can be removed, eliminating contaminants with proper filtration;
• Improved efficiency: When contaminants enter the system, they can greatly reduce productivity and efficiency. With the right filtration, you can keep your system running properly;
• Reduced maintenance costs: Without a proper hydraulic filtration system, a hydraulic system is likely to break down. With this, the cost of maintenance will increase as opposed to when a hydraulic oil return filter is in place;
• Longevity of the hydraulic system: With effective filtration, the lifespan of a hydraulic system increases. This not only helps reduce expenses but improves the ROI.