YUBO Self-Cleaning Filter Upgrades Chemical Coating Filtration
Country: United States
Treated Solution: Chemical Coating Filtration – replacing a plate-and-frame filter press with a self‑cleaning filter to handle high‑viscosity, high‑solids materials
Application Scenario: Solid-liquid separation of materials with viscosity up to 3,000 mPa·s and containing 5% hard particles in chemical coating production
Technology: Self-Cleaning Filtration System
The Challenge
Last year, a North American fine chemical manufacturer submitted an inquiry regarding their coating intermediate production. In their process, they needed to perform solid‑liquid separation on a material with a viscosity of 3,000 mPa·s and containing 5% hard particles. They had been using a plate‑and‑frame filter press, which presented two major issues: high consumable costs and severe capacity losses. Each batch required a 4‑hour shutdown for manual cleaning of filter cloths and process piping, cumulatively resulting in a 15% loss of overall production capacity.
The Solution
To address the challenges posed by high viscosity and high solids content, the customer integrated YUBO's YGDF‑D250 self‑cleaning filter to replace their existing plate‑and‑frame press. The upgrade centered on three key improvements:
1. Equipment Selection: Corrosion‑resistant 316L stainless steel filter elements were deployed to withstand the aggressive acidic and alkaline conditions typical of chemical coating materials. Mesh apertures were custom‑sized to match particle size distribution, balancing filtration precision with adequate throughput.
2. Automation Upgrade: An integrated PLC control system automates the entire filtration cycle. The scraper mechanism activates every 20 minutes, mechanically removing accumulated filter cake and discharging it through the blow‑down valve—achieving fully automated "filtration‑cleaning‑discharge" operation without manual intervention.
3. Continuous Operation: The system supports 24/7 uninterrupted operation, eliminating the need for shutdowns between batches. Material flows continuously into the filtration loop, resolving the capacity bottlenecks inherent in batch‑style production.
The Results
After six months of continuous operation, the YGDF‑D250 self‑cleaning filter delivered breakthrough improvements across technical performance, economic efficiency, and production productivity:
1. Extended Media Lifespan: The 316L stainless steel filter elements showed no signs of clogging or damage over the six‑month trial period. Initial differential pressure remained consistently within design thresholds, eliminating the need for media replacement—extending filter element life from 3 days to over 6 months.
2. Dramatically Lower Consumable Costs: Media replacement frequency dropped by 90%, and per‑batch consumable costs fell by the same margin—a 90% reduction.
3. Reduced Labor Intensity: Automation replaced manual operations, cutting per‑batch labor input by 80%.
4. Increased Throughput & Stability: Continuous online filtration eliminated shutdown‑related downtime, boosting overall production capacity by 20%—with annual output projected to increase by more than 15%. Production scheduling became more predictable, and product quality variability decreased by 30%.
