Sintered Stainless Steel Filter Elements China Supplier

Sintered Stainless Steel Filter Elements

Anping CREMOTIVE Wire Mesh Products CO., LTD introduces its Sintered Stainless Steel Filter Elements—rigid, porous media engineered to withstand aggressive process conditions while delivering high separation efficiency. Unlike woven or perforated mesh, sintered elements are formed by consolidating metal powders under heat and pressure. This process yields a monolithic structure with controlled porosity, uniform pore distribution, and exceptional mechanical strength.

Manufacturing Process

1. Powder Selection: High-purity 316L or 304 stainless steel powders (particle sizes typically 2–10 µm) are chosen to balance corrosion resistance and mechanical properties. Powder mixing may include lubricants or binders to aid uniform compaction.

2. Compaction: Powders are loaded into a die or formed over a sacrificial mandrel, then pressed under high pressures (200–400 MPa), creating a green compact with sufficient cohesion.

3. Sintering: The compacted part is heated under a controlled atmosphere (often hydrogen or vacuum) to temperatures between 1150 °C and 1350 °C. During sintering, metal particles fuse at contact points, forming necks and creating a continuous metal matrix. Careful control of time and temperature determines final pore sizes and porosity levels.

4. Cool-Down and Post-Processing: After sintering, the element is cooled at a controlled rate to minimize distortion. If a mandrel was used, it is removed—leaving a hollow interior—or, if a sacrificial binder is present, it is dissolved. Finally, the element undergoes passivation (ASTM A967) to remove surface iron and enrich the chromium oxide layer. Optional electropolishing can be applied to calibrate pore openings and improve surface smoothness.

Material and Structure

• Pore Size and Porosity: Typical porosity ranges from 25 % to 45 %, with pore sizes from 2 µm to 200 µm. By varying powder particle size, compaction force, and sintering profile, Anping CREMOTIVE tailors elements for specific cut-points and flow requirements.

• Monolithic Integrity: Unlike laminated mesh stacks, sintered elements are a single homogeneous block. This eliminates delamination risks and ensures uniform flow distribution through the entire cross section.

• Mechanical Strength: Sintered stainless steel can withstand differential pressures exceeding 10 bar (145 psi) continuously. Burst strengths often exceed 30 bar (435 psi) when appropriately supported.

Performance Attributes

• High Temperature Tolerance: Sintered elements operate reliably up to 600 °C (1112 °F) in air and higher in inert or reducing atmospheres. This makes them suitable for hot gas filtration, steam injection systems, and high-temperature process streams.

• Chemical Compatibility: 316L sintered elements resist corrosion in acids, alkalis, and organic solvents. Their metal construction precludes swelling or degradation when exposed to aggressive chemicals, unlike polymeric media.

• Backflush and Regeneration: Porous structure allows cleaning by back-pulsing with gas or liquid, dislodging trapped particles. For fine pore elements, ultrasonic cleaning or chemical soaking can restore permeability close to original performance. Typical regeneration cycles can be performed in-place without removing the element from the housing.

• Tight Particle Retention: Single-stage sintered elements achieve retention ratings down to 0.5 µm when manufactured with fine powders and controlled sintering. For critical applications, dual-porosity elements combine a coarser outer layer (> 50 µm) with a finer inner layer (< 10 µm), offering depth-filtration behavior and extended service intervals.

Applications

• Gas Filtration and Demisting: In petrochemical plants, sintered elements remove catalyst fines from reactor effluent, separate liquid droplets from gas streams, and serve as flame-arrestor assemblies in vent lines.

• Liquid Clarification: Fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and food-grade oils benefit from sintered elements for polishing and sterile filtration. Elements rated at 3 µm to 10 µm remove haze-forming particles and microbial contamination prior to final packaging.

• High-Temperature Filtration: Metal powder injection molding (MIM) furnaces, glass furnaces, and combustion air filtration rely on sintered elements that resist thermal cycling and chemical attack by combustion byproducts.

• Catalyst Support and Recovery: In slurry reactors and hydrogenation units, sintered filter elements retain catalyst particulates while allowing reactive fluids to pass at high flow rates. Their robust structure withstands abrasive slurries and repeated regeneration cycles.

Element Configurations and Customization
Anping CREMOTIVE manufactures sintered elements in multiple geometries:

• Cylindrical Cartridges: Diameters from 25 mm to 150 mm, lengths up to 1 m, with flange or threaded end fittings to integrate into standard housings.

• Disc and Plate Formats: For filter presses or plate-and-frame assemblies, enabling large surface areas in compact footprints.

• Custom Shapes: Conical, stepped, or multi-stepped profiles for specific flow dynamics and space constraints.

Pore size gradients can be incorporated by stacking sintered layers of progressively finer powders, producing a depth-filter effect. For applications requiring aseptic conditions, elements can be supplied with integral stainless steel support cores and sanitary flanges certified to ISO 1127 or DIN 2625 standards.

Quality Assurance and Testing

• Metallurgical Analysis: Random samples from each production lot undergo metallography to confirm pore morphology, neck formation, and absence of inclusions.

• Pressure Drop Testing: Elements are validated under specified flow rates to measure clean and dirty pressure drops, ensuring performance meets design parameters.

• Burst and Collapse Testing: Each batch is hydrostatically tested to guarantee mechanical ratings—certified up to 30 bar for burst and 10 bar for collapse, depending on element geometry.

• Chemical and Temperature Cycling: Elements are exposed to representative process fluids and thermal cycles to confirm dimensional stability and pore integrity after seasoning.

Comprehensive documentation—including material traceability, dimensional reports, pressure-drop charts, and passivation certificates—accompanies every shipment. By combining precision powder metallurgy with stainless steel alloys, Anping CREMOTIVE Wire Mesh Products CO., LTD delivers sintered stainless steel filter elements that satisfy the highest demands for filtration accuracy, durability, and process uptime.