Learn how to increase

filter life and efficiency with

sintered metal fiber media

Webinar report

INTRODUCING How Bekaert’s Bekipor® family of metal fiber, non-woven media is

BEKIPOR ® produced?
SINTERED ME TA L From wire rod we will move to our Bekipor® porous media through a
FIBER MEDIA bundle drawing and webbing operations (see picture). The end result
of this process is thin metal filaments with diameters from 1 µm to
80 µm. A human hair is typically 70-80 µm in diameter.
Bekipor® media is available in a wide range of alloys including
stainless steel, nickel, Hastalloy, Inconel, Fecralloy, titanium and
aluminum.
The fibers are then converted into a binder-less non-woven media
ai158158995223_Poster_BKR_Metal fiber proces_HR.pdf 1 13/02/2020 11:32:34

containing between 75 g/m2 and 2400 g/m2 of metal fibers. Bekaert

goes one step further by sintering the fibers in an oven at sintering
temperature, which causes the fibers to bond to each other. Each
From wire rod tofiber
Bekipor ®
porous media
has approximately 20 sinter bonds along its length, which

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 together create a highly stable pore structure. Sintered Bekipor®
filter media has a filter rating between 150 µm up to HEPA H14
rating.

Note: Keep in mind there is a difference between surface and depth

filtration orientation and that the different filtration flow directions are
suitable for different applications.
Click here if you want to know more about depth filtration?

A major advantage of Bekipor® fibers is that they can be handled as

a mesh, so can be pleated, bent and welded. Pleating, for example,
leads to higher throughput, reduced initial pressure drop, and longer
life.
As to the actual mechanism of filtration, the random orientation of
the fibers allows particles to be trapped extremely effectively; much
more so than with the more uniform arrangement within a woven
wire cloth.

COMPA RING What is a perfect filter? "How to find the perfect balance between air
DIFFERENT permeability, efficiency and dirt holding capacity?
FILTR ATION 3 differents filtration media tested:
MEDIA • Bekaert’s sintered metal fiber Bekipor®
• Commonly available standard industrial woven wire mesh
• Engineered Dutch Weave, typically consisting of finer wires in the
fill direction.
The tests were conducted according to standard protocols, and the
various caveats were briefly explained.
In terms of testing comparative air permeability, Bekipor® media
lies in the middle of the three materials: at the same micron rating,
it usually displays higher permeability than the standard wire mesh,
but lower permeability than the high-spec Dutch Weave.
Looking at filtration efficiency, Bekipor® media has a wider pore
size distribution for a broader ability to capture particles smaller than
the rated media.
The comparative dirt holding capacity of the three materials were
also examined. This is a key test because it is linked to filter life,
which is of interest because in most cases long on-stream filter life
is desired.
It was clearly seen that the dirt holding capacity of Bekipor® media


 significantly outperforms that of standard woven wire mesh and
the special Dutch Weave at every micron rating. Even a 10 micron
Bekipor® media has a higher dirt holding capacity than a 45 micron
Dutch Weave. This has interesting consequences. It means that if
you are using a 45 micron wire mesh, you could go down to a 25
micron Bekipor® media to improve your filtration efficiency and also
get a much longer filter life.
In fact, Bekipor® media exhibits up to 8x higher dirt holding
capacity with fine media, and up to 10x higher with coarse media.
Bekipor filter media
® This has significant implications on Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
While the initial purchase price of Bekipor® media is higher than the
other two filtration media, when the collateral costs are taken into
consideration, as well as the increased lifetime and the increased
filter performance of Bekipor® media, the Bekaert solution has a
much more favorable TCO.
In practice, this means that with Bekipor® media you can use fewer
new filters in an installation; you can maintain the current filter
rating and get a longer life; or you can select a lower micron rating/
better efficiency and maintain (or even increase ) your current filter
life. Significant savings for applications are possible, especially
Woven wire mesh considering the high collateral cost of filter changes.

K E Y TA K E AWAYS • Made from small diameter fibers, air laid into a web, then
furnace sintered
• Very high permeability, dirt holding capacity and efficiency
• Better performance than woven wire mesh in most areas,
though careful analysis is required to select the best media
for each application
• Stable pore structure, resistant to corrosion & high
heat and is cleanable/and reusable when used in many
applications
• Typically used as a depth media, but can also be used as a
surface media


QUESTIONS What is the impact of pleating Bekipor® on performance and
& A NSWERS integrity?
Pleating increases the filtration area of the media, which in turn
increases the filter’s performance. Generally speaking, a pleated
Other questions polymer filter element, compared to a normal cylindrical element,
were asked during will increase the effective filtration area by up to four times, which
the webinar. All the translates generally into the same performance increase. Pleating
answers are available in will not affect media stability, as long as the pleating is done
the recording properly and with the correct pleating equipment. You need to apply
enough pressure to cause it to bend to the right configuration, but
not too much to crack the filtration media.

Is Bekipor® media also applicable for gas filtration for pump cleaning
applications?
There are differences between gas filtration and depth filtration, but
the tests for depth filtration are still 100% applicable to gas filtration.
If it is for a back-flush gas filtration, it will change the efficiency but
will also do the same with the mesh. If the question refers to back-
flush, similar dirt holding capacity differences apply, but we can talk
about this and find the right solution.

What cleaning method is best for metal fibers?

Generally speaking, we recommend that cleaning metal fiber media
is conducted as gently as possible, although this is often not the
most efficient or cost-effective. You have to keep in mind that you
are dealing with fibers of diameter 2-4 microns with a tremendous
amount of surface area, so the corrosion rate for our filter media is
potentially higher than it would be for flat plate or perforated plate
filtration media. Filter cleaners have become very adept at cleaning
depth media with chemicals, pressure and ultrasonics, but I don’t
want to endorse a particular method.

Is sintered metal fiber media stable at high differential pressures?

How does its stability compare to woven wire mesh?
Sintered metal fiber media is stable at high differential pressures
for 30 or 40 years or even longer, such as in high DP polymer
applications. Typically a filter element is manufactured, it may
be rated for as high as 1500 psi DP, although most people won’t
necessarily go as high as this. Our media is used on a daily basis
up to 1200 psi DP. In the media selection process it’s important
to let your filter manufacturer know the level of pressure that you
Watch the
plan to reach, as some of our media are compressible at very high
full webinar
differential pressures.