Oil Filtration: Design Trends

摘要

Last month, Keith Bechtum of Donaldson Co. Inc. and Paul Bandoly of Wix Filter Corp., helped me begin a series of columns about lube oil filtration. This month we will cover lube oil filtration design trends. Let's investigate full-flow (the oil filter is placed in series with the oil pump) oil filters first. Full-flow filters must be structurally durable, sufficiently porous to provide minimum restriction, and yet have sufficient dirt holding capacity to remain unplugged throughout the oil change interval. Should plugging occur, the filter is bypassed, and the engine receives unfiltered oil. Full-flow filters can never filter particles as small as supplemental oil filters can.