Critical Process Filtration Blog

While filter ratings are an important indication of how well the filter will remove particles of varying sizes from a fluid or gas, it is important to note that nominally rated filters from different manufacturers can have the same rating, but yield different results. The opposite is also true – nominally rated filters from different suppliers can have different ratings, yet yield the same result. Naturally, this can create confusion and impact your filter buying decisions. When these situations arise, we recommend that focusing on achieving the targeted performance of a filter over the rating will yield the best results. With that in mind, let’s start with differentiating between the two types of ratings that indicate pore size and efficiency in removing particulates -- Nominal and Absolute ratings.

The goal of pharmaceutical water system operators is to produce bacteria-free water that meets or exceeds required purity standards. Water systems use several filters to protect system components and to assure that the water dispensed for use is free of bacteria and most other particle contaminants.

Keeping Contaminants Out of Water Tanks Most of the time, the old saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is true. Preventing an unwanted event is usually easier than doing remediation work to repair whatever damage is done if the event occurs. However, in virtually all water systems, including pharmaceutical water systems, it is safe to assume that BOTH prevention and remediation are needed to control bacteria and other contaminants.