What's in your filter? Media types explained

OVERKILL

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I've posted this material in various other threads recently, but I thought it might make sense to just give it its own topic.

There are four main types of oil filter media:
- Cellulose
- Blend/hybrid
- Synthetic Microglass
- Synthetic Microfibre (variants)

Cellulose
Cellulose is your old school pulp media. It is what is used in the vast majority of filters on the market. It is extremely inexpensive to produce and is available in a wide range of efficiency ratings, the selection of which would depend on the flow volume required for a given surface area. High efficiency cellulose doesn't flow as well, so the more efficient the media, the more of it you need to maintain your flow. An example of a high efficiency cellulose filter would be the Purolator PureONE.

From Donaldson:
Screen Shot 2021-08-28 at 2.02.26 PM.jpg


From Cummins Filtration (Fleetguard):
Screen Shot 2021-08-29 at 11.36.41 AM.jpg


Cellulose provides very limited depth due to the large fibres, which tend to promote surface loading of large particles, which can then fall off and deposit in the bottom of the can. This is what that looks like:
328ifilter03.jpg

MotorcraftAFE0w30OCI2-02.jpg

motorcraft8.jpg

motorcraft10.jpg


There is risk that these particles may be washed through the engine during a bypass event, which is why cellulose filters aren't marketed for extended drain applications where significant loading may take place.

Blend/Hybrid
This media combines both cellulose and synthetic fibres as a "value" solution to increase holding capacity, efficiency and flow for a given surface area. Similar in construction to cellulose, but the blending of smaller synthetic fibres in with the cellulose improves flow and holding capacity. An example of a filter using this filter is the Mobil 1.

From Donaldson:
Screen Shot 2021-08-28 at 2.02.51 PM.jpg


Because it functions similarly to cellulose, it also tends to experience face loading, which can result in particulate falling off and depositing in the bottom of the can. Some pictures (M1 EP):
M1EP02.jpg

M1EP03.jpg
 
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Synthetic Microglass
This was the first synthetic filter material and there are, expectedly, numerous takes on it. Comprised of very thin fibreglass strands woven into a complex mesh, this material provides enhanced flow and significant depth within which particulate can be trapped. Multiple layers of this media can be put together to provide progressively finer filtration. Because it isn't rigid like cellulose, this media requires a backing material made of either a polymer or metal for it to maintain its shape. Microglass media enabled filters to be more efficient, while simultaneously offering better flow and particulate holding capacity, which was quite a breakthrough. Donaldson's take on this product was called "Synteq", Cummins had their own. There are several others.

From Donaldson:

Screen Shot 2021-08-28 at 2.03.13 PM.jpg


From Fleetguard (Cummins Filtration):
Screen Shot 2021-08-29 at 11.40.19 AM.jpg

Screen Shot 2021-08-29 at 11.40.34 AM.jpg

Screen Shot 2021-08-29 at 11.40.46 AM.jpg


Synthetic Microfibre
The current "take" on synthetic media technology, this product is produced using a meltblown process that produces unbroken strands of media. These are like glass media in structure, but don't require a bonding agent due to their continuous nature and selection of material. Like glass media, this product is designed to be layered, providing increasingly efficient levels of filtration to produce a media with considerable depth and holding capacity, while simultaneously offering increased flow and efficiency. Some examples of this are the former FRAM Ultra, AMSOIL EaO, Donaldson ELF and Fleetguard Stratapore filters.

From Donaldson:
Screen Shot 2021-08-31 at 6.08.33 PM.jpg


From Fleetguard (Cummins Filtration):
Screen Shot 2021-08-29 at 11.39.37 AM.jpg

Screen Shot 2021-08-29 at 11.41.17 AM.jpg
Screen Shot 2021-08-29 at 11.39.13 AM.jpg

Screen Shot 2021-08-29 at 11.41.30 AM.jpg
 
Aforementioned is great gnosis. Just wish there were more options with said filtration media. I liked what you posted in the new Fram Ultra thread. Amsoil and Royal purple for me. But, I have a stash of Ultras for my application.
 
Another example of particulate ending up in the bottom of the can, this is a Purolator PureONE, run on the same engine as the EaO and Stratapore:
PureONEExpy201003.jpg

PureONEExpy201004.jpg


Hard to see in the EaO picture, much easier to see in the Stratapore one, but neither had any particulate in the bottom of the can. This is because this becomes lodged in the media and doesn't face-load and fall off.
 
The M1 oil filter on my trucks engine has the baseplate bypass. I prefer it so that IF the oil filter goes into bypass it won't wash over the dirty filter media, like with a dome end bypass.
Thanks for posting this article. ;)
But is it possible that when the bypass valve is in the top of the filter that it could cause some reverse flow through the media, essentially when the bypass opens it'd be like a tee where the unfiltered oil is pushed through to the engine but some is pushed back against the clean side of the media?
 
But is it possible that when the bypass valve is in the top of the filter that it could cause some reverse flow through the media, essentially when the bypass opens it'd be like a tee where the unfiltered oil is pushed through to the engine but some is pushed back against the clean side of the media?
No, because the whole stack is pressurized and it's the differential between the clean/dirty side that results in a bypass event happening.
 
Despite being not being at all rigid, the synthetic medias are incredibly strong. This is a somewhat amusing video from Purolator in promoting the media found in their "BOSS" line of filters:


I assume this is a microfibre, not microglass media.

It's hard to tear because of the bonded on nylon screen backing - he calls it a "plastic grid" in the video. You can see it streaching when the one guy tries to use his knee.
 
At one time, rumor was that Fram was looking at using a similar plastic/nylon screen backing on the Ultra instead of metal. But guess they skipped that step and just went with new media with no backing.
 
I would guess Fram buys the Boss media for their cartridge filters and calls them Ultra because it would be quite a coincidence the media looks identical. Mainly the Korean made cartridges. Same effichintzy rating and everything. What a world. 😆
 
The Boss doesn't have the same efficiency rating as the Ultra.
It fits in the Ultra box which has the Ultra effichintzy written on it. Could happen. Get it? So you think Fram developed a look alike media to the Boss in every way even color, which exactly duplicates their trade mark Ultra efficiency? Gee they should have saved time and not developed the new Ultra then. :geek:
 
It fits in the Ultra box which has the Ultra effichintzy written on it. Could happen. Get it? So you think Fram developed a look alike media to the Boss in every way even color, which exactly duplicates their trade mark Ultra efficiency? Gee they should have saved time and not developed the new Ultra then. :geek:
We should have @Ascent Filtration Testing run a test on that filter, see if it gives the same rating as the "normal" Ultra.
 
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