The Problem
A gasoline refinery was seeing intermittent particulate contamination—sometimes the product ran clean for long stretches, other times solids appeared without warning. For years, they relied on a contractor-provided filtration setup. It worked, but it locked the site into an ongoing service model and made filtration capacity and response dependent on third-party availability.
They wanted a permanent, refinery-owned system. The constraint: limited footprint in a congested pipe rack area.
The Solution
Fil-Trek engineered a compact, high-capacity layout using a dual-stacked configuration: two 12-round horizontal Ultra Flow Series high-flow housings. Stacking the housings provided the filtration area and throughput required without expanding skid footprint, while keeping access practical for routine servicing.
UF Series High-flow elements are commonly applied in water service and are often built with polypropylene components. For gasoline service, we engineered custom elements specifically for hydrocarbon compatibility and durability:
- Pleated polyester media
- 5 micron absolute
- Steel cores for structural support
- PBT end caps for chemical resistance
- Viton seals for hydrocarbon and temperature resistance
The housings were built to the customer's engineering specifications: 200 psi design pressure, 1/8" corrosion allowance, two-part exterior coating, and CRN registration with third-party inspection. For maintenance, we incorporated swing-bolt closures and removable drip trays at each closure to control spillage during element changeouts.
A standard design feature of Fil-Trek's Ultraflow housings is the use of removable internal support baskets. This avoids the common welded-in approach that restricts access, and it simplifies pressure-vessel inspection and internal maintenance over the life of the equipment. This is especially important for critical applications.
Results
The system has operated successfully for years. Average service life is approximately 96 million liters per changeout, delivering long run times while eliminating contractor dependency and giving the refinery predictable, repeatable operation.
Key Specifications
- Configuration: Dual-stacked 12-round horizontal high-flow housings
- Service: Gasoline with intermittent solids loading
- Media: Custom pleated polyester elements (steel cores, PBT end caps, Viton seals)
- Mechanical: 200 psi design, 1/8" corrosion allowance, two-part coating
- Compliance: CRN registered, third-party inspection
- Maintenance features: Swing-bolt closures, removable drip trays, removable internal baskets
- Performance: ~96M liters per changeout (site average)
Fil-Trek designs and manufactures filtration systems for demanding industrial service. We handle application engineering, housing fabrication, custom element design, and long-term support. If you're dealing with space constraints, challenging chemistry, or intermittent solids, bring us the problem—we'll engineer a system that runs.
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Project Metrics
- configuration
- Dual-stacked 12-round horizontal housings
- service life
- ~96M liters per changeout
- design pressure
- 200 psi
- filtration rating
- 5 micron absolute