LED Manufacturer Realizes Savings of 55% of Initial Capital Expense and 25% of Annual Operating Expense on New DI Water System
A Taiwan-based LED manufacturer was planning for a new 100 CMH DI water system. The final filter for the system needed to meet the particle specification of 10 counts/ml ≥ 0.2 µm. The original design called for four 12-round housings of 30-inch conventional 0.1µm filters. Due to their much higher flow rate, with GORE® 0.1µm DI filters, only four 7-round housings of 20-inch filters were required, at a fraction of the capital expense and a much lower annual operating expense.
Benefits
- The initial capital cost of the final filtration skid was 55% less than that for one using conventional filters.
- The annual operating expenses were 25% lower.
- The footprint of the final filtration skid was smaller.
Due to the superior flow rate of GORE® Filters — four 7-round housings
with 20-inch GORE® Filters replace four 12-round housings with
30-inch filters.
Situation
A Taiwan-based LED (light emitting diode) manufacturer was planning for a new 100 CMH DI water system. The final filter for the system was required to meet the particle specification of 10 counts/ml ≥ 0.2 μm. To meet production goals, the water system needed to reliably provide the specified water quality at the lowest possible cost to install and operate.
The conventional 0.1μm-rated filters that were considered for the final filter have a flow rate of 1.6 GPM (6 LPM)/psi/10-inch filter. The initially proposed system that would provide the required flow and particle specification with conventional filters would comprise four 12-round housings of 30-inch 0.1 μm filters.
Solution
The new system was designed with GORE® 0.1μm DI filters, which have a flow rate of 5.1 GPM (19 LPM)/psi/10-inch filter. Because of the higher flow rate of the GORE® Filters, the system could be
substantially smaller than the one proposed with conventional filters: four 7-round housings with 20 inch GORE® Filters.
Results
- The number of filters needed was reduced by 60%.
- The measured particle count using using GORE® 0.1μm DI filters was below 1 count/ML ≥ 0.2μm.
- The rinse up time of the GORE® Filters was less than 20 minutes.
FOR MICROELECTRONICS USE ONLY.
Not for use in food, drug, cosmetic or medical device manufacturing, processing, or packaging operations.