Abstract: Method and apparatus are provided for making a filter element by spinning fibers from one or more dies onto a collector, including designated combinations providing designated filter characteristics.

Abstract: A coalescer has variable characteristics including variable diameter of individual fibers along their length such that an individual fiber has differing diameters at different points along its length, and including variable porosity.

Abstract: A filter has multiple pleated filter elements having axially extending channels having a transverse pleat channel height and a lateral channel width. The pleated filter elements have different channel heights.

Abstract: A pleated panel fluid filter filters fluid flowing along an axial flow direction and includes angled panels and/or progressively increasing flow channel width and/or skewed panel projections and/or flattened pleat tip bend lines.

Abstract: Method and apparatus are provided for making a filter element by spinning fibers from one or more dies onto a collector, including designated combinations providing designated filter characteristics.

Abstract: A coalescer has variable characteristics including variable diameter of individual fibers along their length such that an individual fiber has differing diameters at different points along its length, and including variable porosity.

Abstract: A filter has multiple pleated filter elements having axially extending channels having a transverse pleat channel height and a lateral channel width. The pleated filter elements have different channel heights.

Abstract: A high performance, high efficiency filter is provided by a multi-stage filter having combinations of tribologically different fibers, nanofibers, and layering.

Abstract: An open flow fluid filter has a pleated main filter element having a plurality of pleats in a closed loop having an outer perimeter defined by a plurality of outer pleat tips, and an inner perimeter defined by a plurality of inner pleat tips. The loop has a hollow interior extending along an axis. Fluid to be filtered flows through the main filter element from an upstream dirty side to a downstream clean side, and flows axially in the hollow interior. The main filter element has an axial flow passage extending along the axis and circumscribing the hollow interior and has a flow perimeter greater than the inner perimeter. A safety filter element downstream of the main filter element filters both the axial flow in the hollow interior and additional flow between the flow perimeter and the inner perimeter. A filter with additional flow is also provided.

Abstract: A filter filters fluid flowing along an axial flow direction and includes a plurality of concentric cylindrical pleated filter elements having a common axis. A plurality of annular radial gaps between filter elements provide additional flow axially through the filter, providing equalized flow and reducing restriction. In further embodiments, a central filter element is concentrically surrounded by a cylindrical pleated outer filter element and provides additional flow axially therethrough.

Abstract: A filter filters fluid flowing along an axial flow direction and includes a plurality of concentric cylindrical pleated filter elements having a common axis. A plurality of annular radial gaps between filter elements provide additional flow axially through the filter, providing equalized flow and reducing restriction. In further embodiments, a central filter element is concentrically surrounded by a cylindrical pleated outer filter element and provides additional flow axially therethrough.

Abstract: A filter (200) filters fluid flowing along an axial flow direction (14) and includes a plurality of panels (206, 208, 240, 242) of pleated filter elements (44), each filter element having a plurality of pleats defined by wall segments (50) extending along a transverse direction (210) between first and second sets of pleat tips at first and second sets of axially extending bend lines (46, 48), the transverse direction (210) being perpendicular to the axial direction (14). Each of the panels (206, 208, 240, 242) extends along a lateral direction (212) perpendicular to the axial direction (14) and perpendicular to the transverse direction (210). The wall segments (50) extend axially between upstream and downstream ends (52, 54), and define axial flow channels (55) therebetween which are alternately sealed at the upstream and downstream ends.

Abstract: An open flow fluid filter has a pleated main filter element having a plurality of pleats in a closed loop having an outer perimeter defined by a plurality of outer pleat tips, and an inner perimeter defined by a plurality of inner pleat tips. The loop has a hollow interior extending along an axis. Fluid to be filtered flows through the main filter element from an upstream dirty side to a downstream clean side, and flows axially in the hollow interior. The main filter element has an axial flow passage extending along the axis and circumscribing the hollow interior and has a flow perimeter greater than the inner perimeter. A safety filter element downstream of the main filter element filters both the axial flow in the hollow interior and additional flow between the flow perimeter and the inner perimeter. A filter with additional flow is also provided.

Abstract: A filter (200) filters fluid flowing along an axial flow direction (14) and includes a plurality of panels (206, 208, 240, 242) of pleated filter elements (44), each filter element having a plurality of pleats defined by wall segments (50) extending along a transverse direction (210) between first and second sets of pleat tips at first and second sets of axially extending bend lines (46, 48), the transverse direction (210) being perpendicular to the axial direction (14). Each of the panels (206, 208, 240, 242) extends along a lateral direction (212) perpendicular to the axial direction (14) and perpendicular to the transverse direction (210). The wall segments (50) extend axially between upstream and downstream ends (52, 54), and define axial flow channels (55) therebetween which are alternately sealed at the upstream and downstream ends.

Abstract: An open flow fluid filter has a pleated main filter element having a plurality of pleats in a closed loop having an outer perimeter defined by a plurality of outer pleat tips, and an inner perimeter defined by a plurality of inner pleat tips. The loop has a hollow interior extending along an axis. Fluid to be filtered flows through the main filter element from an upstream dirty side to a downstream clean side, and flows axially in the hollow interior. The main filter element has an axial flow passage extending along the axis and circumscribing the hollow interior and has a flow perimeter greater than the inner perimeter. A safety filter element downstream of the main filter element filters both the axial flow in the hollow interior and additional flow between the flow perimeter and the inner perimeter. A filter with additional flow is also provided.

Abstract: A full flow fluid filter (300, FIG. 15) has a housing (302) extending axially along an axis (304), and a pleated filter element (318) having a plurality of pleats in a closed loop annulus having an outer perimeter (320) defined by a plurality of outer pleat tips, an inner perimeter (322) defined by a plurality of inner pleat tips, and a hollow interior (324) extending along the axis. Fluid flows substantially directly axially through the filter element, with minimal bending and change of direction, minimizing flow restriction.

Abstract: Enhanced performance fibrous media (60) is provided by orienting filter media fibers (62) dominantly parallel to the fluid flow direction (46). Filter media construction is provided by a sheet (80) having an internal pleated subsheet (88) with pleats (92, 94) engaging and packed against each other sufficiently tightly and bonded (104) such that fluid flows along the flow direction through the pleats in parallel therewith, rather than between the pleats and then transversely therethrough. An extended life two-stage fluid filter assembly includes first and second filter elements (80 and 112), wherein the pleats (114, 116) of a main downstream filter element (112) are spaced from each other along a spacing direction (122) transverse to the flow direction (46) and defining a transverse gap (124) therebetween through which fluid flows, and wherein the pleats (92, 94) of an upstream prefilter element (80) are packed against each other without such transverse gap and blocking fluid flow therebetween.

Abstract: A filter (10, 10a) includes a housing (12, 12a) extending along an axis (14). and having an inlet (16, 16a) at one axial end (18, 18a) of the housing and having an outlet (20, 20a) at a distally opposite axial end (22, 22a) of the housing. One or more pleated filter elements (44, 44a, 44b, 44c, 44d) in the housing are pleated along a plurality of bend lines (46, 48) extending axially. The filter element has a plurality of wall segments (50) extending in serpentine manner between the bend lines. The wall segments extend axially between upstream ends (52) and downstream ends (54) and define axial flow channels (58, 62) therebetween. The upstream ends of the wall segments are alternately sealed (56) to each other to defme a first set of flow channels (58) having open upstream ends (60), and a second set of flow channels (62) interdigitated with the first set of flow channels and having closed upstream ends (64).

Abstract: A corrugated axial filter (148) has a plurality of flow channels (178, 180, 182, 184, 208, 212) extending axially from the upstream dirty frontside (146) of the filter to the downstream clean backside (160) of the filter. Each channel has an upstream opening (186) at the upstream dirty frontside and has top and bottom walls (188 and 190) and right and left sidewalls (192 and 194) extending from the opening rearwardly toward the downstream clean backside. The right and left sidewalls taper towards each other as they extend rearwardly to define a triangular shaped flow channel. Right and left sidewalls of adjacent flow channels are a single continuous sheet of filter material (130) in a zig-zag pattern (134) with a plurality of fold lines including a first set of fold lines (136, 138, 140, 142, 144) at the upstream dirty frontside and a second set of fold lines (150, 152, 154, 156, 158) at the downstream clean backside.