Cartridge & Lenticular Housings

Cartridge Filter Housings and Lenticular Filter Housings

Though Lenticular and cartridge filters are similar in appearance, and do share some of the same qualities, the two filters serve different purposes.
Lenticular Filters perform Depth filtration (sometimes referred to as “bulk filtration”), which does the heavy lifting. They utilize a series of stacked discs, called modules, to provide a large surface area for filtration.
Cartridge Filters are intended for final filtration. Cartridges, which are typically pleated, have a much smaller surface area than lenticular modules. Cartridges are also available with “absolute” filtration rating.

See the bottom of the page for more information about these two types of filtration.

Depth Filtration
 Depth filtration (sometimes referred to as “bulk filtration”) does the heavy lifting. This is done by running product through a series of filter media, usually with a Plate and Frame Filter (sometimes called a “Sheet Filter”) or a Lenticular Filter. When depth filtering, product is typically run through the filter multiple times, decreasing the micron rating (porosity) of the filter media with each pass.
Lenticular filters utilize filter discs (same material as filter sheets) that are stacked together with a central drain channel. These are called modules. Modules can then be stacked within the enclosed lenticular filter housing. Product is pumped into the housing and moves from the exterior of the filter discs, inward to the central drain channel. Because the filter housing is sealed while in use, there is no exposure to oxygen and other outside elements. There’s also no risk of product loss when the filter modules begin to fill. And, although a single lenticular module costs much more than a pack of filter sheets, modules have an exponentially longer life than filter sheets. Because lenticular modules can be stacked, they're capable of providing a very large filtration surface area while maintaining a small footprint.
Final Filtration
 Final Filtration (or “Pre-Bottle Filtration”) is the final stage in the filtering process. This is almost always done using a cartridge filter housing—either for a single cartridge or multiple cartridges—or a series of cartridge filter housings. The purpose of this step isn’t to necessarily further the filtration, but to remove any sediment that may have been missed during depth filtration or developed afterwards. Accordingly, the porosity of the cartridges should be about the same as the porosity of the filters used during the final pass during depth filtration. Though cartridges have a significantly smaller surface area than other filter mediums, they are the only option for precise filtration—i.e. an “absolute” 0.45 µm cartridge filter has an exact porosity of 0.45 µm. Cartridge filter housings are also completely sealed off, ensuring that no outside elements can come in contact with the wine between filtration and bottling.