How do in-line filters work?
The purpose of the in-line filter is to filter the gas before entering the flow meter and to make sure that the gas is clean - without any particles. This way you avoid contamination which can lead to a number of avoidable costs. With further costs I mean costs due to down-time, service costs, calibration costs or time to remove and re-install the damaged instrument.
Besides avoiding contamination, a dry & clean gas is also crucial to ensure a better MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) of your flow instrument. This is particularly true for flow instruments that use a bypass sensor.
The Bronkhorst flow instruments are designed for low flows and therefore have delicate and finely machined parts. This is needed to enable us to quantify the flow rates of gases that we can achieve with a good level of accuracy and repeatability.
When you consider the potential damage that is possible from the different sources of contamination, and the delicate nature of the internal working of a flow instrument, it would appear to be a very straightforward decision to include a filter in your next purchase of a flow instrument.