Kaeser KF F6-F320 Compressed Air Filters, 0.6-32 m3/min

Compressed air filters from 0.6 to 32 m³/min

The Kaeser KF F6 to F320 compressed air filters cover flow rates of 0.6 to 32.0 m³/min at 2 to 16 bar in twelve housing sizes, and are used to bring compressed air to the purity classes of ISO 8573-1. The housings are corrosion-protected aluminium with a bayonet lock; both seals are part of the filter element, so the housing can only be closed with an element inserted, and a locking screw vents the housing before it can be opened. Kaeser quotes performance determined to ISO 12500 and confirmed by Lloyd’s Register, with up to 50 percent lower pressure loss than conventional filters according to the brochure.

Technical specifications

Degrees of filtration

Filter media are deep-pleated with a support structure and polyester drainage fleece for the coalescence grades and a high-efficiency carbon fleece for the carbon grades. The brochure table uses an inlet aerosol content of 10 mg/m³ for the coalescence grades.

Choosing the filter train

A typical train places a coalescing grade after the dryer, then a dust filter after a desiccant dryer and an activated carbon grade where oil vapour must be removed. Size the housing from flow corrected to your working pressure and temperature, and judge the filter by its differential pressure at saturation as well as when new, because pressure loss drives energy cost. Seven Star LLC, an independent supplier in Muscat, quotes the exact model and grade; confirm the required ISO 8573-1 class, flow, pressure and drain type. The brochure is attached; related products are in Filter Housings.

How the Kaeser KF F6-F320 compressed air filters work

Compressed air leaving a compressor carries water aerosol, oil aerosol and solid particles, and the quality needed downstream depends on what the air is used for. The Kaeser KF series is a family of filter housings and elements that removes these contaminants in stages. Air enters the housing, flows through the filter element, and the retained particles and liquid are collected and carried away, so the outlet air meets the purity class chosen for that point in the system. Kaeser states that the elements are designed to deliver the ISO 8573-1 purity classes, and that the filter performance was tested to ISO 12500 and confirmed by Lloyd’s Register.

The range is sized by housing. Twelve housing sizes, from F6 to F320, cover volume flows from 0.6 up to 32 m3/min, so the same filter technology can serve a small workshop line or a main compressed air header. The elements are built so that the pressure loss is low, which Kaeser puts at up to 50 percent lower than comparable filters. Lower differential pressure means the compressor does not have to work against an extra restriction, and that is a running-cost issue rather than only a specification detail.

Filter grades in the KF series

The grade letters tell the buyer what the element is meant to remove. The series lists the grades KB, KE, KD, KA, KBE and KEA, and the specification table on this page gives the filtration class and typical use of each. In general terms, a coarser grade protects the equipment upstream of finer filtration, a finer grade is chosen when downstream equipment or the process needs cleaner air, and an activated carbon grade is used when oil vapour and odour must be reduced. Matching the grade to the application is the most important selection step, and the table should be read together with the purity class that the end user or the standard requires.

Typical applications for KF compressed air filters

• Protecting pneumatic tools, cylinders and valves from water and particles in a general workshop or plant air network.
• Protecting a refrigeration or adsorption dryer by removing liquid and oil aerosol before the air reaches it.
• Final filtration at the point of use for instrument air, packaging lines and spray painting.
• Polishing the air after a dryer so that fine particles and oil carry-over are removed from the supply to sensitive equipment.
• Process air for applications where the purity class is written into a customer or industry specification.

For food, medical and similar uses, the purity class and any required certification must come from the end-user specification and be confirmed with the manufacturer documentation; this page does not make claims beyond the published filter data.

Selection checklist for the Kaeser KF F6-F320

• Volume flow in m3/min at the actual operating pressure. The published flow values refer to 7 bar(g) and 20 degC, so correct them if your pressure is different.
• Operating pressure, from 2 up to 16 bar depending on the housing and element.
• Required ISO 8573-1 purity class for particles, water and oil, and the filter grade that achieves it.
• Housing size from F6 to F320 and the connection: G thread to ISO 228 or NPT.
• Condensate removal. The ECO-DRAIN condensate drain operates from 95 to 240 VAC, so check that the supply at the point of installation matches.
• Ambient conditions. The listed ambient temperature range is +3 to +50 degC, so a filter installed outdoors or near a hot compressor must be checked against it.
• Position in the air line: before a dryer, after it, or at the point of use. The position decides the grade.

Installation and maintenance of KF filters

The housing is aluminium with a bayonet lock, which allows the element to be changed without special tools, and the seals are part of the element, so replacing the element renews the seals at the same time. That makes servicing quicker and avoids the common fault of a new element being fitted against an old, worn seal. Mount the filter vertically in the direction of flow marked on the housing, leave enough space below it to remove the bowl and element, and fit it where condensate can be drained safely.

Pressure loss across a filter rises as it loads, so monitoring the differential pressure is the practical way to decide when to replace an element. Replace elements at the interval recommended by the manufacturer or earlier if the pressure drop becomes a problem, and do not let a condensate drain stay blocked, because liquid carried past a filter defeats its purpose. Depressurise the housing completely before opening it.

Requesting a quotation for the Kaeser KF F6-F320

Seven Star LLC, an independent supplier in Muscat, quotes Kaeser KF filters together with matching housings and condensate drains. Send the compressor or system volume flow, the working pressure, the required purity class or the application, the connection thread and the quantity. If the filter replaces an existing unit, add the nameplate or the element part number. Related items are listed under Filter Housings, and the attached documents give the performance data for the range.