DRAFT — internal review only · interactive prototype · 27 May 2026

Filter Builder · interactive prototype

Build your own Purus.

Five filter elements, one vessel. Pick an option, set your duty cycle and economics, and see flow, daily output, energy and the annual return live. Same pumps, same footprint — different element, different outcome.

Each option at a glance

Five elements, one vessel.

The 30-element vessel takes a range of filter elements at the same 1000 mm × 60 mm sintered stainless geometry. Pore size sets the flow, the removal target, and the operating philosophy. Coarser elements push more volume; the gel membrane brings the microbial removal and regenerable economics.

20 Micron 20 µm Highest throughput, lowest pressure drop. Ideal for high-volume pre-filtration.
Flux5,000 LMH
Flow471 L/min
10 Micron 10 µm Excellent balance of flow and particle removal. Good for general process / pre-treatment.
Flux3,000 LMH
Flow283 L/min
5 Micron 5 µm Good particle removal with solid flow. Common drinking-water pre-filter or industrial clarification.
Flux2,000 LMH
Flow189 L/min
3 Micron 3 µm Finer removal — most bacteria and cysts. Still strong flow versus gel.
Flux1,500 LMH
Flow141 L/min
Gel Membrane ~10 nm Virus-grade removal (>6 log). Self-renewing hydrate gel, backwash-regenerable, lowest opex.
Flux1,000 LMH
Flow94 L/min
Full comparison

Numbers, side by side.

All values calculated against the same vessel: 30 sintered rods, 5.655 m² effective area, 2 × 1.5 hp pumps at ≈ 0.6 bar. Daily volumes assume 24 h running — adjust below in the builder if you run a different duty cycle.

Filter element Pore size Flux (LMH) Flow (L/min) Flow (m³/h) Daily volume (m³, 24 h) Best for
20 Micron 20 µm 5,000 471 28.3 679 Highest throughput / lowest pressure drop
10 Micron 10 µm 3,000 283 17.0 408 Balance of flow and particle removal
5 Micron 5 µm 2,000 189 11.3 272 Solid flow with clarification
3 Micron 3 µm 1,500 141 8.5 204 Finer removal, still high flow
Gel Membrane ~10 nm 1,000 94 5.7 136 Virus removal, regenerable, lowest opex
Build your own

Pick your filter, set your economics.

Adjust the inputs and the right-hand panel updates live. The defaults are the published technical values — the cost and duty-cycle fields are placeholders for you to swap in your own procurement and operating numbers.

80%
Fraction of running time actually filtering. Gel default 80% to allow backwash; coarser filters default 100%.
Hours the vessel is running, before duty-cycle adjustment.
Your sale price (or imputed value) per cubic metre of filtered water.
Local commercial rate per kWh. AUD assumed.
Placeholder — enter your actual procurement value. 0 = ignore (regenerable or unknown).
Placeholder — enter your actual procurement value.
Net annual return $0 Revenue − energy − replacements

Capacity

Pore size
Flow rate L/min · m³/h
Daily volume m³/day
Annual volume m³/yr

Revenue

Annual water revenue$0

Operating cost

Annual energy use kWh
Annual energy cost$0
Replacements per year
Annual replacement cost$0
Key assumptions

Transparent on the maths.

These are the technical anchors the builder runs on. Numbers come from the Malekizadeh & Schenk manuscript values and Blue Quest’s own trial data at operating pressure ≈ 0.6 bar.

Vessel geometry

30 sintered stainless rods, 1000 mm × 60 mm OD, outside-in. Effective filtration area: 5.655 m² (π × 0.06 × 1 × 30).

Gel flux

1,000 LMH at ≈ 0.6 bar — the conservative high-flux value from manuscript and trial.

Bare sintered fluxes

Design fluxes for the four micron options (no gel) sit at coarser-pore permeability under the same low operating pressure. Sustainable, not pump-limited.

Pumps

2 × 1.5 hp in Z-configuration, ≈ 2.2 kW running. Comfortably supports 300–500 L/min total at low head.

Flow formula

Flow (L/h) = Flux (LMH) × Area (5.655 m²). Converted to L/min and m³/h for the builder.

Daily volume

Hours running × duty cycle × flow. Coarser filters typically run 100% duty; gel defaults to 80% to allow backwash.

Removal capability

Gel removes viruses + bacteria + particulates (>6 log microbial). 3 µm removes bacteria + particulates. 20 µm removes coarse sediment only.

Caveats

Coarser elements may require downstream treatment (e.g. UV) for full safety. Gel offers backwash-regenerable operation with minimal consumables — major OPEX advantage at scale.