Patent ID: 7785477

Claim:
A method for carrying out a filtration process for fluids via filter elements wherein said filter elements are located in a filtration system ( 1 ), and wherein the following steps are carried out: a) identification data for: (i) at least one filter element ( 8 ), (ii) at least one filtration apparatus ( 2 , 3 ) having the filter elements, and (iii) a filtration process to be carried out with the filter elements and the filtration apparatus; are entered in a process control device ( 5 , 5 ′) which is external to said filter element ( 8 ), b) the identification data according to a) is transferred to a filter element database ( 6 , 6 ′), which is external to said filter element ( 8 ) and connected to an external database ( 14 ), and a check is carried out to determine whether (i) filter element ( 8 ), (ii) filtration apparatus ( 2 , 3 ), and (iii) said filtration process to be carried out, have been correctly selected, and whether the filter element ( 8 ) and the filtration apparatus ( 2 , 3 ) are correct for the filtration process, c) the filtration system ( 1 ) is inhibited if (i) at least one filter element ( 8 ) or one filtration apparatus ( 2 , 3 ) has been chosen incorrectly, or (ii) if at least one filter element ( 8 ) is inhibited, d) limiting data and product release data comprising process data and integrity data for each of the filter elements ( 8 ) for each filtration apparatus ( 2 , 3 ) and for the filtration process are called up from the filter element database ( 6 , 6 ′) and external database ( 14 ) by the process control device ( 5 , 5 ′), and this data is entered, or is added and entered, in an electronic memory element ( 15 ) which is external to said filter element ( 8 ) and is associated with the respective filtration apparatus ( 2 , 3 ) for storage of limit values and product release values for process data and integrity data, e) permissible tolerance values are determined and stored, f) the filtration process is started by the process control device ( 5 , 5 ′), g) the process data and integrity data are measured by a monitoring and/or test set ( 4 ) and this data is entered, or is added and entered, in the respective memory element ( 15 ), h) a comparison process is carried out by said process control device ( 5 , 5 ′) to determine whether measured process data and integrity data or their sum exceeds permissible tolerance values, and i) the filtration process is terminated and the filtration system ( 1 ) is inhibited when one of said tolerance values is reached or exceeded and the filter elements ( 8 ) are inhibited.