ICB® Ion-Exchange Filters for Acid and Varnish Control

ICB® (Ion Charge Bonding) filter elements are engineered to eliminate the root causes of varnish, acidic byproducts, and dissolved metals in critical fluid systems, delivering best-in-class acid and varnish removal while helping protect servo valves from sticking or sluggish operation. Unlike conventional acid filters that leach metals or fine particles, ICB® elements help reverse oxidation processes on a molecular level, restore oil health, and improve fluid resistivity to support efficient, trouble-free system performance.

*ICB® is a registered trademark of EPT CLEAN OIL.

Download the Hy-Pro ICB® Ion-Exchange Filters Brochure
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Stop varnish related fail-to-starts and unit trips.

ICB® attacks the source of the problem on a molecular
level, removing the oxidation by-products that form varnish deposits. By reversing the chemical process of varnish
deposit formation, ICB® restores oil health to remove
varnish throughout the system and in critical components
so your servo valves operate more efficiently than ever.

Remove what others left behind.

As dissolved metals accumulate, they act as a catalyst forming depots on servo valves and gels that can cause valve restriction and mask filter elements. ICB® elements do not contribute metals and will remove dissolved metals from airborne ingress and element leaching to <10 ppm.
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Minimize acid. Maximize efficiency.

High acid number (AN) in phosphate ester means premature fluid replacement if left un-managed. Since acid production is autocatalytic, the acid in your system will generate more acid which, left unchecked, can quickly become a serious problem. ICB® technology removes acid to our target of AN < 0.05 with 4-8 times the capacity of alternate acid removal medias.

Unlike all others.

ICB® is unlike all other ion exchange resin products. Our 20 years of operating experience and continued research has led to best in class resistivity improving capability with increases 10X having been observed. We use custom engineered resins that have been optimized for the lubricant environment.
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Extend your oil life, don’t flush it.

For most EHC systems, the primary operating fluid is phosphate ester. This is a very safe fluid with excellent lubricating properties that when properly maintained can provide years of trouble-free operation without the need for a flush during replacement. Unfortunately, many power plants have insufficient or incorrect maintenance which causes wide ranging issues that result in actual or high risk of production loss, and expensive flushes after the fact.

Upgrade your filtration.

ICB® filters are drop in replacements for many OEM sizes and come in a variety of chemistries for specialized lubricant and fluid applications. When used in conjunction with
Hy-Pro Dualglass media filter elements, ISO particle codes will be decreased significantly with document results.
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Acid Scavenging Technology Comparison

Selexsorb

Produces by-products that react with fluid to cause soft gel deposits

Can only control acids up to 0.25 mg KOH/g, leading to diminished fluid resistivity

Removes acid but re-contaminates your fluid with sodium, aluminum, silicon

3x less capacity to remove acid than ICB®

Made from purified activated Alumina as a Y-Zeolite

ICB® Ion-Exchange Filters

Removes the dissolved break-down products that are responsible for servo valve failures (See Figures 1 and 2)

Dramatically increases fluid resistivity values which eliminates a common servo-valve failure mode referred to

as electro-kinetic-wear or valve erosion

Does not contribute fine particulate, or add dissolved metals that normally

contribute to increased rates of oxidation

Highest ratio of resin volume to flow rate for higher single pass removal rate and much lower cost of ownership

Complete stainless steel construction, featuring robotic, spiral welding which provides maximum filter integrity, adding a new fail-safe in the EHC® fluid conditioning system

Fuller’s Earth

Produces hard salts and soap deposits that coat sensitive servo valves

Can only control acids up to 0.25 mg KOH/g, leading to diminished fluid resistivity

Removes acid but re-contaminates your fluid with magnesium, iron, calcium

6-7x less capacity to remove acid than ICB®

Made from magnesium oxide and hydroxide, processed from attapulgus clay or attpulgite

TitFigure 1 – Deposition Tendency Test

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In Step 1 of the Deposition Tendency Test referred to in the EPRI EHC Fluid Maintenance Guide 2002, Page 4-39, EHC fluid is mixed with Hexane which forces out dissolved contamination into solid form. In the first three test tubes (A,B,C), EHC fluid using conventional treatment form visible solids. Servo-valve performance and reliability would be significantly impaired using EHC fluid in this condition. In the last 2 test tubes (D,E) where the EHC fluid was cleaned with ICB®, no deposition or solids of any form are observed. Servo-valve response time and reliability would be maximized operating EHC fluid in this condition.

Figure 2 – Servo Valve Spool with Contamination Deposit

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Servo Valve Spool showing signs of fluid contamination deposition. The contamination responsible for these deposits is not routinely measured and in this example the servo-valve would be at abnormal risk level for failure. The Deposition Tendency test as shown in Figure 1, easily identifies if this contamination is present.
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Donaldson Hy-Pro 6810 Layton Road Anderson IN, 46011 | +1 (317) 849-3535 | info@hyprofiltration.com | All Rights Reserved 2025

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