The optimized planar multilayer configuration achieved filtration efficiency above 99.99% while maintaining pressure loss below the 250 Pa design target. The calculated most penetrating particle size was approximately 274.1 nm, compared with an experimental value near 279 nm. Subsequent pleated-filter simulations demonstrated that increasing filtration area alone does not guarantee improved performance because pleat-channel resistance and flow maldistribution affect effective media utilization. Optimization identified a practical design region with pleat width of approximately 5 mm or greater and pleat height not exceeding approximately 80 mm. For cylindrical elements, increasing outer diameter improved the uniformity of velocity and filtration-efficiency distributions and reduced hydraulic resistance. For a 500 mm-high element, an outer diameter of approximately 180 mm provided the preferred overall performance, with little additional improvement obtained at larger diameters.

The results demonstrate that nuclear-grade metal-fiber filters should be optimized across the media, pleat, and full-element scales rather than by filtration-medium properties alone. The proposed framework provides quantitative engineering guidance for developing compact, high-efficiency, low-resistance metal-fiber filtration components for nuclear aerosol-control applications.