Strainer

What is the function of a Strainer?

Strainers are important components of piping systems to protect equipment from
potential damage due to dirt and other particles that may be carried by the process
fluid.
During system start-up and flushing, Strainers may be placed upstream of pumps to
protect them from construction debris that may have been left in the pipe. The figures
here below depicts typical start-up Strainers. Permanent Strainers may be installed
upstream of control valves, traps, and instrutments to protect them from corrosion
products that may become dislodged and carried throughout the piping system.

Typical Start-Up Strainers

Centrifugal and reciprocating pumps handling material containing solids should have
permanent Strainers provided in the suction lines to the pump or in the vessel from
which the pump takes suction. The free area of such Strainers should be not less than
three times the cross-sectional area of the suction line. The location of permanent
Strainers (as contrasted to the temporary cone type which is installed at a flanged
joint) also merits attention.

Y-Type Strainer
This product is designed for remove foreign matter from pipe lines and provides
protection for pumps, meters, valves, and other similar mechanical equipment, which is
called as Strainer. "Y" Type Strainers are named after their shape and normally used for
course filtration. But with large filtration area can be used with fine mesh also. The
Strainer improves the clearance in the medium, and prolongs the life of valves; protect
expensive pumps, meters and other equipments. It is suitable for water, Air, Gas,
petroleum, steam and other fluids.

A Y-strainer can be installed in either a horizontal or vertical position (Downward flow)

with the screen elementpointing downward. This allows the strainer screen to collect
material in the strainer at the lowest point of the screen.

Typical Y-Type Strainer

Basket Strainer
An official definition adopted by the Fluid Controls Institute is:
"A

closed vessel with cleanable screen element designed to remove

and retain foreign particles down to 0.001 inch diameter from various
flowing fluids."
Note the term "foreign particles". Strainers do not necessarily remove only dirt. They
take out material which is not wanted in the fluid and this can sometime be a valuable
product which may be saved. Basket strainers are designed for installation in horizontal
lines. They are commonly used for liquid service applications.

Typical Basket Strainer

Basket Strainers are generally used where high flow capacity is required. The basket
Strainer is serviced by removing the cover, which yields access to the basket. Basket
Strainers are also available in a duplex style which consists of two parallel basket
Strainers and diverting valves, which permit diversion of the flow through one of the
Strainer elements while the other element is being serviced-an essential feature where
flow cannot be interrupted.

What's the difference between a Filter & a Strainer?

A filter is a device that removes particles from a given liquid or gas. It includes a
disposable medium for removing particles of specified micron sizes.
Simply stated, a Strainer is also a filter; however, it uses a perforated plate or screen
mesh to remove larger particles from a process stream. The major advantage of a
Strainer is that it is reusable. There are three levels of straining a) coarse, b) medium,
and c) fine.

Typical Strainer Opening

Some typical Strainer opening or mesh sizes are provided by the table below for various
equipment. The mesh sizes (or openings) are the usual maximums for normal
operation. These opening sizes vary with the application, but should not exceed the
value recommended for the particular type of equipment. The available pressure
differential usually determines the minimum clear opening for screens.

Mesh to Micron Conversion Chart

U.S. Mesh

Inches

Microns

Milimeters

0.2650

6730

6.730

0.1870

4760

4.760

0.1570

4000

4.000

0.1320

3360

3.360

0.1110

2830

2.830

0.0937

2380

2.380

10

0.0787

2000

2.000

12

0.0661

1680

1.680

14

0.0555

1410

1.410

16

0.0469

1190

1.190

18

0.0394

1000

1.000

20

0.0331

841

0.841

25

0.0280

707

0.707

30

0.0232

595

0.595

35

0.0197

500

0.500

U.S. Mesh

Inches

Microns

Milimeters

40

0.0165

400

0.400

45

0.0138

354

0.354

50

0.0117

297

0.297

60

0.0098

250

0.250

70

0.0083

210

0.210

80

0.0070

177

0.177

100

0.0059

149

0.149

120

0.0049

125

0.125

140

0.0041

105

0.105

170

0.0035

88

0.088

200

0.0029

74

0.074

230

0.0024

63

0.063

270

0.0021

53

0.053

325

0.0017

44

0.044

400

0.0015

37

0.037

U.S. Mesh

Inches

Microns

Milimeters

Strainer Mesh Sizes and Microns

Strainer - What does mesh size mean? Figuring out mesh sizes is simple. All
you do is count the number of openings in one inch of screen (in the United States,
anyway.) The number of openings is the mesh size. So a 4-mesh screen means there
are four little squares across one linear inch of screen. A 100-mesh screen has 100
openings, and so on. As the number describing the mesh size increases, the size of the
particles decreases. Higher numbers equal finer material. Mesh size is not a precise
measurement of particle size.

Strainer - What do the minus (-) and plus (+) plus signs mean when
describing mesh sizes? Here's a simple example of how they work. -200-mesh

would mean that all particles smaller than 200-mesh would pass through. +200 mesh
means that all the particles 200-mesh or larger are retained.

Strainer - How fine do screens get? That depends on the wire thickness. If you
think about it, the finer the weave, the closer the wires get together, eventually leaving
no space between them at all. For this reason, beyond 325-mesh particle size is usually
described in microns.

Strainer - What is a micron? A micron is another measurement of particle size. A

micron is one-millionth of a meter or one twenty-five thousandth of an inch.

Installation
Carefully check all machined surfaces to make sure they are free of defects, and the
inside of the strainer is free of foreign objects. All strainers should be installed with the
arrow on the strainer body pointing in the direction of flow. For installation of threaded
strainers an appropriate sealant should be used on the threads. For the installation of
flanged strainers the flanged bolting should be tightened gradually going back and forth
in a clockwise rotation until all bolts are tight. The system can now be pressurized
gradually while checking for any leakage around all connections. If leakage occurs,
depressurize the system and start the installation procedure over.

Materials voor Strainers

The material for the Strainer body (including bolting) should be equal to the material
specified for the valves in the same service. The screen material generally should be
the same as the valve trim (stainless steel for most services).
Permanent Strainers should have baskets that can be flushed clean during operation or
easily removed for cleaning. If considerable clogging of Strainers is anticipated the
Strainers should be of the self-cleaning or the duplex type to permit continual flow of
clean liquid.