Industrial Strainer
This article will inform you about industrial strainers. Strainers are used in the industrial, commercial, and residential industries. Dannenbaum LLC specializes in strainers for oil and gas, onshore, offshore, power, space, petrochemical, and LNG. We can provide industrial strainers in almost any material. An industrial strainer removes noticeable material from fluids, gas, steam, or other vapors.
An industrial strainer also known as a pipe strainer, is usually a necessary part of the pipeline system. Industrial strainers usually consist of a main body, an internal screen basket, and a blow-off valve. The screen area can be called the perforation or mesh area.
During the start-up of a plant, construction materials such as nails welding slag, dirt, tools, and even snakes can get caught in the piping system. These elements could damage pumps, compressors, and other critical equipment in the system.
Pipe strainers not only help remove items in a flow-through piping system. You can use the pipeline strainer to catch rust, leaves, and other organic material.
People often confuse a strainer with a filter, as a rule of thumb a strainer removes particles that can be seen with the naked eye. Furthermore unlike a filter, which can block out small unwanted particles, the industrial strainer protects equipment from larger solid objects.
Filters consist fiberglass, polyester, and cotton. Industrial strainers consist of metals usually carbon steel. However, bronze, copper, stainless steel, and exotic materials are commonly used.
Industrial strainers help LNG plants, power plants, refineries, factories, and mills. In addition, they can be found in homes, offices, and industrial buildings.
For instance, pipe strainers and commercial strainers can help remove scale, rust, jointing compound, and loose metal in pipelines. Also, pipeline strainers protect the system’s burners, valves, pumps, bearings, condensers, and nozzles.
Moreover, an industrial strainer will occasionally use a filter to help remove smaller particles. Accordingly, Dannenbaum LLC provides different types of pipeline strainers. For example, Y (Wye) Strainers, T (Tee Strainers), Temporary Strainers, Fabricated Duplex Strainers, Basket Strainers, and Automatic Self-Cleaning Strainers. Furthermore, it can offer any material of an industrial strainer. Additionally, most pipe strainers consist of cast steel, cast iron, stainless steel, and carbon steel.
Selecting Pipe Strainers and Commercial Strainers
As we mentioned before, people sometimes confuse industrial filters with pipe strainers because they remove particles from the system. As a rule of thumb, filters remove smaller particles. In addition, a micron is a unit of measurement equivalent to one one-thousandth of a millimeter.
Furthermore, steel strainers help remove items that you can see. However, filters remove things that you cannot see. Therefore, be sure to select the correct product before ordering.
Sometimes you can translate the word filter to a different language to define a pipeline strainer. For example, while both are strainers, they filter; however, pipeline strainers cannot catch small microns, and filters can clog with large debris. Furthermore, many factors come into play when selecting the correct pipeline strainers or filters to use.
The first is to determine an industrial strainer’s material/particle characteristics. Next is to determine the flow rate required. Finally, knowing the pressure drop is critical. The operating cost and expense of a failed system can be astronomical. Also, know if toxic material is flowing through the pipe strainer. Usually, the best material is probably stainless steel.
A nominally 7 feet per second velocity generally produces a reasonable pressure drop for simplex or duplex strainers for water service. However, lower velocities may require service due to the higher viscosity of the material. Usually, pressure drops for service are desired within the one to two PSIG range.
Piping Strainers
Velocity may range from 3 ft./sec. Downward to less than one ft./sec.
Maximum Allowable Working Pressure – The flange rating should not be relied upon to indicate maximum or design is working pressure.
Specifications frequently do not indicate a working pressure but only a flange connection rating, such as a strainer with 8” 150 LB ASME flanges. This flange rating does not indicate maximum working pressure since the ASME standards permit higher working pressures.
For example, an 8” 150 LB ASME flange can operate at a pressure of 275 PSIG at -20 to 100 F. Design pressures of strainers do not conform to ASME flange ratings of pressure or temperature.
Typically, a strainer with 8” 150 LB flanges will be designed for 150 PSIG MAWP. The correct industrial strainer can be selected by specifying the same operating pressure and temperature. In addition, perforation, slot, or mesh size – you should choose basket openings based on the equipment to be protected.
Applications should not be filtered finer than required since frequent and unnecessary cleaning will result. Wedge wire slotted baskets offer a better open area and more excellent resistance to collapse than equivalent perforated plate or mesh-lined baskets.
They are also easier to clean and have better backwashing capabilities.
Open Area Ratio – Open area ratio is the yardstick for determining the length of time a strainer will operate without cleaning or suffering pressure loss.
This ratio is the relationship between the internal cross-sectional area of the inlet pipe and the total open area of the openings in the basket. For example, a 1:1 ratio would give an unrestricted flow while clean, but you would inhibit the flow as clogging occurs. On the other hand, a 2:1 ratio would still provide full flow, even after the screen was 50% clogged.
We recommend the 4:1 ratio. However, you should note that automatic self-cleaning strainers will operate quite well with smaller ratios as the automatic cleaning will always keep 100% flow area open. So, again, wedge wire baskets are preferred since they offer a greater open area.
Viscosity – Viscosity is the measure of resistance to flow measured in centipoise. Oils, tar, etc., do not readily flow and are called viscous fluids.
Dirt Loading – The percent by weight of particulate contaminant in the liquid stream to be filtered, or the particulate matter, in slurry form, from which the moisture is removed.
Flow Rate – The volume of liquid, measured in gallons per minute (GPM), to be filtered.
Particle Size – The mean diameter of the smallest particles to be removed is measured in microns or standard US mesh sizes.
Service Temperature – This should include both the service and design temperatures.
Life Cycle Cost – The capital and operating costs spread over the expected life of the unit.
One may lean towards buying a strainer because of its low initial cost. However, other features such as basket cleaning and replacement and associated labor, disposal, and production downtime costs will need to be considered and impact the final selection.
Limited Downtime – Certain industrial processes, by their nature, require significantly more downtime in their operation, while others have been designed to minimize downtime.
Material Selection – Materials of construction vary according to application. The most cost-effective materials are carbon steel and gray iron.
In addition, engineered coatings are available to protect metals from corrosion process fluids and gases.
Basket Selection – Industrial strainer baskets, also known as the strainer or filter element, are critical components in piping strainers.
We frequently work with the following time-tested component materials:
Perforated Plate – Perforated plate is the most used media for basket type strainers and is available in perforation sizes 1/32″ to 1/2″ diameter depending on the degree of straining required and size and type of basket. Perforations are typically made on a staggered pattern for maximum open area and strength.
Pipe Strainers
The choice of the proper pipeline strainer calls for a knowledge of the machinery and system you are trying to protect. For example, what kinds of contaminants need to be retained? What size is the debris?
Stainless steel strainers are a type of industrial strainer that can catch particles from as big as .500 inches right down to (forty-four microns).
Typically, we see a selection from .250 inches to two hundred mesh (seventy-four microns). If you add a mesh or screen to the pipe strainer basket, you can catch smaller debris. For example, a human hair is about 70 microns.
Industrial strainers need to block all debris and matter from downstream equipment. Pipe Strainers can also be an additional motive to help operational and startup issues because of untimely fouling of the straining medium.
This can unnecessarily grow the frequency of cleansing and motive float obstruction to the downstream pump or other equipment. A pipeline strainer engineer should outline the complete system and determine what potential issues could be caused by ineffective strainers or the effect of particles in the pipeline strainers.
Pipeline Strainers
Dannenbaum LLC supplies a variety of stainless-steel strainers for industrial use. For example, we provide basket strainers, y strainers, wye strainers, t strainers, tee strainers, temporary strainers, automatic self-cleaning strainers, and duplex strainers.
Strainers for industrial use have many advantages.
First, stainless steel strainers may be required for a corrosive media or the tensile characteristics of the stainless-steel strainer. Secondly, stainless steel strainers for industrial use have low friction. Furthermore, stainless can be polished, presenting exceptionally low surface roughness.
Thus, it helps prevent material from building up and creating a home for microbes and slowing flow. Also, stainless steel strainers are easy to clean. Therefore, protecting against bacteria. Also, stainless steel is less corrosive, which makes them last longer.
Stainless Steel Strainers
Stainless steel industrial strainers are often in the food industry. As a result, they may have to be oxygen cleaned. In addition, pipe Strainers are often used in power plants, refineries, petrochemical, chemical, marine, etc.
While filters often need replacement. In contrast, strainers last a lot longer.
The stainless-steel strainer should last 20 years. However, staff should put on the cleaning of the internal basket a regular maintenance program. We can provide a strainer in almost any material and any size. In addition, stainless steel is becoming more affordable. Dannenbaum LLC can help you with any questions.
What is a Strainer?
A strainer is a device for separating wanted elements from unwanted material or characterizing the particle size distribution of a sample, using a screen such as a woven mesh or net or perforated sheet material.
What are the types of Strainers?
There are a few types of strainers used for oil and gas filtration. They are Temporary Strainers, Y Strainers, T Strainers, Basket Strainers, Automatic Self Cleaning Strainers. Every strainer has its advantages and disadvantages.
In Summary
The pipe strainer consists of many materials, including stainless steel. The benefits of a clean pipeline are invaluable, but with the selection available at any number of industrial strainers suppliers, there is little need to gamble.
Before you select the right one for your application, make sure you know what fluid you are working with at what temperature and pressure (or vacuum) and the material and thickness of the pipe you are using.
In terms of styles, there are different types of industrial strainer units. Y and conical pipeline strainers are designed with flanged and socket weld end connections. They consist of forged iron or cast steel of different grades.
A conical strainer is also called a suction strainer because it is usually utilized on the suction side. The tree-type steel strainers have a structural skeleton composed of a round bar and flats that support the wire mesh.
Contact us for an RFQ on strainers.
