Strainers are widely used to remove contaminants and foreign particles from water or other liquids, get rid of the debris that can potentially damage downstream equipment and thus help improves manufacturing efficiency. Given the various types of and materials used for industrial water strainers, it is critical to choose the right one for your application. Here are the four factors that you must consider in sizing and selecting a strainer for you.
Particle characteristics
First and foremost, you have to understand the type and size of the particles to be filtered. This will enable you to choose the correct micron size for the strainer. For instance, when you are filtering surface water most likely it contains large organic debris such as leaves or algae. But this is different when you are straining well water that has inorganic matter such as sand. In this case, you will need a smaller screen to separate the sand and other particles which can pass through larger mesh of industrial water strainers.
Operating flow
Knowing the maximum flow rate will help you decide on the size of strainer you need. A 100 gpm can be typically accommodated by a 2 inches filter, but not a 150 gpm. You will require one size larger for this flow rate. In cases where backwashing or automatic, self-cleaning strainers are used, the minimum flow rate will also be considered.
Pressure drop
It refers to the decrease in liquid pressure across a pipeline component such strainers. There are several factors that affect pressure drop including the filter or strainer media, flow rate, contaminants or debris present, and the viscosity. When the strainer becomes full, the pressure drop increases because the filtered particles reduces the strainer’s surface area. Once a pressure drop is too high, the desired flow will be compromised and industrial water strainers will get clogged. Thus, it is important to know the right amount of pressure drop to begin with to prevent any issues during the process.
Operating costs
When selecting between an automatic and manual strainer system or just the strainer itself, you have to also consider some criteria related to costs. These include the costs for labor, downtime for strainer replacement, maintenance labor for cleaning a strainer, and waste disposal. Typically, automatic strainers require higher initial investment than manual industrial water strainers.
No matter how unique are your requirements, experts here at Islip Flow Controls can help you get the best solution for your application. Being the industry leading manufacturer of industrial water strainers and for other process media, our expertise can provide you the most suitable strainer for your business.