STRAINERS

An industrial Y strainer traps solid particles from the fluid in a removable screen or basket. KTN Valves manufactures industrial Y strainers with flanged or threaded connections, with bodies in stainless steel, carbon steel, PP or PVC, and the screen housed in an inclined branch.

What a Y strainer does

A Y strainer traps sand, weld scale, rust and gasket debris before they reach downstream equipment. The dirt stays inside the basket until cleaning. Against a vertical basket strainer the Y type takes less room and withstands higher pressure; the basket type offers far more screen area on large flow rates.

Strainer types manufactured by KTN

• Flanged strainers, for medium and large bores.
• Threaded strainers in BSP or NPT, for small bores and compact skids.
• Full strainer range, plus special executions to drawing.

Install upstream of pumps, meters and control valves

A strainer sits ahead of the sensitive item, never behind it. On pumps it goes on the suction side, so particles never reach the impeller or the mechanical seal. On flow meters and control valves the exposure is higher: one particle between plug and seat leaves the valve unable to shut off.

Screen opening, mesh and pressure drop

Screen opening decides what the strainer catches and what it costs in pressure: the finer the opening, the higher the pressure drop. Standard design practice sets free screen area at 2 to 3 times the pipe cross-section. Mesh counts wires per linear inch while microns measure the real opening, so conversion depends on wire diameter: with ASTM E11 sieve wire, 40 mesh is 425 µm, 100 mesh is 150 µm and 200 mesh is 75 µm. Order in microns and check the millimetres to microns equivalence table.

Mounting position and flow direction

On horizontal pipe the strainer is fitted with the screen pointing downwards, so debris settles inside instead of returning to the line when the pump stops. On vertical pipe it only works with downward flow. On horizontal steam lines the screen is rotated sideways: pointing down it collects condensate and invites water hammer.

Materials, connections and standards

KTN builds bodies in AISI 316 stainless steel for treated water, chemical and food duty; in carbon steel for water, steam and oil; and in PP or PVC for chemical dosing, with indicative limits of 60 °C for PVC and 80 °C for PP. Connections follow DIN EN 1092-1 and ANSI B16.5 class 150 flanges, BSP threads to ISO 228 and NPT to ASME B1.20.1. Check bores in the DN to inches conversion table.

Maintenance and blowdown

The bottom plug is a blowdown point. Replacing it with a small ball valve lets the operator flush accumulated solids without opening the cover or stopping the line. With a gauge upstream and another downstream, the rule is to clean when pressure drop reaches twice the clean-screen value.

How to select an industrial strainer

• Protected equipment: pump, flow meter or control valve.
• Connection: DIN or ANSI flange, or BSP or NPT thread.
• Body material: matched to media and temperature, 316 stainless to PP.
• Screen opening: the coarsest that protects the equipment, in microns.
• Pressure and temperature: line rating and continuous service.
• Maintenance: clearance to withdraw the screen and a blowdown valve.

Applications and industries

KTN Y strainers work in water treatment and desalination, petrochemical plants, steam and thermal oil circuits, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, pulp and paper, mining, marine and HVAC. Replacing a screen costs a fraction of repairing a pump impeller or a control valve seat.

Buying strainers direct from the manufacturer

KTN sells direct from its own factory: price at source, stock of common materials and sizes for immediate despatch, and special executions to drawing, including the screen opening the process needs. Every order carries a certificate of origin, and a 3.1 material certificate on request. Send DN, connection, media, temperature and screen opening.

Why KTN

KTN Valves (Kara Technology News, S.L.) manufactures in Rubí, Barcelona, under an ISO 9001 quality system with Bureau Veritas inspection. Sourcing the strainer from the same European manufacturer that supplies the valve it protects removes the split-supply problem: flanges that do not match, materials without certificates and nobody answering when flow stops.

Related categories

Strainers work alongside ball valves, check valves and control valves. Complete the line with expansion joints, sight glasses and the rest of the industrial accessories, within the industrial valves range.

Frequently asked questions

What screen opening do I need to protect a pump?

On clean water a coarse screen around 1 to 1.5 mm is enough, since the target is stones, weld scale and gasket debris. Flow meters and control valves need finer openings, typically 200 to 500 µm. State the protected equipment and KTN will propose the opening.

Should I order in mesh or in microns?

Order in microns or millimetres, which state the real opening. Mesh only counts wires per inch and its equivalent changes with wire diameter. As a reference with standard wire, 40 mesh is 425 µm and 100 mesh is 150 µm. The KTN conversion table lists the common equivalents.

Can a Y strainer be installed on a vertical pipe?

Yes, provided flow runs downwards. With upward flow the trapped debris falls back into the line every time the pump stops. On horizontal runs the screen points down, except on steam, where it is rotated sideways so that condensate cannot collect inside the pocket.

How often should the strainer be cleaned?

It depends on solids load, not on the calendar. The operating reference is pressure drop: clean when it reaches twice the value measured with a clean screen. Fitting a gauge upstream and downstream turns that decision into a reading instead of an operator’s guess.

Y strainer or basket strainer?

The Y type is smaller, cheaper and rated for higher pressure, and is the standard choice up to medium bores. The basket type offers much greater screen area and easier cleaning, which pays off on high flow rates with heavy solids loading, where a Y strainer would blind too quickly.

Request a quotation

Send DN, connection type, media, temperature and screen opening in microns and KTN will propose the strainer and the body material. Request a quotation or call +34 937 818 219.