The Ultimate Guide to the Y-Strainer Valve

Y Type Strainer valves are named because of their shape and are commonly used for coarse filtration or pre-filtration. But as it has a wide filtration area, it can also be used with fine mesh. The Strainer valve increases the clearance of the medium and extends the life of the valves; protects costly pumps, meters, and other mechanical devices. It is ideal for water, air, coal, petroleum, steam, and other liquids.

Y Strainer valve can be installed in either of vertical or horizontal direction with the filtration element pointing downwards which provides the material to be collected at the lowermost point of the strainer valve mesh. It also comes with a blow-off connection for automatic cleaning.

Y Strainers can be used in either a horizontal or vertical position while most basket strainers are designed for horizontal or slightly inclined piping applications. You must pay attention to the orientation of the chamber which collects debris and the drain (blow-down) connection of the Y Strainer. The strainer must be installed so that it is in the lowest possible position.

Y strainer installation orientation

A Y Strainer installed in vertical piping must be installed so that its screen is in the downward position so that it can trap sediment in the debris collection chamber.

A simplex strainer (just a single strainer as opposed to a duplex strainer) is generally used where the process can be shut down for a period of time to replace or clean the strainer.

Y Strainers and many basket strainers can be self-cleaning. If you add a blow-down valve the strainer can be flushed without stopping the flow through or disassembling the piping.

How does the Y-strainer valve work?

The Y-strainer valve is a special design. One end is to pass liquids such as water, and one end is to deposit waste and impurities. The water to be treated by the filter enters the body from the water inlet, and impurities in the water are deposited on the stainless steel screen, thereby generating a pressure difference.

The pressure switch monitors the pressure difference between the water inlet and the outlet. When the pressure reaches the set value, the electric controller feeds the water control valve and drives the motor signal to trigger the following actions: the motor drives the brush to rotate, cleans the filter element, and simultaneously controls the valve to open.

For drainage, the entire cleaning process only takes tens of seconds. When the cleaning is completed, the control valve is closed, the motor stops rotating, the system returns to its initial state, and the next filtration process begins. After the equipment is installed, it is debugged by a technician to set the filtration time and cleaning conversion time. The water to be treated enters the body from the water inlet, and the filter starts to work normally.

Feature and benefits of Y-type strainer valve

Y-type pipe strainer valve has many advantages over other types of strainer valves which makes these devices durable and economic for business owners, some of the benefits of Y-Strainer valves are:

• Y-Strainer valves can be installed in both Horizontal and Vertical orientations which makes the installation more versatile and easier.

• As the Y-Strainer valve is compact it is comparatively cheaper.

• Y-Strainer valves can withstand more pressure than other types of strainer valves.

Application of Y-strainer valve

The industries in which y strainer valves are best used are those in need of continuous protection against debris. The most popular use for y strainer valves is in steam applications. Owing to its design, the Y-Type strainer valve has no difficulties handling the high pressure applied to steam.

Y strainer valves are also used for liquid applications. Sand and gravel are two very common forms of debris that pose a significant challenge to liquid applications. When combined with applications for water handling, y strainer valves are used to secure devices that may otherwise be affected or clogged by different unwanted particles.

Y-Strainer valve is considered the standard for steam systems and is commonly used for these systems, but it can be used for other fluids also. Its lightweight, cylindrical shape is very effective and can withstand high pressures. Y-Strainer valves that withstand pressures up to 6000 psi are widely used. And in these situations, the design of the strainer valve is important so that it can handle these high pressures without failing. The temperature is another element to be noticed under such high pressure. Standard carbon steel is not ideal for steam pressures of 1500 psi or higher, since the steam temperature is 1000°F or higher. In such instances, the Y-Strainer valve body is typically made of chrome-moly alloy.

Y-Strainer valves are also used in applications including air and natural gas in addition to steam. Again, high pressures are normal. However, high air pressure does not always mean high temperatures, and ordinary carbon steel bodies with adequate wall thickness can be used.

How do you clean a Y-strainer valve?

Always depressurize the pipeline where the strainer valve is fitted before cleaning a Y-Strainer valve. The Y-strainer valve mesh can be washed by extracting the plugin the bushing, the cap, and the bolt cover, enabling the strainer valve to clear the loose dirty material within the screen.  When the blow-off valve is attached to the strainer valve, it can be opened to obtain the same effect as the above. You may also clean the Y-strainer valve mesh by removing the cock, cap, or cover for accessing the filter object.

Care should be taken while washing the screen. After extracting the filter screen, it should be immersed in a cleaning solvent or washed using a brush. Do not make stuck materials harden on the filter screen, as it would be difficult to clean afterward. A routine cleaning plan is recommended to avoid clogging of screens.

The pressure gauge is recommended to be installed before and after the strainer valve which will indicate a loss of pressure due to clogging. This can help to set up a maintenance schedule for cleaning the filter screen. Extra filtering screens can be helpful to keep the system in operation during the cleaning process.

Summary

Y-Strainer valves are tools for the mechanical separation of unnecessary solids from liquid, gas, or steam lines by use of a perforated or wire mesh strainer valve. They are used in pipelines to secure pumps, meters, control valves, steam traps, regulators, and other process machinery. Yuanda Valve is a professional Y strainer valve manufacturer, please feel free to contact us if you have any question.