What is a Conical Strainer?
The Conical Strainer is a simple type of strainer predominantly used for commissioning activities that is housed within the client pipe-spool, with the strainer ‘ring’ mounting between the adjacent spool flanges. There are two main types available, the ‘Witch-Hat’ has a cone terminating in a pointed end or a ‘Top-Hat’ which has a truncated cone terminating in a flat end.
The Barton Firtop Conical Strainer
Using FEA and CFD to design our strainers, we cater for client specified Minimum Safe Working Differential Pressures (MSWDP) with a minimum of 1.0 bar MSWDP (up to 24” NB). A conical strainer should be installed with the ‘pointed end’ flow-facing to avoid excessive turbulence which can be caused by vortexes that occur when the flow runs in the opposing direction. We don’t highly recommend conical strainers, as they are costly to maintain when the entire pipe spool requires dismantling for cleaning access. For commissioning applications, operators prefer T-Type or Y-Type strainers that ‘payback’ during the commissioning cycle, due to the single flange screen access making cleaning quicker and easier. If a Conical strainer is mandatory, we recommend the ‘Witch-Hat” type is deployed.
Size / Rating / Materials
- 2” (DN50mm) to 72” (DN1800mm)
- ANSI/ASME Class 150# up to 2500#
- Materials from Stock: Stainless Steel 316/316L, Duplex & Super Duplex Stainless Steel, Alloys 625
- Materials on request: Exotics (6Mo, Alloy 400, CuNi 90/10 & 70/30, Alloy 825, Alloy C22/C276, Titanium etc.)
Click link for full materials list
Conical Strainer Pro’s & Con’s
| Pro’s (for) | Con’s (against) |
|---|
| Horizontal & vertical installation | Low dirt holding (pressure loss climbs quickly) |
| Cheap – housed in client pipe-spool | Break-out complete pipe-spool to clean (costly) |
| Available quickly, even in large sizes | Contaminant not retained in screen |
| Operators prefer T-Type or Y-Type strainers for Commissioning due to single flange access |
| No quick access option |
| Isolate pipeline for cleaning |
| High clean pressure Loss |