Advantages, Disadvantages, and Main Application Areas of 

Y-type Strainer, Basket-type Strainer, Cone-type Strainer, and T-type Strainer

1. Brief Description:

1.1 Y-Type Strainer: Extremely low flow resistance, compact structure, and easy maintenance;

1.2 Basket-Type Strainer: Large basket volume, can hold a large amount of impurities, and can be maintained without shutting down the system;

1.3 Cone-Type Strainer: Mostly used for temporary installation, commonly used before project startup, hence also known as a temporary filter;

1.4 T-Type Strainer: Commonly used for coarser filtration, capable of handling higher pressures and flow rates.

2. Advantages, Disadvantages, and Applicable Operating Conditions of Different Types of Strainers:

2.11 Advantages of Y-Type Strainers:

① Small size and flexible installation; can be installed horizontally or vertically, even in narrow pipe locations;

② Simple structure, low cost, easy disassembly and maintenance, and convenient drainage;

③ Moderate flow resistance, low pressure loss for conventional clean media;

④ Wide pressure rating coverage, with corresponding specifications for normal pressure, medium-pressure, and high-pressure operating conditions.

2.12 Disadvantages of Y-Type Strainers:

① Very small impurity capacity of the filter screen, easily clogged, unsuitable for media with high impurity content;

② Poor manufacturing economy for large-diameter specifications; rarely used for sizes above DN200;

③ Filter screen subjected to oblique force; prone to deformation and damage under high pressure and high flow conditions;

④ High maintenance workload under frequent drainage conditions.

2.13 Main Application Areas of Y-Type Strainers:

① Water supply and drainage, HVAC circulating water, gas pipelines, compressed air pipelines;

② Small protective filters before valves and pumps (stop valves, solenoid valves, pre-protection for small water pumps);

③ Clean oil products in petroleum refining, steam pipelines, heat transfer oil pipelines;

④ Clean process media in chemical industry, fire protection pipelines, central air conditioning systems;

⑤ Pipe diameter range: DN15~DN200.

2.21 Advantages of Basket-Type Strainers

① Large filter basket volume, extremely strong dirt-holding capacity, can operate for a long time without cleaning;

② Supports large diameter and high flow conditions (DN25~DN1200 can be manufactured);

③ Can be made with a quick-opening structure, cleaning the filter basket can be completed in minutes by opening the cover, some can be equipped with a bypass to achieve non-stop cleaning;

④ The filter screen is subjected to uniform stress, not easily damaged under high pressure and high flow rate;

⑤ Can be equipped with multi-layer filter screens and magnetic filter screens, suitable for viscous media.

2.22 Disadvantages of Basket Type Strainers

① Large overall size, occupies a lot of space, and cannot be installed in narrow pipe corridors

② Cost is much higher than Y-type filters;

③ Sludge easily accumulates at the bottom when installed vertically, and viscous media tend to accumulate and clump;

④ Uneconomical for small pipe diameters.

2.23 Main Application Areas of Basket Type Strainers

① Chemical raw materials, wastewater treatment, large-diameter circulating water pipelines;

② Crude oil, heavy oil, slurry, and industrial fluids with high impurity content;

③ Power plant circulating water, water treatment systems, and front-end filtration for wastewater treatment pump stations;

④ Coal chemical industry, chemical fiber slurry, coatings, and viscous liquid filtration;

⑤ Main pre-filter for large pump sets and heat exchangers.

2.31 Advantages of Cone Type Strainers

① Extremely simple structure and extremely low cost, basically only a conical filter screen + gasket;

② Easy installation, simply clamped between two flanges;

③ Thin thickness, occupying almost no axial pipe space.

2.32 Disadvantages of Cone Type Strainers

① Only suitable for temporary filtration; extremely small dirt-holding capacity, prone to clogging, and cannot operate continuously for extended periods;

② Lacks a dedicated drainage structure; after clogging, the flange must be disassembled for cleaning;

③ Weak pressure resistance; the filter screen is easily damaged under high-pressure conditions;

④ Can only perform coarse filtration, not fine filtration.

2.33 Main Applications of Cone Type Strainers

① Temporary filtration during pipeline purging, system pressure testing, and plant start-up;

② Protection of pumps, instruments, and valves during the initial commissioning of new plants; removed after operation is complete;

③ Temporary interception of welding slag, sand, and rust during trial operation after clean pipeline maintenance;

④ Rarely used as permanent filtration equipment.

4.41 Advantages of T-Type Strainer

① Straight and smooth flow channel, extremely low fluid resistance, and minimal pressure loss;

② Horizontally arranged filter screen, impurities settle in the lower collection chamber, reducing the risk of filter screen erosion;

③ Can be equipped with a bottom drain port for continuous production without shutting down the system;

④ Better stability under large-diameter, high-pressure conditions than Y-type;

⑤ Good adaptability for horizontal pipeline installation.

2.42 Disadvantages of T-Type Strainer

① More complex structure and higher price than Y-type;

② Larger lateral dimensions, inconvenient for installation in narrow vertical pipelines;

③ Dirt holding capacity is between Y-type and basket strainer, less durable than basket strainer.

2.43 Main Application Areas of T-Type Strainer

① Oil refining, long-distance natural gas pipelines, high-pressure process pipelines;

② Clean fluid transportation in fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and food;

③ High-pressure steam, high-pressure water systems, compressor front-end filtration;

④ Continuous production lines with strict pressure drop requirements and inability to frequently shut down;

⑤ Media sensitive to pressure loss, such as oils and solvents.

3. Selection Recommendations:

3.1 For small-diameter pipes, clean media, and protective valves/pumps, a Y-type Strainer is recommended.

3.2 For small-diameter instrument pressure lines, a Y-type Strainer is recommended.

3.3 For steam systems with small pipe diameters, a Y-type Strainer is recommended.

3.4 For high-flow-rate systems with many impurities and long-term continuous operation, a Basket-type Strainer is recommended.

3.5 For viscous chemical slurries and wastewater, a Basket-type Strainer is recommended.

3.6 For viscous media containing a large number of solid particles, a Basket-type Strainer is recommended.

3.7 For start-up purging, temporary protection, and dismantling after use, a Cone-type Strainer is recommended.

3.8 For pressure testing and purging of newly constructed pipelines, a Cone-type Strainer is recommended.

3.9 For high-pressure pipelines, media sensitive to pressure drop, and where frequent shutdowns are not possible, a T-type Strainer is recommended.

3.10 For large-diameter main steam pipelines, a T-type Strainer is recommended.