About Wye Strainers
A Wye or “Y” strainer, not to be confused with a basket strainer, is a component in a circulation system that filters out unwanted solids or waste from the flow of the system. Named after the shape of the component, a ‘Y’ shaped tube, wye strainers can be fitted vertically or horizontally, as long as their filter is below the body of the pipe. You can find these components in use and termed as steam strainers, water strainers, gas strainers and more.
The ‘Y’ section of the component houses a strainer. The strainer, which runs abut of the parallel section of tubing, filters whatever substance flows through the strainer. It does this by allowing only enough space for the water, gas, or steam to pass through the body of the filter and onto the rest of the system, while stopping over-sized or unwanted matter from continuing through the system.
Insulating Wye Strainers
Their strange shape and the need to access and clean the filter means that wye filters are typically left bare in otherwise insulated industrial systems. This can lead to component failure, since the stresses of temperature ranges experienced outside of those felt by the rest of the system can be taxing on the materials the wye strainer is built out of. Additionally, uneven wear due to unequal distribution of heat energy can further damage or stress uninsulated components. Even if component damage is not a primary concern, wye strainers can be a source of energy inefficiency in an otherwise smartly insulated plant. For better efficiency, it’s best to incorporate removable insulation.
