Key Factors Affecting Wedge Wire Screen Design in Water Intake Systems

When designing a water intake system, water intake screen is a crucial element to a well-designed system. The working condition of the entire water intake system depends on the functionality of the water intake screen. If the water intake screen is properly designed, it will establish an effective system that will reduce the maintenance costs over the lifespan of the system. Key factors for a properly designed water intake system are:

• Meets the requirements of the operating environment;
• Improves the operational efficiency;
• Minimizes the head loss in the water intake system;
• Protect aquatic life

Fortunately, wedge wire screen can effectively meet all these requirements for water intake screen if properly designed. With years of design experience, we can design wedge wire screens perfectly meet your water intake demands. Here we would like to share what we have learned from successful designs.

Wedge wire screen

Wedge wire screen for water intake

There are some basic recommendations you need to consider in design.

• Early communication
  In the design phase, you can contact and communicate with us as early as possible to prevent some common problems that may appear later. We will learn from previous experience to assure that you choose the correct intake design, size and performance parameters, and identify if there are any special requirements for wedge wire screens. In short, reviewing these design requirements with us as early as possible can eliminate the expensive costs caused by installing an improper designed wedge wire screen.
• Understand the type of water intakes
  There are several different types of water intake screens on the market. Knowing the types of screens and their advantages can help you design the most efficient system for your application. The three most common water intake screens are listed below:
  • Drum screen
    Drum screens are used in quiet waters where the water flow passing through the screen is minimal. This will include lakes and reservoirs with stable water conditions and low flow rates. Drum screens are also ideal for space limited conditions. The screens can be installed vertically or horizontally to prevent debris from accumulating on the screen surface. Drum screen is also the most economical form of water intakes.
    

    Wedge wire drum screen

    

    Wedge wire drum screen in water intake

  • T-intake screen
    The most common installation is a T-intake screen. They are usually designed for cooling plants, pulp and paper mills, and other industrial facilities that need to take large amounts of water from lakes, rivers or oceans. T-intake screen is designed to withstand various water conditions including the harshest environments. We offer flexibility in the design of the T-intake screen to accommodate special conditions where the device will be installed. For example, this water intake screen can be designed with a conical end to deflect debris that flows towards it.
    

    Wedge wire T-intake screen

    

    Wedge wire T-intake screen in water intake

  • Half-barrel screen
    The half-barrel filter is designed for shallow water conditions. It provides the same screen flow characteristics as a larger T-intake screen. However, its half size allows it to be placed at the bottom of streams and rivers where T-type intakes do not work properly.
    

    Wedge wire half-barrel screen

    

    Wedge wire half-barrel screen in workshop

• Water depth
  The depth of water at the desired location where the water intake screen is installed is one of the main factors to be considered when properly sizing a water intake screen. The diameter of T-intake screen and drum screen shall be 2 times of the minimum water depth. The half-barrel screen only requires a submergence level of six inches. When designing the water intake, the maximum submergence level needs to be considered to adapt to the water pressure at the installation site. Finally, if the water depth at the intake location varies, multilevel intake is an ideal option for flexibility.
• Material type
  There are four basic water conditions that determine the material for an intake screen.

  Material type

  Water Conditions	Materials Recommended
  Fresh water without biological pollution issues	SS 304 is the most economical material used in fresh water conditions.
  Brackish water	SS 316 is recommended to improve corrosion resistance.
  Fresh water with biological pollution concerns	SS 2205 offers excellent resistance to biological pollution in fresh water.
  Salt water	SS 2507 not only provides great corrosion resistance in salt water, but also prevents biological pollution.

• Capacity
  When you need us design a water intake screen, we will ask you two very important questions that will contribute to the successful operation of the system:
  1. Question 1: How much intake capacity do you need?
     This is the minimum capacity needs to be designed to meet the current water demands
  2. Question 2: Are there future expansion plans that require additional capacity?
     If water consumption needs to be increased, you may consider it in the current design so that the intake screen can handle additional capacity when needed.
  3. Understanding and following these helpful guidelines will provide a good starting point for developing an efficient intake screen and increasing the reliability of the intake screen.