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Temporary strainers are intended for short periods of application, such as being fitted during the run-in period of a new system, or when restarting a pipeline system after shut-down and maintenance. They are intended to remove coarse debris particles present in the system. After a suitable period of use, they are removed (and can be cleaned and stored for future use).

Strainers of this type are normally designed with standard flange faces so that they can be fitted at a suitable flange joint in the pipeline. When removed they can be replaced by a spacer washer. These filters may take the form of a flat disc or a conical basket – some types of strainer basket are shown in Figure 3.1 . Flat disc strainers are normally perforated plates, while basket strainers may be of perforated plate or supported wire mesh. Basket strainers can have a higher dirt capacity

normally have a lower pressure drop, and can provide finer filtering (typically down
to 150 um).

Where fitting such strainers is difficult or impractical on a particular system, other types of temporary strainers are available to match a blind T-junction fitting, into which they can readily be fitted and removed. These strainers are often of a
trough shape, and have become referred to as ‘ bathtub ’ strainers.