Flexible Wire Mesh Screens

Flexible Wire Mesh Screens

In the past, boiler makers installed various types of rigid materials in front of the water seal trough for protection. Over time, these rigid materials would cease to protect the water seal trough due to:

• Thermal Fatigue
• Ash Caking & Corrosion
• Warpage

Warpage, a primary cause of water seal trough protection failure, occurs due to the inability of the rigid material to absorb impact from clinkers and thermal distortion. A secondary pitfall to using rigid materials for water seal trough protection is that they easily become caught and hung up on the refractory walls. This causes damage to the wall as well as the rigid material itself.

Why Should I Use Flexible Wire Mesh?

Easy to Install

Our flexible wire mesh screen panels ship with an attachment bar. In most cases, the panels can be bolted to your existing mounting brackets. In cases where current mounting brackets are not available, I-PIE, Inc. will design and custom fabricate mounting solutions for you and include all attachment hardware. Panels can be tagged prior to shipment for proper placement in the ash hopper.

Reduced Water Seal Trough Inspection/Repair Time, Labor, and Material Costs

Consider the time, labor, and material costs of using the rigid materials to protect your water seal trough. Many companies contract labor and hire experts to inspect and repair their water seal trough systems. Between loss of production, building scaffolding, removing the existing water seal trough protection, inspecting and repairing the seal trough, repairing or replacing the existing water seal through protection, and removing scaffolding, these costs add up to one big headache for maintenance supervisors and the guys counting the beans in the corporate office.

Greater Longevity than Rigid Materials

The central reason for using flexible wire mesh screen panels is that they flex – a simple concept. These screen panels flex on a horizontal plane which allows them to absorb clinker impact without warping the protection barrier, resulting in greater longevity.

Lighter Weight than Castings with Refractory

In many cases, the removal and installation of traditional castings requires two or more workers. Generally speaking (depending on refractory thickness, casting thickness, etc.), castings with refractory tend to have twice the weight of their equivalent in flexible wire mesh screen panels. This causes undue stress on boiler tubes and structures and an increase in labor/maintenance hours.

Reduced Damage to Refractory Lined Walls

Rigid forms of water seal trough protection tend to wear and chip away at the refractory lining of the ash hopper walls. The constant impact and wear effect of these rigid materials on the walls creates erosion problems, which can eventually create problems for the clinker grinders. The flexible wire mesh screen panels give, helping reduce refractory erosion.

The I-PIE, Inc. Solution

I-PIE, Inc. offers 304 SS, 314L SS, 316L SS, 410 SS, 430 SS, Inconel® 601 Alloy, Inconel® 625 Alloy, and Tophet® Alloy 30. Other materials available upon request. Note: Higher sulfur coals typically require lower nickel alloys. Higher ambient temperatures typically require higher nickel alloys. We’re happy to discuss your needs.

Coating Options

For added protection, I-PIE, Inc. offers flame sprayed coatings for increased corrosion resistance in high temperature applications. Contact us for more information.

Download A Wire Mesh Screen Panel RFQ

Download our simple one-page CAD drawing and email or fax to us for a no obligation quote.

Download A Wire Mesh RFQ Here