Centre-flow (centerflow) band screens — water enters the centre of the screen loop and exits outward through both faces, eliminating debris carryover for heavy-debris and membrane-protected intakes.
Intake Screening for Water & Desalination Plants
In a centre-flow screen the raw water enters axially into the centre of the ascending and descending band and passes outward (inside-to-out) through both screen faces. Debris is captured on the inside of the baskets and lifted clear of the flow — so it can never be carried over to the clean side. Because both faces screen, capacity per channel width is roughly doubled.
Centre-flow screens were developed in the mid-twentieth century specifically to overcome the carryover weakness of through-flow screens. By reversing the geometry so debris is trapped on the inside of the band, designers eliminated the single biggest reliability problem of intake screening — making centre-flow the preferred choice wherever carryover cannot be tolerated, such as ahead of SWRO membranes.
Configurations in service
Flow enters the centre and exits both faces outward; debris held inside.
Internal spray removes debris from the inner basket face into a central trough.
Both ascending and descending faces are active, doubling screen area.
Low-velocity, low-pressure return handling for entrained organisms.
An honest engineering assessment
Typical applications
Centre-flow band screens are the choice for high-debris coastal and estuarine intakes, large cooling-water systems, and seawater desalination (SWRO) pre-screening where carryover to the clean side is unacceptable.
The full intake-screen series
A companion intake-screen type — design, history and trade-offs.
Read MoreA companion intake-screen type — design, history and trade-offs.
Read MoreA companion intake-screen type — design, history and trade-offs.
Read MoreA companion intake-screen type — design, history and trade-offs.
Read MoreA companion intake-screen type — design, history and trade-offs.
Read MoreA companion intake-screen type — design, history and trade-offs.
Read MoreA companion intake-screen type — design, history and trade-offs.
Read MoreA companion intake-screen type — design, history and trade-offs.
Read MoreA companion intake-screen type — design, history and trade-offs.
Read MoreThe screening stage of the seawater intake series.
Read MoreIntake design integrated with SWRO pre-treatment.
Read MoreThe full seawater intake hub — structures, fouling, materials.
Read MoreBar, band and drum screens across our range.
Read MoreOur engineers select and size intake screening — centre-flow band and the full train — matched to your debris load, fish-protection duty and downstream process.
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