How the Coandă Effect Works in Intake Screens?

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How the Coandă Effect Works in Intake Screens?

Water intake systems are essential in hydropower, irrigation, municipal water supply, and industrial processes. Their role is to allow water to enter a system while preventing debris, sediment, and aquatic life from reaching downstream equipment.
Many traditional intake screens rely on mechanical systems such as drum or traveling screens. These solutions often require external power, regular maintenance, and complex cleaning systems. In remote locations or environmentally sensitive projects, these requirements can increase operating costs and reliability risks.
As a result, engineers increasingly select passive intake screening technologies that use hydraulic behavior instead of moving parts. One of the most effective and widely applied principles behind these systems is the Coandă effect.

How the Coandă Effect Works in Intake Screens
• Curved Surface and Flow Attachment
A Coandă intake screen uses a curved or inclined profile formed by wedge wire elements. As water flows over the screen, it accelerates and remains attached to the surface, creating a stable and predictable flow layer.
• Slot Openings and Velocity Control
Wedge wire screens use continuous slot openings that are narrow at the surface and wider beneath. This geometry allows water to pass through efficiently while preventing larger particles from entering the intake.
Water velocity through the slots is lower than the surface flow velocity. This velocity difference supports debris rejection and reduces the risk of harm to aquatic life.
• Continuous Separation of Water and Solids
Clean water passes through the slots into the intake chamber. Debris, sediment, and organisms remain in the surface flow and are continuously transported away without mechanical cleaning.