Influence of Screen Size and Housing Expansion Angle on the Anticlogging Performance of Y-Type Screen Filters

Abstract This study combined computational fluid dynamics–discrete element method (CFD–DEM) coupled fluid-solid numerical simulations and physical experiments to conduct an in-depth study on the clogging mechanism of Y-type screen filters affected by screen sizes (150, 180, and 250 μm) and housing expansion angles (0°, 30°, and 45°). The integrated methodology correlated microscopic fluid–particle interactions with macroscopic filtration behavior. Numerical simulations showed that larger screen sizes and angled cylinder structures improve flow field uniformity: the 250-μm screen reduced the maximum pore velocity by 1.83 m / s and particle aggregation ( S r ) by 25.86%, and the 45° housing expansion angle eliminated high-velocity flow zones and lowered the particle retention rate by 36.49% relative to the 0° configuration. Turbid-water experiments ( V 50 = 200 μ m ) revealed a three-stage decline in flow velocity (rapid → moderate → dynamic equilibrium). Within the experimental range of this study, the 250-μm screen showed superior flow retention performance relative to the 150-μm screen, and the 45° housing expansion angle performed better than the 0° housing angle. Under the condition of the fixed 250-μm screen, the 45° housing yielded a final flow velocity retention rate 9.08%–71.21% higher than the 0° housing configuration. These findings demonstrate that optimizing screen sizes and housing expansion angles can markedly enhance the anticlogging performance without additional components, providing practical technical guidance for the design and optimization of Y-type screen filters in microirrigation systems.