Passive Intake

Many years after inventing Vee-Wire®, we at Johnson Screens leveraged this technology to introduce a new innovation in 1968: our passive intake screen. 50+ years and over 4,000 installations later, we continue to lead the way in static intake screening equipment.

Johnson Screens passive intake screens provide uninterrupted water withdrawal from rivers, lakes, and oceans. Initially, our High-Capacity intake model set the industry standard when it came to efficiency. The combination of our non-plugging Vee-Wire® design and our patented internal flow modifiers provided a high open area while maintaining the lowest entrance velocity and pressure drop on the market. Additionally, our passive intake screens have no submerged moving parts that could break down or wear out and incorporate the use of the Hydroburst air backwash cleaning system, guaranteeing minimal maintenance.

When the industry demanded a shallow water screen, we developed our Half-Screen model to function identically to the High Capacity screen but with half of the required water depth. Most recently in 2018, we improved upon our existing models to design the Max-Flow™ intake system. With 40% greater flow capacity than previous models and a newly redesigned internal modifier, the Max-Flow™ is the culmination of over a half century of passive intake expertise.

Available in a variety of materials including stainless steel, super duplex, and NSF-certified Z-Alloy, every system is fully compliant with Section 316(b) of the Clean Water Act, and is a proven fish-safe intake solution that reduces impingement while protecting aquatic life. Fit for use in power plants, desalination processing, cooling stations, and so much more, Johnson Screens passive intake systems are the clear choice across industries.