The efficiency of air filters at high relative humidity and exposed with water droplets (Main application field of gas turbines in general and wind turbines in particular)

Project Number 386

Gas turbine filters have the function to remove particles of the air supply of gas turbines. If the specification of the gas turbine is not met due to insufficient separation behavior, long-term damages to the turbine blades and downtime can occur.

Second criterion is the pressure loss Δp, which cause the filter in the unload and load state. The lower the pressure loss, the greater the energy efficiency of the gas turbine.

The classification of the filter is based on current industry guidelines and standards intended to demonstrate the suitability, but not currently take into account the influence of high relative humidity or water droplets in the intake volume. Furthermore, the influence of salt particles in higher concentrations or dissolved in water droplets for example in offshore or near offshore installations are not included in the current test procedure.

Aim of the research project is the development of an appropriate and standardised test procedure with regard to such operational influence factors. With this test procedure the existing gaps in the standardization can be closed. This will also be a basis to create strategies for the development of media and filters.

The research project will be carried out by the University Duisburg-Essen/Germany, Institute for Combustion and Gasdynamics, chair of Nanoparticle Process Technology and the Institute for Energy- and Environmental Technology e.V., Duisburg/Germany. The project is supported by the VGB-Working Panel “Chemistry of FGC plants” and the VGB-European Working Group “Windenergy“.

The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics via the AiF (funding no. 18292 N).