QUANTIFYING THE EFFECTS OF SALTAND WATER ON GAS TURBINE INLET FILTRATION

2011 GMRC Gas Machinery Conference – Nashville, Tennessee – October2-5, 2011

ByMelissa Wilcox, Southwest Research Institute®
Nathan Poerner, Southwest Research Institute®
Rainer Kurz, Solar Turbines IncorporatedKlaus Brun, Southwest Research Institute®

ABSTRACT
One factor that contributes to the life of gas turbines is the quality of the air entering theturbine. This
quality is controlled by the gas turbine inlet filtration system, which is anarrangement of various filters selected
for the turbine based on the required inlet air quality andthe environment where the turbine is
operating. Filters are selected based on what type of contaminants they remove (liquid or solid) and their
classification based on standardized testingfor how well they remove the particular contaminants. There
are many variations in the phase,type, and quantity of contaminants that make this task challenging and site
specific. And to addto this difficulty, current test standards for fiber filters only account for the solid
particlefiltration. They do not include considerations for the effects of liquids, which may cause
theperformance of the filter to change; or soluble particles, which can be carried through somefilters by liquid
and then released downstream into the turbine. This is an important topicbecause soluble particles, most
predominately sodium chloride, can lead to fouling and corrosionin the gas turbine. In 2010 GMRC took the
initiative to begin developing a test procedure thatwould quantify the effects of water and salt on the
performance of filters. This paper reviews theprocedure’s development with a discussion of the approach to
testing filters, the results of preliminary validation testing, and the future development of the procedure.

1..INTRODUCTION

Inlet filtration is essential to the successful operation of a gas turbine. The filtration systemprotects the gas turbine
from harmful contaminants from the environment where it operates.There are various different contaminants that can
be present including dust, rain, exhaustemissions, air borne salt, insects, oil vapors, etc. The filters for the
system are chosen based onwhat type of contaminants they must remove and the required filter performance. The
filter’sperformance is primarily defined by the filtration efficiency but other factors such as materialcompatibility, filter life,
and expected pressure loss are considered too.
The filters that are used for gas turbines are currently classified by one of three standards:ASHRAE 52.2 (2007),
EN 779 (2002) or EN 1822 (2009). These test standards challenge thefilters with dry particles in laboratory environments to
estimate the filtration efficiency. Whilethese standards do provide a good baseline comparison of the filter’s dry
performance, they donot consider the effects of some of the common contaminants that are experienced in gas
turbineinlet filtration such as water and salt/water mixtures. A filter’s performance can potentiallydegrade significantly
when it is wet. Also, the interaction of salt and water on the filter can leadto salt leaching through the filter and entering the
gas turbine. The presence of salt in the gasturbine can lead to fouling or corrosion. It is important that the effects of salt and
water on thefilter performance be understood.
The Gas Machinery Research Council took the initiative in 2010 to begin developing a testprocedure with the
objective of quantifying the effects of salt and water on the performance of filters. This paper provides a brief review of
the justification and development of this testprocedure. The information in this paper includes a summary of the current
test standards, areview of how salt and water affect gas turbine inlet filtration, a highlight of the key sections of the test
procedure, a discussion of the validation testing completed thus far, and an outline of thefuture tasks needed to finalize the
procedure.

2.REVIEW OF CURRENT TEST STANDARDS

Filters which are used in gas turbine inlet filtration systems are currently tested against oneof three standards:
ASHRAE 52.2 (2007), EN 779 (2002), or EN 1822 (2009). Filters used inUnited States (US) are classically rated against the
ASHRAE 52.2 standard. European and mostother countries outside of the US utilize the EN standards. For low and
medium efficiencyclassifications the ASHRAE 52.2 or EN 779 standards are used. EN 1822 is used whenclassifying a high
efficiency filter.
Recall that most inlet filtration systems in gas turbines have multiple stages.Figure 2-1shows an example of a
multi-stage filter system. This system first has mist eliminators (toremove large water particles), then a set of pre-filters and
lastly a stage of high efficiency filters.Typical filter classifications for the pre-filter and high efficiency filter stages are listed in
thefigure. Pre-filters fall underneath the ASHRAE 52.2 or EN 779 standards and high efficiencyfilters can fall under all three
test standards discussed. Note that the first stage is not necessarilymist eliminators in a filter system. In actual applications it
could also be weather hoods,coalescers, insect screens, or even a set of coarse filters.

In the succeeding paragraphs, a brief description of each test standard and how thestandard classifies filters
is reviewed. After all the standards have been reviewed, thedeficiencies of the standards in regards to considering the
effects of water and salt are discussed

2.1 ASHRAE 52.2 (2007)

The ASHRAE 52.2 standard was developed around 1990, when it was realized that therewas a need
for particle size efficiency and a test standard for higher efficiency filters. Researchwas funded in order to
develop the procedures outlined in the standard today. This standardaddresses two important characteristics
of filters: the ability of the device to remove solidparticles from the airstream and the resistance of airflow
through the filter. The rating systememployed by this standard is the Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value
(MERV).
The testing in this standard focuses on testing of fine particles. The filtration efficiency isfound for three
different particle size ranges: 0.3 to 1.0 microns, 1.0 to 3.0 microns, and 3.0 to10.0 microns. Tests following the
ASHRAE 52.2 standard are conducted at the specified air flowrate (within 472 to 3000 cfm) and up to a defined
final filter pressure loss. If these values are notspecified for the test filter, then the test is conducted at a face
velocity of 492 fpm (2.5 m/s) andwith a specified final filter pressure loss of 1.4 inH2O (350 Pa). The efficiency
of the filter ismeasured with a Potassium Chloride (KCl) test aerosol.
 The filter pressure loss and efficiency is measured on six separate loading intervals. Aloading interval
consists of releasing ASHRAE test dust into the test duct which is captured bythe filter. This loads the filter with
dust which causes a change in the filter efficiency and anincrease in the pressure loss across the filter. Once
the six loading and measurement intervalsare complete the efficiency for the three particle size ranges
are calculated for each test.