Filter Tests to Support Gas Turbine Applications

Gas Turbines are in worldwide use as prime movers, facing tremendous ranges of environment and inlet air quality. Inlet air filtration is widely used to extend the life of gas turbines and to maintain their output and heat rate. In designing an air filtration system, pressure drop, serviceability, and dust-holding capacity are almost as important as efficiency. Filter tests performed in the laboratory generally are idealized to a degree, and do not always reflect the service that filters actually experience in the field. Recommendations are made for tests which would address these concerns, particularly for self-cleaning filters, which are of increasing importance in this industry.