Experimental study on the optimal performance of gas turbine (GT) inlet air filtration system for offshore application

Abstract

An experimental study on the optimal gas turbine inlet air filtration system performance for offshore applications is presented. The objective is to conduct a comparative real-time data analysis for an offshore selection of optimal filtration system. Different filtration configurations were set up in a wind tunnel under simulated offshore environmental settings. The considered filter grades (A, B, C, D, E and F) align with the ASHRAE filter class (F7, H12, E11, E10, G5 and F9). Offshore contaminants weighing 1000 g, ranging between 0.05 and 20 µm, were used based on ASTM standards. The contaminants were loaded between 20 and 100% mass. The results indicate that the accumulated contaminant across the filter elements at 100% loading for A, B, C, D, and E filters ranged between 205.36 and 318.02 g. Similarly, the pressure differential change across the filters A–B, D–E, B–C, E–F, and filter housing inlet–outlet were estimated at 19.02 kPa, 16.9 kPa, 2.54 kPa, 2.86 kPa, and 2.25 kPa, respectively, while the particle removal efficiency for A, C and D filters were highest calculated at 53%, 58.22% and 51.69%, respectively. The result proved significant, with an overall improvement in the compressor output at 205 kW for a pressure change of 2.25 kPa at the filter housing outlet used to establish the optimal performance. The filter elements recorded decreased efficiency across the compressor stages due to mass accumulation on the media surface area. The study inferred that a 3-stage filtration with filter combination A–B (F7–H12), D–E (E10–G5), and B–C (H12–E11) is suitable for an inlet filtration system for GTs operating within the studied offshore environment.