The truth is, AAF leads the industry
in gas turbine (H)EPA filtration.
Clearing the air regarding gas turbine filtration’s biggest myths
AAF brings more than 90 years of experience to every installation and every solution. With over
50,000 (H)EPA filters installed around the world, nobody else can match our level of expertise,
or our role as the global leader in gas turbine (H)EPA filtration.
This document traces the evolution of AAF’s filtration expertise, showing our long history of
technological innovation and the increasing levels of filtration performance we continue to offer to
gas turbine operators around the world. It also seeks to dispel the two main misconceptions that
persist in the world of gas turbine inlet filtration:
Myth #1: Gas turbines have always been protected by air filters
Looking back on AAF’s GT installation list, we see the following milestones.
Year GT Inlet Filtration Development
1962 AstroCel® III 4000 launched (not on GT)
1968 Dust Louvres, RoloMatic, Multi Duty
1972 M81 Pre-Filter
1973 Varicel Fine Filter
1975 RM90 Fine Filter (F7)
1976 DriPak® Pre-Filter
1977 First Intake w/o inertial separator (M80+RM90 Avon)
1980 Pulse Clean
1984 ASC
1991 Pulstar
1993 DuraVee™ DV95 (F8)
1997 AstroCel® III 4000 on GT
2005 DuraVee™ DV98 (F9)
2006 HydroCel® 95
2012 HydroShield™ (E12)
Inertial separators were the predominant solution from 1968 to
1977; up to this point, air filters on gas turbines were a rarity.
The first fine filter (F7 or MERV 13) was installed in 1975. Some 18 years
later, F8/MERV 14 filters made an appearance on an AAF-protected gas
turbine. The next evolution came 12 years later with the introduction of F9
(MERV 16).
As you can see, filter elements were not the original solution to gas
turbine protection. Moreover, history has shown that substantial upgrades
typically appear only after long intervals. Based on this progression,
effective and reliable (H)EPA filters shouldn’t make an appearance until
some time around 2020. Which brings us to Myth #2.
Gas Turbine
Better air is our business® Division
Myth #2: High-efficiency filtration (HEPA or EPA) is a
new development
(H)EPA filters have been available since 1964. AAF first supplied AstroCel® HEPA filters on
gas turbines in 1997—preceding F9 filters by eight years.
As a result, the total number of AstroCel® III 4000 filters installed on gas turbines now stands at over 36,000,
and the number of (H)EPA filters supplied to the gas turbine market totals over 56,000.
This combination of expertise, experience and history makes AAF the market leader in gas turbine inlet
(H)EPA filtration, and the (H)EPA solution chosen by more gas turbine installations around the world.
F6 and F7 grade filters dominated the market until as recently as 2007, when 2008’s introduction of F9 filters
pushed out lower-efficiency filters. Contrary to Myth #2, (H)EPA filters have been installed since 1977, with a
trend of increasing use from 2007 to 2012.
Based on the number of installations that have used AAF (H)EPA solutions, AAF (H)EPA filters have achieved an
additional 7.8 MWh of extra output—and prevented 5.3 million tons of extra carbon dioxide from entering the
atmosphere—when compared to the filters they’ve replaced.
Innovation and proven results
AAF offers a diverse and effective array of filtration solutions based on 90 years
of expertise and research. Our commitment to superior performance is evident in
products like HydroVee, with a superior depth-loading design that wards off water
and hydrocarbons, and HydroShield™, providing advanced (H)EPA filtration even
in conditions with heavy moisture and salt spray. Reclaim lost power and improve
operational efficiency with the advanced gas turbine protection of a leader.
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