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Above and right: Parker remote air filtration test facility at Rotterdam 14 MW wind turbine test site
weather conditions and at all levels of humidity. With an unequalled pedigree supplying high- velocity compact filtration solutions in the marine environment for military applications, as well as for gas turbines in demanding service roles in offshore and coastal oil and gas environments, Parker Hannifin was ideally placed to partner with a major wind turbine OEM to develop an appropriately rigorous and robust air inlet filtration system. With a mission to optimise the aerodynamics in as small a package as possible while also balancing that with pressure loss and filter life span, Parker Hannifin established a three-year development programme working with the manufacturer, including the development of a dedicated test rig and a two-year on-site testing scheme on a working prototype turbine in Rotterdam.
Comprehensive testing of the filtration systems measured salt and corrosion upstream and
Parker vCell hydrophobic filter manufacturing line
downstream among many other parameters and resulted in a Parker Hannifin product validated for service in the largest wind turbines. Rated at F9 (EN779:2012) and T9 (ISO 29461), high efficiency filtration, the engineered solution was a two-stage system with an inertial vane separator that prevents liquids like rain or spray and large objects from entering the innards of the filtration system. Essentially, a highly aerodynamically optimised inertial louvre system, this causes the air flow to change direction several times, shedding its larger sized liquid droplets. Downstream of that is installed the high efficiency hydrophobic final filter consisting of pleated glass fibre media with extended surface area for long operational life, which removes any remaining liquid and in particular salt solutions. The cleaned air is then free to pass through the nacelle, cooling the generator, bearings and internal electronics. Remarkably, the system offers a four-year lifespan when deployed in locations such as the North Sea or the Atlantic coast off North America. In part, this is due to the relatively low particulate loading found at the 300 m height of an offshore wind turbine nacelle,
although it is important to note that higher particulate removal filters, EPA (EN1822) grades E10-E12, could be installed if operators consider it important to deliver even cleaner air – but this may come at the cost of some filter lifespan. This wind turbine filtration system has emerged from Parker Hannifin’s experience in the gas turbine world where compact and high-velocity filtration is a necessary element but also benefits from in-depth testing and an R&D programme that has seen test rigs installed all over the world in all sorts of different environments to ensure functionality wherever these large turbines are ultimately deployed. There they will serve to address corrosion concerns to ensure a long asset service life while also providing the necessary longevity to keep servicing costs to a minimum, all in a compact and lightweight package.
The next generation of large wind turbines requires the same level of protection as an advanced gas turbine and for exactly the same reasons. They are the sensitive thoroughbreds of the energy sector and demand the highest standards of air inlet filtration.
www.modernpowersystems.com | October 2024 | 43
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