Introduction to Conical and Cylindrical Air Filters for Steam Turbines

Conical and cylindrical air filters for steam turbines are crucial components in the steam turbine intake system. They primarily filter the air entering the turbine, ensuring air cleanliness and protecting internal turbine components. The following is a detailed introduction to conical and cylindrical air filters for steam turbines:

Structure and Principle

Conical Filter: Typically cone-shaped, composed of multiple layers of filter media, such as filter paper or non-woven fabric. Its conical structure causes a gradual change in air velocity as the air passes through the filter, facilitating the separation and interception of particulate matter. Air enters from the bottom of the cone, is filtered by the filter media, and the clean air exits from the top.

Cylindrical Filter: A common cylindrical shape, with filter media wound or folded around a central axis. Air enters the filter media from the periphery of the cylinder, is filtered, and then flows out from the central outlet. Cylindrical filter elements have a larger filtration area, effectively filtering impurities from the air.

Functions and Effects

Filtering Impurities: Effectively intercepts particulate matter such as dust, pollen, and sand from the air, preventing these impurities from entering the turbine and avoiding wear, corrosion, or blockage of components such as compressor blades and turbine blades, thus extending the turbine's service life.

Equipment Protection: By filtering air, it reduces the erosion of internal turbine components by impurities, lowers equipment failure rates, improves the turbine's operational reliability and stability, and ensures the normal operation of the generator set.

Improved Efficiency: Ensures clean air entering the turbine, resulting in more complete combustion, improving the turbine's thermal efficiency, reducing energy consumption, and decreasing pollutant emissions.

Performance Characteristics

High Filtration Efficiency: Utilizes advanced filter media and filtration technology to achieve high filtration levels, such as F9 or higher in the EN779 standard, effectively filtering fine particulate matter and meeting the turbine's stringent requirements for intake air quality.

Large Dust Capacity: A rationally designed filter element structure and filter media can hold a large amount of dust and impurities, extending the filter element's service life, reducing the frequency of filter element replacement, and lowering maintenance costs.

Corrosion Resistance: The filter element's outer shell and filter media are typically made of corrosion-resistant materials, such as galvanized steel sheet and stainless steel, capable of resisting the erosion of corrosive substances such as moisture and salt in the air, making it suitable for various harsh environmental conditions.Good Sealing: Sealing gaskets or sealants are used between the filter element and the filter housing to ensure that air can only pass through the filter element for filtration, preventing unfiltered air from entering the turbine and ensuring filtration effectiveness.

Application Scenarios: 

Gas Turbine Power Generation: In gas turbine power plants, conical-cylindrical air filters are an important component of the intake system, used to filter the air entering the gas turbine, protecting the compressor and turbine blades, and ensuring the efficient operation of the gas turbine.

Steam Turbine Power Generation: For steam turbine generator sets, air filters also serve to filter the intake air, preventing impurities from entering the turbine and affecting steam flow and heat exchange processes, ensuring the normal operation of the steam turbine.

In industrial production: In some industrial production processes that require the use of steam turbines, such as chemical, metallurgical, and papermaking industries, conical and cylindrical air filters also play an important role in providing clean air intake for steam turbines and ensuring the stability and safety of the production process.