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Highlights 2013

Semi-automated Gas Turbine

Inlet Filter testing according
ARAMCO standard or for
performance optimization
D. Renschen*, J. Schamberg*, N. Guttenbrunner**, N. Schneider**
There is a growing demand for improved gas turbine air filters with regard to the energy efficiency in operation and
filtration efficiency in view of the increasing demands of modern gas turbine for inlet air quality. Therefore, supported by
DMT as air filter testing specialist, Bilfinger Gerber set up a special test rig for testing semi-automatically gas turbine
inlet filters according to ARAMCO standard (32-SAMSS-008) which describes a harsh gas turbine filter testing program.
The process measuring and control technology allows an automatic run of the different test phases as required by the
ARAMCO standard. Only for dust sampling for the determination of the filtration efficiency manual support is needed. This
facilitates the sequential tests of different air inlet filter types e.g. for optimization of the filter performance within R&D.
1. Introduction
New construction plus the growing
replacement market were supposed to
boost turbine inlet air filter sales to over
$400 million in 2013. This segment would
account for 6% of the $7billion air filter
market, as claimed by the McIlvaine
Company in its Air Filtration and
Purification World Markets report. There
is a growing demand for improved gas turbine air filters with regard to the energy
efficiency in operation and filtration efficiency in view of the increasing demands
of modern gas turbine for inlet air quality.
A lot of the existing and future gas turbine
power plants are erected in arid or semiarid zones with potential high dust exposure.
Usually air inlet filter for gas turbine
applications are tested for classification
according EN 779.This gives a clear indication about performance in view of initial
pressure drop behavior and efficiency
against DEHS and ASHRAE test dust. But
this standard gives no information about
behavior about cleanable filter systems
and its performance within operation especially under severe operation conditions.
For the filter media of such air inlet filter pretests can be made by the VDI 39261 (Testing of cleanable filter media or
ISO 11057) to receive information about
the ageing behavior and performance
against test dust from the application.
The so called Saudi Aramco DeskTop
Standard 32-SAMSS-O08 is a Materials
System Specification including a test
specification. The purpose of the Speci* D. Renschen, J. Schamberg,
DMT GmbH & Co. KG
Product Assessment Refrigeration & Air Quality
Am Technologiepark 1, D-45307 Essen / Germany
** N. Guttenbrunner, N. Schneider
Bilfinger-Gerber GmbH, D-44379 Dortmund / Germany

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fication is to ensure the ability of an inlet

air filtration system for combustion gas
turbines to withstand the rigid environmental conditions in a high ambient dust
desert area, with relative humidity ranging
from zero to 100% (coastal zones). The
intent of such an inlet air fi ltration system
is to limit the ingestion of airborne contaminants such as sand, dust and alkali metal
salts (sea salt aerosol) so as to prevent gas
turbine compressor erosion, fouling, cooling air passage blocking and hot corrosion
of the turbine section components. The
system specifi ed is intended for continuous duty, high effi ciency air fi ltration.
Therefore, the air fi ltration systems covered by this specifi cation are limited to the
automatic pulse-jet self cleaning type.
For other environmental conditions
with much less dust like in Central Europe
the test standard Air intake filter systems
for rotary machinery - Test methods - Part
1: Static filter elements (ISO/DIS 294611:2010) was just developed for filter which
are not cleanable.
DMT as air filter testing specialist and
third party testing institution supported
Bilfinger Gerber in setting up a special test
rig for testing semi-automatically gas turbine inlet filters according to the Saudi
Aramco Material System Specification 32SAMSS- 008 (ARAMCO standard).
Appendix II of the Aramco Specification
describes a test procedure for a harsh filter
testing program divided in several phases
to detect the capability of resistance
against desert sand storms.
2. Test Standard
Saudi Aramco Material System
Specification 32-SAMSS-008
(Aramco Standard)
Most chapters of the specification are
dealing with material and system require-

ments for an inlet air filtration system for

a gas turbine installed in a filter house. It
includes requirements for the filter element (structure). Further on the specification describes requirements for the system
performance, mechanical and electrical
instrumentation and the filter house itsself.
In the appendix information about protective coatings are summarized and a qualification and performance tests for materials e.g. against salt fog is defined.
For planning a test (rig) it is important
to consider the requirements for the pulse
air system (Chap. 5). All other important
figures for the test equipment, test materials (test dust), test conditions and the test
procedure of filter elements and the reporting of the results are included in Appendix
II (Filtration Testing Requirements).
3. Test Rig Design and Validation
In spite of the requirements and descriptions for the appropriate equipement for
the test rig according appendix II of the
Aramco Standard a lot of details had to be
fixed. By the target to set up a semi-automatically working test rig further requirements had to be defined especially for
process measuring and control technology
devices and the software for data aquisition and control.
Other requirements resulted from the
necessity to set up a test system which
generates data which are valid in view of a
certification of filter elements which shall
be tested by means of this system (DIN
EN ISO/IEC 17065). Therefore, all these
measurement devices, which are integrated in the test rig, must have a precise specification and be able to be calibrated.
After finalization the test rig as complete testing system has to be validaded
(EN 45002 General criteria for the
assessment of testing laboratories). The

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Tab. 1: Survey of measurement points within the Aramco standard test rig

Tab. 2: Basic modules of the Aramco standard test rig

1
Intermediate
compressed
air tank

Compresso
with air drier

Compressed air tank with diaphragm valves,

blow tubes connection and manometer

Pressure regulator valve

3
Controller
blow tube
diaphragme
valve

Diaphragme valve

2 blow tubes with

6 outlet nozzles (each)

5
+
6
Test duct
Section for
dust sampling

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validation test method characterizes the

method features of the Aramco Standard
test procedures. The further target of validating the test rig and the test procedure
(by DMT) is to ensure that testing of gas
turbine filter cartridges (which is performed at a testing site of Bilfinger
Gerber), is according to the Aramco
Standard. For certification of tested filter
types the validated test procedure has to be
secured even against manipulation within
data acquisition. DMT acts as mandated
neutral evaluation service. Bilfinger Gerber
as testing laboratory. Therefore, DMT has
to ensure the integrity of the measured
data when measured in the external laboratory.
The testing procedure of filters according the Aramco standard is diveded in six
phases during which sets of different parameters and measurements are carried out.
Essentially, for the Aramco test procedures (phases 0-5), the following data have
to be measured continuously:
- Differential pressure on the Wilson flow
grid (volume rate test duct up to
12750m3/h): pflow grid
- Ambient pressure (0 1100 mbar):
pbarom.
- Ambient temperature: Tambient
- Relative humidity: ambient
- Differential pressure inlet air filter (3
pressure transmitters: I 0 to 300 Pa, II 0
to 1000 Pa, III 0 10000 Pa): pfilter
- Compressed air vessel pressure (up to
10 bar): pcomair
- Valve opening time (is adjusted to the
specified value, not measured)
- Volume rate at sampling point 1 (Mass

flow controller 0 200 l/min): V PN1

- Volume rate at sampling point 2(Mass

flow controller 0 200 l/min): V PN2

- Dust concentration raw gas (upstream,
via dust generator, gravimetric dosage,
balance 0 to 50 kg): m test dust
The data acquisition and transmission
of measured values to the central computer (control station) have to be ensured. All
measurement parameters are summarized
in table1.
4. Semi-automatically gas turbine
inlet filters test rig
The new test rig of Bilfinger Gerber is
composed of several different modules
which are suitable for a testing according
the technical specifcation 32-SAMSSO08.
The test setup is divided into 10 modules:
1) Compressor (supply) for compressed
air tank (vessel)
2) Compressed air tank
3) Diaphragm angle valve

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Highlights 2013

4)
5)
6)

Blow tube/pipes
Test duct
Test section for dust sampling/dust
sampler system
7) Dust Injection System (ejector)
8) Differential pressure measurement
system (for the filter)
9) Fan (suction mode)
10) Steam vaporizer for humidification
The different modules are shown in the
table 2 (below) in more detail.
All components of the resulting test rig
are connected to the central control computer. The software program aquires all
data and controls different components
like the frequency controlled fan for automatic adjustment of the volume rate to the
specified value. Further on test dust generation, pressure pulsing and sampling of the
dust on the upstream side (clean gas) of
the test filters is done automatically within
one test phase according the Aramco standard. Only the change of the sampled filters for the gravimetrical determination of
the test dust in the clean gas has to be done
manually at the defined time intervalls by
the operator.
By the central computer the measured
data are controlled against special limits
(for instance upper pressure drop). If this
limit value is reached the test is stopped
automatically and the operator is informed
by an alarm signal. A picture of the screen
of the software control program is shown
in figure 1.

Tab. 2: Basic modules of the Aramco standard test rig

Dust sampling system

Test dust
containment

Dust injection system (nozzels)

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Controller unit

8
Differential
pressure
transmitter

Measuring points

Radial fan unit

axial-flow fan

Ventilation flap with actuator unit

5. Validation of the test rig and

the test procedure
To ensure a correct test procedure as
base of a certification the whole test rig
was thoroughly examined. The examination was performed in particular with
regard to the measuring sensors, in order
to inspect the proper positioning and calibration of the measuring equipment.
First the status of calibration of the different measurement devices was controlled. This means as part of the test rig
validation, the calibration certificates were
checked and included in a test rig manual.
All sensors of the test equipment have to
be calibrated periodically according to the
requirements of the agreed quality control
system (tab. 1). By testing inlet air filters
according to ARAMCO standard under
supervision of DMT the validity of the calibration certificates will be inspected.
For the dust generation system the mass
flow of dust was examined by DMT and
the system calibrated accordingly a internal QC procedure. The quality of dust dispersion of the dust generation system was
examined by measurement with a DMT
modified Berner type impactor in comparision with the particle size distribution of
the used test dust (fig. 2).

Mass flow
controller
(dust sampl.)

10

Steam vaporizer
(front outside of test chamber)

The data measured by the different sensors in the test bench are acquired by the
central control computer at a rate of about
5/min. A resulting table is arranged to a
continous time scale to which the data of
each sensor are included in the according
columns. The data are broken down by
each of the five test phases and stored in a
csv-file, which is transferred into an
Excel file-format which can easily be
edited for the following data analysis.
To validate the semi-automated filter
test procedure adapted according the standard 32-SAMSS-O08, two equal tests for
the same type of an inlet air filter were
carried out at the DMT and at the Bilfinger
Gerber test rig. This first validation test on

Humidity and temperature sensor

(inside of test chamber)

the test bench at Bilfinger Gerber was

accompanied by a test engineer of DMT.
Within this test method validation following work packages have been made by
DMT:
- Definition of the requirements for this
external certification testing
- Definition of the validation procedure for
the test method
- Round Robin test between DMT and
Bilfinger Gerber
- Check of the integrity of the raw data and
the data transfer
This whole validation process was fullfilled by Bilfinger Gerber successfully.

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DMT gains access to the acquired data

at the external test rig within an ongoing
measurement and to complete data sets
after completion of the tests. The intrusion
by DMT on the computer system of the
external test rig is made via Internet access
about the program TeamViewer. Thus, it
is possible during the experiments to monitor the current operating state. By comparing data documented during monitoring via TeamViewer with the raw data
set after finshed testing validity of data can
be verified.
7. Capabilities of this unique
test system

Fig.1: A picture of the screen of the software control program

Fig. 2: Comparison particle size distibution of the test dust with the dispersed test dust sampled
from the raw gas in the test rig

6. Testing and Certification of

inlet air filter elements
The testing of filter cartridges according the Aramco standard at the new test rig
will be performed at the site of Bilfinger
Gerber. Nevertheless, the test results will
be certified by DMT. This assumes that

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Bilfinger Gerber and DMT closely cooperate in the examination of filter performance for other customer. Therefore, the
cooperation is based on a secrecy agreement between both parties which secures
confidentiality of all information within
third party testing.

The semi-automated Aramco test rig

of Bilfinger Gerber provides results which
are plausible and trustworthy. It is
designed appropriately for the inlet air filter test procedure within the specification
32-SAMSS-O08. By this semi-automated
filter system testing can be done much easier and with less man-power.
Beneath these basic features the test rig
also incorporates a steam humidification
and an air circulation system. Therefore,
different other testing options are possible
due to an open air inlet which is integrated in a special test room.
This test rig facilitates the sequential
test of different air inlet filter types (not
only pulse filters) and is suitable for optimization of the filter performance within
R&D. Therefore, beneath the testing
options according the standard further
tests can be made like optimization of the
distance between blow pipe and filter cartridge or of the consumption of compressed air, determination of the efficiency
of coalescer filter for mist elimination etc..
Literature:
/1/ 32-SAMSS-O08, Materials System Specification for
Inlet Air Filtration Systems for Combustion Gas Turbines,
Saudi Aramco, 2008
/2/ DIN EN ISO/IEC 17065, Conformity assessment Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes
and services
/3/ EN 45002, General criteria for the assessment of testing laboratories
/4/ ISO/DIS 29461-1:2010, Air intake filter systems for
rotary machinery - Test methods - Part 1: Static filter
elements
/5/ VDI 3926-1, Testing of cleanable filter media Standard test for the evaluation of cleanable filter
media

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No. 14/2014