Enhancement of louver dust collector efficiency using modified dust container

Abstract

External air injected into a gas turbine contains many solid particles, which can reduce the performance and life of the turbine. In this study, a louver dust collector, which is a type of inertial dust collector, was used to remove solid particles from air, and the shape of the dust container, which is part of the louver dust collector, was modified to improve dust collection efficiency. As existing dust containers have a structure for isolating particles, the inflow of the air into the dust containers is limited and effective removal of particles is difficult. In this study, slits were drilled in the dust container, baffle plates were used, and raised spots were added to improve particle collection efficiency through improved air flow in the dust container and increased inertia effect of the particles. The trajectory of the particles and the collection efficiency for each dust container shape were predicted using numerical analysis and the numerical analysis results were verified using a wind tunnel test. Results indicate that for an air flow rate of 3 m3/min, the collection efficiencies of the louver dust collectors with the one-slit model dust container and two-slit model dust container improved by 40.1% and 43.5%, respectively compared with that of the louver dust collector with the existing dust container. Furthermore, for an air flow rate of 6 m3/min, the collection efficiencies of the louver dust collectors with the one-slit model dust container and two-slit model dust container improved by 32.9% and 37.6%, respectively, compared with that of the louver dust collector with the existing dust container. Therefore, it is expected that the particle collection efficiency of the existing louver dust collector can be effectively increased by utilizing the shape of the dust container proposed in this study.