News and Events

GORE® Turbine Filters Receive American Filtration & Separation Society Innovation Award


Elkton, MD (April 1, 2010)–The American Filtration and Separations Society has awarded W. L. Gore & Associates the society's New Product Award for development of the GORE® Turbine Filter. This award recognizes the most innovative product that significantly improves fluid-particle separation. GORE® Turbine Filter was given this honor because of its ability to improve gas turbine efficiency and eliminate power loss caused by fouling.

According to Wilson Poon, the Research & Development leader for GORE® Turbine Filters, Gore's engineering team developed the new membrane technology for gas turbine users having performance issues caused by compressor fouling. Customers who installed the new technology experienced significant power output and efficiency increases in only a matter of weeks. This was due to capture of the submicron particles by the filter's membrane layer. "Our team engineered a hydrophobic ePTFE membrane that offers HEPA-grade efficiency and prevents penetration of water and soluble salts," Poon explains.

Once the design was complete, Gore worked with TransCanada Corporation to field test the filter in a direct comparison with a nanofiber filter in identical turbines. After 1,450 operating hours, the cleaning fluid for the nanofiber filter was black, indicating significant fouling of the filter. However, after 10,600 hours of operation, the cleaning fluid for Gore's filter remained clean, with no evidence of particle contamination.

Rick MacDonald, plant manager at TransCanada Corporation's Grandview Power Plant, sums up the product's effectiveness, "Prior to installation of these Gore filters, we were required to offline soak-wash each of our turbines every five to six weeks, and we typically experienced up to one megawatt (MW) of power loss on each 44-MW turbine between washes. With the GORE® Turbine Filters, we now operate for four months between washing, and we do not see any power loss at all. In fact, the turbine power output and heat-rate have held steady for the entire 18 months of filter operation so far, and we expect to get two or more years of total service life. What a difference in performance!"

GORE® Turbine Filters represent the latest addition to Gore's extensive line of market-leading filtration products. GORE® Filtration Products provide optimum performance for the chemical, metal, mineral, and energy industries in the form of low pressure drop, near zero emissions, and consistent flow rates. For more information, call GORE at 1-800-638-5300 or visit our website at gore.com/turbinefilters.

About W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.

Perhaps best known for its consumer products like GORE-TEX® fabric and ELIXIR® Strings, W. L. Gore & Associates is a leading manufacturer of thousands of advanced technology products for the electronics, industrial, fabrics and medical markets. With more than $2 billion in annual sales, the company is headquartered in Newark, Delaware and employs more than 9,000 associates in 45 facilities throughout the world. Gore is one of only three companies to appear on all of the U.S. "100 Best Companies to Work For" lists since the rankings were introduced in 1984.

Since 1973, Gore has applied its world-renowned expertise in ePTFE to deliver innovative, technology-driven solutions in the filtration industry. A remarkable, high-performance fiber, ePTFE is the foundation of Gore products used in hundreds of applications, such as aerospace, military, medical products, automotive and architecture. Behind every product and every application is Gore's dedicated commitment to performance and reliability.

Contact

Bob Rodriguez
W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
101 Lewisville Road
Elkton, MD 21921
410.506.3214
brodrigu@wlgore.com