Microturbine energy systems manufacturer Capstone Turbine Corporation has launched a cleanable severe environment air filtration system for its microturbine products and recently received an order for three C65 microturbines utilizing this filtration system for a flare gas reduction project in Oman.
During sand and dust storms common to most desert areas, particulate concentrations close to the ground can reach levels 20,000 times those in typical US cities, the company reports. Such dust and dirt loads can cripple conventional air filtration systems, cause massive maintenance expenditures and allow excessive dust concentrations to be ingested by the turbine.
The new Capstone severe environment units employ industry standard high-efficiency filters. They are a scaled down version of the filters used in much larger industrial and aero-derivative gas turbines and allow operation for prolonged time periods in desert environments like the Middle East.
Pipeline Supply Company, Capstone’s distributor for Oman and Qatar, secured the order for multiple C65 cleanable severe environment units. The microturbines will be fueled by the associated gas that is a natural byproduct of the oil extraction process. This gas is normally vented or flared into the atmosphere because it is not of the quality to be put into natural gas pipelines. Additionally, oil and gas operations are typically in remote areas, which means there is no infrastructure available to clean and capture the gas and bring it to market. Capstone’s microturbines are able to run on associated gas with very little pre-treatment and convert it into electricity to be used onsite. They are also able to operate in remote and harsh environments with very little maintenance.
“With increasing crude oil prices and a growing interest in utilizing associated gas to create onsite energy we are developing a new line of cleanable severe environment air filter systems to improve the overall turbine performance in the growing Middle Eastern markets,” says Darren Jamison, President and CEO of Capstone
