In everyday flying conditions, when the air is drawn into the engine, particles of sand and dust are carried along with it. The sand and dust can cause significant, long term damage to engine components.
Consequences
Sand and dust ingestion causes compressor erosion, turbine blade glazing, and component wear, which can lead to vibration and component fatigue.
Other effects of dust ingestion include compressor fouling, accumulation of particles in the combustion chamber, and blockage of cooling passages.
Just a few kilos of dust particles above 10 microns in size (roughly the dimensions of a human blood cell) are sufficient to degrade engine performance and impose engine removal well before the scheduled Time Between Overhaul (TBO). Depending on the sand and dust concentration levels, these phenomena can sometimes appear as early as just a few hundred hours.
Other effects of dust ingestion include compressor fouling, accumulation of particles in the combustion chamber, blockage of cooling passages, and turbine glazing.
The Solution
The Centrisep® Engine Advanced Protection System (EAPS) has an excellent sand and dust separation efficiency (up to 98%). With Pall’s latest designs, very few erosive particles are found downstream of the Centrisep EAPS. This means that with dusty conditions an EAPS-protected engine will achieve a much longer service life, closer to the time TBO without any of the above mentioned detrimental effects.
The Centrisep EAPS “fit-and-forget” solution will provide this exceptional protection continuously, without the maintenance and spares other systems demand.
Results
If an engine normally achieves about 1,000 hours before suffering from erosion, with the Centrisep EAPS it should achieve TBO in ”like new“ condition in terms of erosion, again with no supplementary maintenance.
