Modular Inlet Filter Housing with Single Flow Path
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional inlet filter housings for power generation equipment are large, complex, and costly to transport due to their segmented nature, requiring numerous shipments and extensive assembly time, which complicates maintenance and operation.
Innovation Solution
The inlet filter housing is designed as a plurality of components, each fitting within an ISO shipping container, forming a complete filtering and conditioning system with a single flow path, eliminating interior walls from the containers to simplify assembly and transportation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the inlet filter housing is manufactured in highly segmented parts and transported individually, then the housing can be assembled at the power plant site, but the number of shipments increases significantly and transportation costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The inlet filter housing is divided into modular components that can be independently manufactured and transported. Each module contains specific functional elements (filter banks, weather protecting systems, temperature control systems) and can be assembled at the power plant site, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and reduction of shipment quantity.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple housing modules are designed to be transported within or alongside each other, optimizing space utilization during transportation. The modular design allows smaller components to be nested within larger structural elements, reducing the total number of separate shipments required while maintaining assembly capability at the destination.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the inlet filter housing is manufactured in highly segmented parts, then transportation flexibility is improved, but the number of assembly hours increases to a minimum of 1300 hours
Solution Approach 1:
Modular components are pre-assembled with their internal sub-components (filter elements, control systems, weather protecting systems) at the manufacturing site before transportation. This preliminary assembly reduces the complexity of on-site assembly operations, maintaining transportation flexibility while significantly reducing the 1300+ hours of assembly time required at the power plant site.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular housing design incorporates standardized connection interfaces and configurable module arrangements that allow flexible adaptation to different power plant sites. The dynamic reconfigurability of modules reduces assembly complexity and time, as modules can be quickly connected using standardized procedures rather than custom fabrication and assembly.
3Quantity of substance
If multiple self-contained inlet filter housings are stacked within ISO shipping containers, then transportation is simplified, but the shipping containers create separate flow paths and increase system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple housing modules are designed with complementary flow paths that connect when assembled at the power plant site, forming a single integrated flow path through the entire inlet filter housing. This merging approach allows efficient transportation of modular components while eliminating the flow path segmentation and system complexity issues associated with stacked self-contained housings.
Solution Approach 2:
The interior walls and flow path obstructions that segment the housing flow path in conventional stacked container designs are removed in this invention. The modular components are designed without internal flow path barriers, allowing air to flow continuously through the assembled housing structure, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining transportation efficiency.
4Reliability
If self-contained inlet filter housings are used within ISO shipping containers, then each container is self-sufficient, but maintenance operations become time consuming and expensive due to separate access requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The inlet filter housing is segmented into modular components that can be independently accessed and maintained. Each module maintains its functional self-sufficiency (filtering, weather protecting, temperature control) while the modular design allows maintenance personnel to access specific modules without dismantling the entire housing structure, significantly improving maintenance accessibility compared to conventional self-contained designs.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
An inlet filter housing (100) includes a plurality of components (150A-H, 180A-I, 194A-C) that collectively form a complete filtering and conditioning system for filtering and conditioning a fluid (142) along a housing flow path (144). Each component (150A-H, 180A-I, 194A-C) is configured to fit within an external structure of an International Organization of Standards (ISO) shipping container (152A-H, 182A, 196A-C) which provides a rectangular cuboid enclosure. Each component (150A-H, 180A-I, 194A-C) includes operative structure of at least one of: a) only a portion of an axial extent of the filtering and conditioning system, and b) only a portion of a lateral cross-sectional area of the housing flow path (144).