Problems with Intake Air Filtration in Piston and Turbine Combustion Engines Used in Conditions of High Air Dust Content

The operating conditions of engines in motor vehicles used in conditions of high air dustiness resulting from sandy ground and helicopters using temporary landing sites were analyzed. The impact of mineral dust on accelerated abrasive and erosive wear of components and assemblies of piston and turbine engines was presented. Attention was drawn to the formation of dust deposits on turbine engine components. Possibilities for minimizing abrasive wear through the use of two-stage intake air filtration systems in motor vehicle engines were presented. Three forms of protection for helicopter engines against the intake of dust-laden air and for extending their service life are presented: intake barrier filters (IBF), tube separators (VTS), and particulate separators (IPS) called Engine Air Particle Separation (EAPS). It has been shown that pleating the filter bed significantly increases the filtration area. It has been shown that increasing the suction flow from inertial filters increases separation efficiency and flow resistance. IPS are characterized by a compact design, low external resistance, and no need for periodic maintenance, but it has a lower separation efficiency (86–91%) than VTS and IBF systems (up to 99.3–99.9%). The tested “cyclone-partition filter” filtration system achieves a filtration efficiency of 99.9%, reaching the acceptable pressure drop value four times slower than if it were operating without a cyclone. Two-stage filtration systems ensure high friction durability at the lowest possible energy costs.