Droplet Eliminators
What Are Droplet Eliminators?
A droplet eliminator (also called a mist eliminator or moisture separator) is a device designed to remove liquid water droplets from an airflow, typically before that air reaches filters, turbines, compressors, or other sensitive equipment.
It does not filter solid particles like dust — that’s the job of the pre-filters and fine filters — but instead targets suspended liquid droplets (fog, mist, rain spray, condensate).
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How They Work
Droplet eliminators work on simple physical principles — mainly inertial separation:
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As air passes through a set of specially shaped vanes (often chevron or blade-type), the flow is forced to change direction rapidly.
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Water droplets, which have greater inertia than air, cannot follow the sharp bends and impact on the vane surfaces.
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These droplets coalesce into larger droplets and drain away through collection channels or drains, while the cleaned air continues through to the filters.
The geometry of the vanes (angle, spacing, and number of turns) determines how fine a droplet size can be effectively captured. Good designs can remove droplets down to 10–20 µm, with high efficiency (> 99%).​
Why You Need Them
Even though filters remove dust and other particulates, they don’t handle liquid water well. Here’s why droplet eliminators are vital in air intake systems, especially for turbines and compressors:
1. Protect Filter Performance
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Water droplets can wet and block filters, increasing pressure drop and shortening filter life.
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Wet filters can allow unfiltered bypass or cause the filter media to deform.
2. Prevent Corrosion and Erosion
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Water entering downstream equipment can lead to corrosion, erosion, and reduced compressor efficiency.
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For gas turbines, especially in coastal or humid environments, salt carried in droplets accelerates corrosion dramatically.
3. Improve Reliability and Reduce Maintenance
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By removing bulk moisture before it reaches filters, droplet eliminators keep filters dry and effective longer, reducing maintenance frequency and downtime.
4. Performance in Harsh Conditions
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In fog, heavy rain, or marine air, water loading can be severe.
Weather hoods or louvers only stop large raindrops (> 500 µm), but fog droplets are 1–20 µm — small enough to follow airflow right past the hood.
A properly engineered droplet eliminator handles these conditions effectively.
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