Air Filtration for Power Generation
August 12, 2025, Tuesday
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM ET, USA
$USD 350
$USD 175 (Member Only)
Course Objective
This course offers an in-depth exploration of air filtration systems specifically designed for power generation, focusing on both land-based and marine gas turbines. Participants will develop a thorough understanding of the filtration criteria essential for optimizing turbine performance across various climates and operational conditions.
The course underscores the vital role of clean air in maintaining peak gas turbine efficiency while highlighting the adverse effects of restricted airflow on both performance and emissions. Participants will investigate a variety of filter designs and materials, assess their relative advantages and limitations, and review industry standards for product evaluation. The session will culminate in a panel discussion that delves into challenges, new developments, trends, and opportunities in air filtration for power generation.
Course Outline
Air Filtration Role in Gas Turbine Performance
Filtration Mechanisms
Filtration Processes
Description of Common Contaminants
Filter Types, Designs, and Classes
Filtration Stages
The Effect of Particle Characteristics and Ambient Conditions on Filter Performance
Filter Clogging
ISO Standards for Gas Turbine Air Filtration
Challenges, New Developments, Opportunities, and Trends
Instructor Biography
Dr. Iyad Al-Attar
Instructor
Dr. Al-Attar, Strategic Director of the Waterloo Filtration Institute. is a mechanical engineer and an independent air filtration consultant. He is also a Visiting Academic Fellow in the School of Aerospace, Transport, and Manufacturing at Cranfield University, consulting for air quality and filter performance relevant to land-based gas turbines. In 2020, EUROVENT Middle East appointed Dr. Al-Attar as the first associated consultant for air filtration affairs. Dr. Al-Attar received his engineering degrees (BSc, MSc, Ph.D.) from the University of Toronto (Canada), Kuwait University, and Loughborough University (UK), respectively.
Dr. Al-Attar’s area of expertise focuses on designing and performing high-efficiency filters for HVAC and land-based gas turbine applications, particularly on the chemical and physical characterization of airborne particles. Dr. Al-Attar is a columnist in the EUROVENT Middle East newsletter, Climate Control Middle East Magazine, ES Engineering, USA, and Caloryfrio Magazine, Spain. He has authored many articles on air quality, filter design, performance, particle characterization, and climate change, which were translated into Arabic and Spanish. Dr. Al-Attar is an editorial member/referee in the Filtration Society (UK) and the Journal of Cleaner Production.
Ms. Sophie Bélanger
Panelist
Ms. Sophie Bélanger, VP of Product and Innovation at Camfil Power Systems, a global leader in advanced clean air solutions tailored for turbomachinery. Sophie holds a Bachelor of International Studies and a Master of Business Administration from HEC University, Montréal. With over 15 years of experience in the filtration industry, Sophie is a seasoned professional known for developing, launching, and selling innovative products focused on the power generation and oil and gas industries. She has a deep market understanding and has held key positions in Product Management, Business Development, Marketing, and Project Execution, consistently delivering value by focusing on industry and customer needs.
In her current role, Sophie focus on identifying the next opportunities for innovation across the industry, developing technical solutions that perform in the most challenging environments on earth, while being sustainable and offering high value to users. With a deep passion for transmitting knowledge, she has also developed a series of training programs for users, bringing them into Camfil research facilities around the world.
Dr. Marc Schmidt
Panelist, Germany
Dr. Marc Schmidt is Vice President of Technologies Europe at AAF International and a well-recognized expert in air filtration. He holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany. With a strong international background, Dr. Schmidt has a proven track record in product and process development, sales, technical marketing, business development, and operations management across the filter and nonwovens industries in both Europe and China. In addition to his corporate role, he serves as Chairman of the Eurovent Product Group Filters (PG-FIL), where he contributes to shaping standards and advancing best practices in the field. Dr. Schmidt also engages in international consulting and technical training related to air filtration on behalf of AAF International and is a frequent speaker at international conferences and symposia, sharing his expertise on filtration technologies and market trends.
Panelists
Dr. Thomas Caesar is a renowned air filtration expert with almost 25 years of experience in the global filtration industry. He received a diploma in Chemical Engineering from the Technical University of Karlsruhe and his doctorate degree in thermodynamics and fluid dynamics from the University of Aachen (RWTH). Since 1999, Dr. Caesar has been employed by Freudenberg Filtration Technologies, a globally leading manufacturer of filtration solutions, where he has held various positions in sales and engineering. As Vice President Global Filter Engineering Industrial, he is currently responsible for the global technical product management and filter engineering in industrial filtration.
Dr. Caesar is actively contributing to industry guidelines at VDI, VDMA, and Eurovent. He co-authors various European standards at CEN and international standards at ISO. In ISO, he serves as Convenor of WG12 “Sustainability” and was as project leader of part 1, intensely involved in the development of ISO 16890. Dr. Caesar is Chairman of the Product Committee “Air Filters” at Eurovent Certita Certification and Vice Chairman of the Product Group “Air Filter” at Eurovent Association.
Dr.-Ing. Thomas Peters is an internationally renowned expert in membrane technology and environmental engineering. He has over 40 years of experience in the field of pressure-driven membrane processes for the treatment of water, process fluids, and wastewater. Related pioneering work was focused among others on the use of reverse osmosis for desalination of seawater, for the purification of landfill leachate and water reuse in different areas. He earned his Ph.D. in 1980 at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg on the subject "Production of drinking water from seawater with reverse osmosis“. After leading management functions in a middle-sized and multinational company, he has been a high-level independent technology consultant since 1986, authored more than 100 publications and more than 50 oral presentations. He is co-editor of a landfill compendium. He received the Stanley Gray Award - Marine Technology 2000/2001 of the IMarEST, London, and the ATCP Award 2007, Concepción, Chile.
Dr. Christine Sun, President of WFI, is a renowned technical and market expert in the global filtration industry. With over 30 years of experience in both academia and the industry, she has an in-depth knowledge of filtration, and extensive hands-on expertise in product development, with over 100 technical publications and patents. She is also actively involved in many air/liquid filter standard test developments. Dr. Sun received her Ph.D. from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, and her Executive Certificate from Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management. From 2004 to 2011, Dr. Sun worked for Freudenberg Filtration Technologies as the R&D manager and Technology Director for Donaldson 2011-2013. She was the AFS Chair from 2016 to 2017 and received the AFS Fellow Award in 2019, Sr. Scientist Award in 2012, and the best paper award from INDA in 2008. She is also an editorial board member for Journal of Industrial Textiles.