AIR FILTRATION MARKET UPDATE
FEBRUARY 2013
McIlvaine Company
www.mcilvainecompany.com
The Summary section of the Market Report has been recently updated.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
MARKET NEWSGas Turbine Inlet Filter Market to Grow
Steady Increase in U.S. Construction Activity Projected Through 2014, per AIA Panel
U.S. Housing Permits Hit Four-Year High; Starts Down on Multifamily Volatility
Clarcor’s Baldwin Filters Builds New Distribution Centre in Nebraska
UVDI Installs Air Cleaning Equipment at Chinese School Sports Dome
Lenzing Announces Large-Scale Investment
Camfil Farr Publishes FAQ on HEPA Air Filters
Ahlstrom Head Office Will Move to Töölönlahti in Helsinki
BWF Envirotec Introduces PM-Tec Membrane Product Line
Many projects, mergers and acquisitions are detailed in monthly updates in the Market Report’s Chapters under Industry Analysis. Click on the links below to view current updates for each industry.
| AEROSPACE FOOD DISK DRIVE FLAT PANEL METALWORKING OTHER ELECTRONICS | PHARMACEUTICAL POWER PULP MILLS SEMICONDUCTOR TRANSPORTATION |
Gas Turbine Inlet Filter Market to Grow
The low price of natural gas has resulted in the construction of a number of gas turbine power plants. New construction plus the growing replacement market will boost gas turbine inlet air filter sales to over $400 million in 2013. This segment will account for 6% of the $7 billion air filter market.
The inlet air filter is necessary to protect the high
speed elements within the gas turbine from excessive wear. As turbine
performance has increased, so has the need to remove smaller and smaller
particles. As a result, the HEPA range of filters is now frequently needed.
Since these filters do not have the dirt holding capability of less efficient
filters, it is typical to use pre-filters.
Static filters and pulsed filters are the two choices for final filtration. The
highest efficiency is obtained either with microglass fibers or with membranes.
The incentive to utilize high efficiency filters is increased when the gas
turbine is in a locality with very tough emission standards. In California, some
permits require the exhaust emissions to be cleaner than the ambient incoming
air. So unless the air filter removes the particles, the unit will not be in
compliance.
The filters are often supplied by companies who manufacture complete intake
systems, supplying filters, cooling devices and the housing. These other
products substantially increase the revenue opportunity. The intake system
purchases in 2012 will be in excess of $1 billion.
The total market for gas turbine systems in 2013 will be $56 billion. Over
70,000 MW of new turbines will be sold. The U.S. will purchase 16,000 MW,
bringing its total installed base to over 300,000 MW.
Much of the new U.S. construction is for base-loaded combined cycle plants. Much
of the existing base is for peaking turbines. This distinction is important
because filter purchases are fewer for these peaking turbines. Since these
turbines only operate a few weeks or months per year, filter replacement is less
frequent.
The intake systems represent 2% of the total system expenditure. The combined
purchases of new intake systems and filters plus replacement filters will be
$1.3 billion.
|
Gas Turbine Inlet Filter Market ($ million) |
|
|
Continent |
2013 |
|
Africa |
13 |
|
Americas |
161 |
|
Asia |
147 |
|
Europe |
88 |
|
Total |
409 |
Steady Increase in U.S. Construction Activity Projected Through 2014, per AIA Panel
Commercial buildings expected to set pace with double-digit gains in spending next year
Nonresidential construction activity is projected to see healthy if unspectacular gains this year, with construction spending for buildings rising by 5.0 percent in 2013 before accelerating to 7.2 percent in 2014, the American Institute of Architects reports. The construction of commercial facilities is expected to lead the upturn, with spending gains of almost 9 percent this year and nearly 11 percent next year, led by double-digit gains in hotel construction. Industrial construction spending is projected to nearly match the overall nonresidential building totals this year and next, while institutional construction activity should lag behind, with modest single-digit gains over each of the next two years. Healthcare is expected to be the strongest institutional sector.
These predictions from the AIA’s Consensus Construction Forecast Panel, comprised of the nation’s leading construction forecasters, are consistent with information derived from the AIA’s Architecture Billings Index (ABI). While national ABI numbers were mixed in 2011—suggesting an uneven performance for construction in 2012—they were more uniformly positive in 2012. Eight of the 12 months of 2012 showed positive national ABI readings, including the final five months of the year. The ABI readings in the fourth quarter of 2012 were the strongest quarter since the downturn began in early 2008, suggesting that construction activity should begin to accelerate significantly in the first half of 2013.
Firms that specialize in residential, commercial/industrial, or institutional facilities all reported positive ABI scores in the fourth quarter of 2012, with particularly strong scores among firms specializing in the residential or commercial/industrial markets. Regional ABI scores were also generally positive. Firms in the Northeast and Midwest reported strong growth in the fourth quarter, firms in the South had moderate growth, and firms in the West reported essentially flat business conditions.
The forecast panel consists of McGraw-Hill Construction, IHS-global Insight, Moody’s Economy.com, FMI, Reed’s Construction Data, Associated Builders and Contractors and Wells Fargo Securities.
AIA’s Construction Forecast – Consensus of panel members
U.S. Housing Permits Hit Four-Year High; Starts Down on Multifamily Volatility
Nationwide housing starts declined 8.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 890,000 units in January, according to newly released data from HUD and the U.S. Census Bureau. Meanwhile, issuance of permits for new-home construction rose 1.8 percent to 925,000 units – the quickest pace since mid-2008.
In January, single-family housing starts were virtually unchanged from an improved pace in the previous month, registering a 0.8 percent gain to 613,000 units. This was the strongest pace of single-family housing production since July 2008. Meanwhile, multifamily housing starts, which tend to display significant month-to-month volatility, declined 24.1 percent to 277,000 units.
Regionally, combined single- and multifamily housing production gained 4.1 percent in the South and 16.7 percent in the West, but fell 35.3 percent in the Northeast and 50 percent in the Midwest in January.
Permit issuance, which can be an indicator of future building activity, rose 1.9 percent on the single-family side to a seasonally adjusted, annual pace of 584,000 units and rose 1.5 percent on the multifamily side to a 341,000-unit pace in January. Both were the strongest permit numbers seen since mid-2008.
Permitting activity rose in three out of four regions in January, with a 10.1 percent gain registered in the Northeast, a 1.4 percent gain registered in the Midwest and a 1.1 percent gain registered in the South. The West posted virtually no change in permitting activity, with a 0.5 percent decline.
Clarcor’s Baldwin Filters Builds New Distribution Centre in Nebraska
Baldwin Filters is investing US $40 million to build a new 400,000 sq ft warehouse and distribution centre next to the company’s current manufacturing facility in Kearney, Nebraska, USA.
Chris Conway, chairman and CEO of Baldwin Filters' parent company Clarcor Inc, said: "Our Baldwin business is a principal driver of Clarcor’s success, and we are excited to expand Baldwin’s capacity to handle anticipated growth over the next decade."
The project is expected to take approximately two years to complete, with groundbreaking this spring.
"Not only will we improve our warehousing and distribution capabilities, but the new facility should allow us to address inefficiencies with off-site storage and free up additional manufacturing space so that Baldwin can make an even broader array of products, achieve greater production efficiencies and advance its efforts to develop new and exciting engine filtration technologies. We expect to see capacity and efficiency gains as a result of this project," said Conway.
Baldwin Filters is a leading North American supplier of heavy duty aftermarket engine filters.
UVDI Installs Air Cleaning Equipment at Chinese School Sports Dome
Molecular filtration technology company UltraViolet Devices, Inc. (UVDI), California, supplies air cleaning equipment for school’s sports dome to combat pollution in China.
Air pollution in major cities across China is so bad that health concerns have caused many schools in the affected areas to regularly cancel outdoor activities. The International School of Beijing (ISB), situated in the Shunyi District of Beijing, is no exception. The ISB is comprised of a 50,000 square meter school building on a large campus that serves approximately 1900 students from around the world. Like many affluent schools in heavily polluted Chinese cities, ISB has built what are being called "pollution domes" by the media. These domes create a giant pressured enclosed space over sports fields and athletic areas.
The sports dome at ISB was recently installed with air cleaning technology from UltraViolet Devices, Inc. (UVDI). UVDI, based in the greater Los Angeles area, designed a custom dual-stage particulate and activated carbon filter system for the domed sports complex. UVDI’s air cleaning system targets PM2.5 contamination and harmful outdoor gaseous pollutants including ozone, to keep the Chinese Air Quality Index (AQI) below 50 at all times.
"The system has been a huge success," reported Ashish Mathur, Ph.D., UVDI’s Director of Technology. "We were told that last year the ISB’s students could not go outside for recess or physical education due to the severe air pollution during 39 of the 180 school days. With UVDI’s system in place, the sports dome will always provide a clean air environment for physical activities."
UVDI is a leading manufacturer and supplier of UV products for air, surface and water disinfection. Under the ALTRU-V® brand, UVDI markets a full line of products for the HVACR market designed to reduce energy consumption and lower maintenance costs while delivering cleaner, healthier air. Under UVDI’s Sparks Technology™ brand, the company markets gas phase filtration products for use in commercial and industrial applications worldwide. Under the UVDI MED brand, the company provides hospital grade UV disinfection technologies engineered for the healthcare industry.
www.UVDI.comLenzing Announces Large-Scale Investment
Lenzing is building what it says is the most modern fiber production line in the world in Lenzing, Austria. The combined expertise and technologies of Lenzing and the Tencel Group, which were recently merged, are being applied for the first time in the construction of the state-of-the-art Tencel plant.
"Tencel represents the greatest technological innovation in the man-made cellulose fiber industry since the invention of the Viscose fiber around 100 years ago," says Dieter Eichinger, vice president business unit textile fibers, Lenzing AG. "The developments of the last twenty years are just the beginning of a success story which will continue for many decades to come. Tencel uniquely answers the demands for competitive production costs relative to other fibers with the demands for sustainable production."
An investment of €130 million and a 24-month construction time frame have been planned for the Tencel plant. The new Lenzing fiber plant will have a capacity of 64,000 tons per year. In addition to the specialty fibers Lenzing Modal and Lenzing FR, Tencel will also be produced at the new site in Lenzing. Tencel is currently only produced at the Lenzing sites in Heiligenkreuz (Austria), Grimsby (UK), and Mobile (U.S.). As a result of erecting the Tencel plant in Lenzing, the site will be expanded to become the central location for the Lenzing group’s specialty fibers. The attractive energy costs that result from the onsite energy generation, the skilled workforce, and proximity to Lenzing’s central research facilities including the Tencel pilot plant were all critical factors for expanding strategic operations in Lenzing the company says.
Camfil Farr Publishes FAQ on HEPA Air Filters
New technical bulletin answers questions, details best practices for optimizing use of high temperature HEPA air filters
HEPA, or high-efficiency particulate air filters, meet tough standards for efficiency, and must remove nearly 100 percent of airborne particles greater than 0.3 micrometers (99.97 percent, to be exact). Today they are widely used in medical facilities, industrial clean rooms, and other mission-critical environments. But when exposed to elevated temperatures, HEPA air filters can present multiple challenges for filter performance and filter integrity testing, with few black-and-white answers. To help HEPA filter customers get optimal use from their high-temperature filters, Camfil has published a new technical bulletin with recommendations and answers to common questions.
The bulletin , "High Temperature HEPA Filters FAQs", is now available on the life sciences section of the Camfil website at http://airfilters.camfilfarr.us/high-temperature-hepa-filters-faqs_8577.html. It was produced by Sean O'Reilly, Camfil's global director of cleanroom & life science segment, with support from the company's US Director of Research & Development, Steve Devine , and addresses issues including HEPA filter burn-in, the primary applications of HEPA filters at elevated temperatures (including use in ovens and tunnels designed for use in the life sciences and microelectronics industries), the differences between silicone and ceramic sealed HEPA filters, filters created specifically for high-temperature use (such as Camfil's Termikfil design), how rapidly a high-temperature filter can be heated up or cooled down, and the life expectancy of a high-temperature HEPA filter (the answer can vary depending on use and environment, but a 3-to-5 year life is a reasonable assumption).
"These are questions about high-temperature filters that we at Camfil see on a global basis," says O'Reilly. "We have long sought to be leaders not only in cutting-edge air filter design, but in being responsive to our customers, and creating this technical bulletin was important for us, in order to help guide users with getting the most out of an immensely useful, but sometimes challenging product category." The bulletin also outlines the performance of various high-temperature filters manufactured globally by Camfil.
Ahlstrom Head Office Will Move to Töölönlahti in Helsinki
Ahlstrom's head office will move to the Töölönlahti area in the center of Helsinki at the end of February, 2013. The company's current head office has been located in Salmisaari in the western part of Helsinki since the end of 2007. The new address is Ahlstrom Oyj, P.O. Box 329, Alvar Aallon katu 3 C, FI-00100 Helsinki, Finland.
BWF Envirotec Introduces PM-Tec Membrane Product Line
PM-Tec filter bag for filtration of fine dust made of needlona needle felt or fiberglass fabric laminated with an ePTFE membrane.
BWF Envirotec, a manufacturer of filter media for industrial filtration, has extended product portfolio with the new PM-Tec product line and is offering new filter media specifically used in filtration of minute dust particles. The name for the new product line originates in the English term for fine dust, "particulate matter".
The new PM-Tec product line represents the highest demands on a filter medium for industrial filtration says the company. BWF Envirotec combines in the new product line carrier media consisting of needlona needle felt or fiberglass fabric with a high-efficiency ePTFE membrane.
The product line consists of a carrier medium on which an ePTFE membrane is laminated. The membrane produced from polytetrafluorethylene possesses characteristics, which are optimally suited for use in industrial fine dust filtration.
Dust on the raw gas side impinges on the filter medium, is already retained on the surface and cannot penetrate into the carrier medium. Due to the smooth and anti-adhesive surface, the company says the particles do not embed themselves in the carrier medium but accumulate on the surface of the filter medium instead and are almost completely cleaned away during the de-dusting process in the filtration system.
A low surface tension which reduces the adhesion of fine dusts in addition to a temperature resistance of up to 288°C ensure optimum filtration properties.
Extremely low and stable differential pressure behavior, constant gas volumetric flow, long service lives and low maintenance expenditure are other product features says the company.
BWF Envirotec supplies the new product line as material from the roll for manufacturers of filter bags and as made-up filter bags for manufacturers or operators of industrial de-dusting plants.
LG Electronics USA has introduced a new air cleaner that combines a variety of technological advances with a superior dust holding capacity to provide superior performance and energy efficiency while minimizing maintenance needs and reducing life cycle cost.
The state-of-the-art LG "Dynamic V8® VL Series" Air Cleaner features the longest filter life currently available on the market, substantively reducing a wide range of particulate and gas-phase contaminants, including: ultra-fine particulate, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), odors and biological contaminants. With near-HEPA filter performance, the Dynamic V8 VL Series Air Cleaner is also the first Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) solution for Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) systems that does not emit ion or ozone pollutants.
"In cooperation with Dynamic Air Quality Solutions, LG developed this advanced new air cleaner to raise the bar for air filtration performance and dust holding capacity in commercial Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) systems," said Kevin McNamara, vice president, Commercial Air Conditioning, LG Electronics USA. "Combining maximum energy efficiency with filter changes measured in years instead of months, our new air cleaner reduces cost of ownership and the environmental footprint for buildings using this technology."
With up to 100 times the dust holding capacity of shallow bed MERV-13 filters, the MERV 15+ rated Dynamic V8 VL Series Air Cleaner was designed with the flattest loading curve in the industry to prevent degradation of airflow as the filter gets dirty. This also means that the maintenance cycle of the V8 is typically measured in years, not months.
Additional benefits for system designers, building owners and occupants include:
Industry-Leading Performance
Cost Savings
Ease of Engineering and Install
Reduced Maintenance
Eco-Friendly Features
The Dynamic V8 VL Series Air Cleaner is currently available for shipment across the U.S. More information on LG's Air Cleaner, VRF technology and the complete portfolio of LG Commercial Air Conditioning solutions can be found at www.lg.com.
McIlvaine Company
Northfield, IL 60093-2743
Tel: 847-784-0012 Fax: 847-784-0061
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