|
7/24/10
FROM:
The Carideo Group Inc.
1250 One Financial Plaza
120 South Sixth Street
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415
|
FOR:
Donaldson Company, Inc.
P.O. Box 1299
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55440
(NYSE: DCI)
|
CONTACTS:
Jan W. Drymon
(612) 317-2881
E-mail: jan@carideogroup.com
|
Rod Radosevich
(952) 703-4571
E-mail: rod.radosevich@donaldson.com
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AFS AW139 INLET BARRIER FILTERS PLACED IN NAMIBIA
St. Louis, Mo., July 23, 2010 – Aerospace Filtration Systems, Inc. (AFS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Donaldson Company, Inc. (NYSE:DCI) and a division of the Aerospace & Defense group, continues to see growing demand for its high-performance engine Inlet Barrier Filter (IBF) for the AgustaWestland AW139 series helicopter.
|
|
Certified in late 2009, operators worldwide in offshore energy, corporate, rescue, firefighting and other mission profiles are placing orders for the AW139 IBF system. Company officials report growing international sales of the AW139 IBF systems, with strong interest from fleet and individual operators alike.
This spring, Donaldson delivered two AW139 IBF systems into Namibia, representing the first presence of the AW139 IBF in Africa. Government Air Transport Services will operate the IBF’s on their aircraft to reduce engine degradation that the group has been experiencing with particle separators previously installed.
“The separators seem to capture big particles but we found that fine particles were still entering the engine,” said Marcel Suran, Government Air Transport Services. “We have a harsh environment sometimes for our landings, and the fine dust particles have been causing erosion and damage to the turbines.” Suran added that he has had positive experience with Donaldson Inlet Barrier Filters installed on his program’s Eurocopter AS350 and Bell 407.
The new AW139 IBF system features low-profile conformal fore and aft fairings with dual filter assemblies mounted on the existing engine doors, creating a sealed intake plenum. As with all certified Donaldson IBF solutions, the AW139 system includes an alternate inlet air bypass system.
An emergency bypass capability is an important IBF feature absent in most traditional sand filters and particle separators. A simple compact cockpit switch, common with existing Donaldson certified IBF systems, allows indication and activation of the bypass system. An integral Filter Maintenance Aid also allows for pre- and post-flight, on-condition inspections to assist in mission planning and visual inspection of filter condition. The Donaldson IBF system offers operating cost reductions resulting from engine damage prevention. The system is approved for Category A operation and allows use of basic inlet charts with satisfactory Power Assurance Check.
Donaldson IBF systems can enhance aircraft and mission availability by eliminating down-time resulting from premature, expensive turbine repairs prior to scheduled overhauls. When evaluating the fiscal side of air operations, taxpayers and budget managers alike can benefit from reduced engine overhaul costs. From the thin mountain air of Mount Everest to Arizona’s desert heat, helicopter operators are choosing to upgrade their engine protection with Donaldson IBF systems.
Providing the most comprehensive line of IBF solutions, Donaldson Aerospace & Defense is the industry leader in the design, development and manufacture of high-performance engine IBF systems for commercial and military propulsion systems. Through their St. Louis, Missouri location, Donaldson provides certified IBF solutions for the AgustaWestland AW119 Koala, AW119Ke and AW139, Bell 205A1, 206B, 407, 206L-3/4, 206L-1(C30), 429 and 430; Eurocopter EC130, AS350 B/BA/B1/B2/B3, AS350’s with Soloy or Heli-Lynx Honeywell engine conversions and MD Helicopters MD 369H Series, MD 500D/E/F and MD 900/902. IBF solutions for the AgustaWestland AW109 Power and Grand are also currently in development.
|
