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Donaldson honours Boeing for Dreamliner innovation

Nov. 8, 2011, Minneapolis, Minn. - Donaldson Aerospace & Defense presented The Boeing Company its “Innovation in Action” award for Boeing’s decision to install the Donaldson Air Purification System in the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner.


November 8, 2011  By Carey Fredericks

Mohammed M. Malik, 787 Environmental Control Systems Functional Chief at Boeing Company, formally accepted the award on November 1 shortly following the first Dreamliner delivery to All Nippon Airways (ANA).  The first of 50 Boeing 787s Dreamliners ordered by ANA (a portion of more than 820 total firm orders), arrived in Tokyo on Sept. 28.
 
Boeing selected the APS™ as the Dreamliner’s cabin air filtration and purification system after extensive independent testing and evaluation of multiple filtration systems.  The Donaldson APS provides greater passenger comfort than conventional cabin air filtration systems.  The system not only removes dust and other airborne particulates, such as allergens, bacteria and viruses, but also utilizes a carbon-based chemical filter to remove odors and gases that are present on pressurized aircraft. The system’s central technology is its gas phase adsorption cleansing process, a method that collects molecules of airborne gases on the filtration media surface instead of absorbing these elements into the interior of the media.
 
The Donaldson APS also delivers design and operational simplicity.  APS filters are simple to maintain and can be changed quickly without tools.  It’s exceptionally reliable, with no moving parts, no power requirements and no generation of unwanted byproducts.  And, importantly, APS technology is available for installation or retrofit at a competitive cost.
 
“Donaldson takes great pride in its important role in the 787 Dreamliner’s design and in supporting The Boeing Company’s introduction of this outstanding aircraft,” said Sheila Peyraud, Worldwide General Manager, Aerospace & Defense at Donaldson Company. “The Donaldson APS offers a significant leap forward in cabin air purification technology – comparable to the break-through manufacturing and performance improvements embodied in the Dreamliner.”
 
The APS filtration system is a major advance in cabin air cleansing capabilities that increases passenger and crew safety and comfort, particularly on extended flights at high altitude, which utilize large amounts of recirculated air.  Thanks to Donaldson’s APS, 787 passengers will enjoy cabin air that is much cleaner than today’s commercial aircraft.
 
The system’s effectiveness has been validated in independent tests conducted by the Technical University of Denmark (DTU).  In two years of laboratory tests sponsored by The Boeing Company, DTU measured the effects on cabin air quality related to humidity, ventilation and air purification methods, comparing the Donaldson’s APS and the Ultra Violet Photocatalytic Oxidation (UVPCO) systems.  The study’s participants simulated long flights by spending up to 11 hours in aircraft with and without air purification systems with varied airflow and humidity levels.  At the conclusion of these simulated flights, participants rated air quality and reported on perceived symptoms such as dry eyes and throats, headaches and general comfort in cabins. Medical evaluations confirmed perceived conditions. Based on these evaluations, in 2005 DTU concluded that Donaldson’s APS “gave the best overall performance and avoided the major problems that were identified in connection with the UVPCO units.”

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