Patent ID: 8419844

Claim:
A moisture removal system for removing water moisture from an air stream of ambient air ingested for use in a turbine system, the ambient air containing water moisture particles, the moisture removal system including: a hood located at an air intake entrance of an air system supplying the turbine system with filtered air, the hood has a flow path that is directed at an upstream end to ambient air and that is directed at a downstream end to a filtration chamber of the air system, at the upstream end the hood has a flow area through which raw, ambient air stream moves; a water-supply apparatus located and configured to spray liquid water within the hood in a direction counter to flow of air within the hood; and a packed bed, located at the upstream end of the hood and upstream of the spray of liquid water within the hood, the packed bed including a water-entry surface at which the liquid water sprayed from the water supply apparatus is received and thereafter passes through the packed bed to wet the packed bed and an air-entry surface, located substantially opposite the water-entry surface and facing raw, ambient air that is external to the hood, at which the air stream is received and thereafter passes through the wetted packed bed in a direction substantially counter-current to the passage of the liquid water through the packed bed, whereby the liquid water within the wetted packed bed and the air stream come into contact with one another as they pass through the packed bed resulting in coalescing of the moisture particles to the liquid water within the wetted packed bed and removal of at least a portion of the water moisture particles from the air stream.