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Fig. 5.1: Concentration of impurities in the air during
compression | Modern production equipment needs compressed air. The many conditions in which it is used range from untreated blowing air to absolutely dry, oil-free and sterile compressed air.
The impurities in our atmosphere are usually invisible to the naked eye. But they can seriously impede the reliable operation of a pneumatic system and consumer devices, and have an adverse effect on the quality of products.
1m³ of atmospheric air contains many impurities such as
- Up to 180 million particles of dirt. These are between 0.01 and 100 µm in size.
- 5 - 40 g/m³ Water in the form of atmospheric humidity.
- 0,01 bis 0,03mg/m³ Oil in the form of mineral oil aerosols and unburnt hydrocarbons
- Traces of heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury, iron.
Compressors draw in atmospheric air including the impurities contained in the air and concentrate them many times. At compression of 10 bar-op (= 10 bar gauge = 11 bar absolute ) the concentration of impurities rises by 11 times. In 1 m³ compressed air there will then be up to 2 billion particles of dirt. Lubrication oil and scuff also passes from the compressor in the compressed air.
Correct treatment of compressed air brings benefits of:
- Increased working life of consumer devices.
- Improved and consistent product quality.
- Pneumatic lines free of condensate and rust.
- Pipelines without condensate collectors.
- Lower pressure loss from leakage and flow resistance.
- Lower energy consumption due to lower pressure loss.
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