How to perform compressed air filtration

Contaminants in the air do not disappear during the air compression process - even if you are using an oil-free air compressor!

Some contaminants are naturally present in atmospheric air and, in addition, are usually present in the compressed air system itself. These include water vapor, oil vapor, liquid oil, liquid water, pipe scale/rust, water aerosols, oil aerosols, microorganisms and atmospheric dirt. The presence of these contaminants means that air purification equipment (also known as air treatment products or compressed air auxiliary products) is required to reduce or completely remove contaminants from compressed air.

What do we do with compressed air?

There are many air treatment options available to treat compressed air to the purity level required for your application, and depending on your end use, your compressed air unit may need to be equipped with some or even all of the products mentioned below.

To control contaminants and condensate, compressed air should be treated in three basic steps: 1. drying; 2. filtration; and 3. separation. The air treatment products associated with the above steps are

1. Air dryers. Air dryers remove water vapor from compressed air, which helps to avoid potential problems in the production line. These include equipment failure, corrosion and product spoilage.

2. Filters. Compressed air filters are used to remove particles, condensate and oil from compressed air after compression has occurred. Specific types are particle filters, oil condensate filters and oil vapor filters.

3. Oil-water separator. This equipment separates oil from condensate generated by compressed air, ensuring that you can dispose of condensate in an economical and environmentally friendly manner.

4. Drain. Available in automatic, manual and no air loss versions, this product allows condensate collected from the system to drain automatically - thus preventing collected condensate from re-entering the compressed air system.

Lingyu ~ 1.0 0.01 micron precision moisture removal compressed air filter