What you don't know about compressed air filtration

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

Atmospheric air naturally has some pollution, and in addition, often some pollutants are present in the compressed air system itself. These include water vapor, oil vapor, liquid oil, liquid water, pipe scale/rust, water aerosols, oil aerosols, microbes and atmospheric fouling. The presence of these pollutants means that air cleaning equipment (also known as air treatment products or compressed air assistance products) is required to reduce or completely remove the pollutants from the compressed air.

What should we do with compressed air?

There are many air treatment options available to treat compressed air to the level of purity required for your application, and depending on your end use, your compressed air installation 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; 3. Separation. Air treatment products relevant to the above steps are:

1. Air dryer. Air dryers remove water vapor from compressed air, which can help avoid potential problems on the production line. These include equipment failure, corrosion and product spoilage.

2. Filter. Filters are used to remove particulates, condensate and oil from compressed air after compression has occurred. The specific types are particulate filters, oil coalescing filters and oil vapor filters.

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

4. Drains. Available in automatic, manual and no-air loss versions, this product enables the automatic draining of condensate collected from the system - thereby preventing collected condensate from re-entering the compressed air system.

Why do we deal with compressed air?

While every compressed air installation is unique, there is one thing in common: the compressed air must be handled properly. If moisture, dirt, and particulate matter are allowed to remain in the system, you may face: reduced system efficiency, increased downtime, and extended costs to repair and maintain equipment.

However, by ensuring that your compressor is equipped with the correct air handling products, such as dryers and compressed air filters, you can reduce both equipment maintenance and energy costs. And as an added advantage, your compressor system will achieve a longer service life.

Lingyu Machinery - moisture removal coalescing compressed air filter