Why is compressed air contaminated?
8 July 2022
Untreated compressed air always contains contaminants because of the nature of the gas and how it is produced. The need for air treatment basically results from 3 characteristics of compressed air.
Contaminants
- Liquid oil - oil aerosols - oil vapor
- Dirt - microorganisms - pipescale
- Trace gases: carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxide
How are the contaminants formed?
Added by the compressor installation through oil lubricated compressors (oil), adsorption dryers and activated carbon filters (dirt), piping network and vessels (pipescale).
Trash in, trash out: oil vapors from car exhausts and industrial processes, atmospheric dirt and micro-organisms get sucked in by the compressor. As with water, their concentration – and thus side-effects – increases significantly after compression.
What problems can the contaminants cause?
- Damaged production equipment, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs
- Air pollution, creating unhealthy work environments
- Pollution of the condensate
The Pneumatech solution
Pneumatech offers you a comprehensive line-up of filter solutions. For general applications we provide oil coalescing, particulate and oil vapor filters in a wide range of flows and pressures. We can also support with breathing air, silicone-free, sterile and process filtration.
