David Bruchof, Product Manager for oil-free screw compressors at CompAir, part of Ingersoll Rand Inc., details some of the key considerations for operators looking for consistent, high compressed air quality and outlines how oil-free compressor technologies can help improve site efficiencies.
When it comes to compressed air, quality matters. Avoiding process contamination, which can lead to potential product rework or production downtime is a necessity. There are a number of rigorous standards in place governing compressed air performance to ensure processes remain free from contaminants – or that they are reduced to acceptable levels – while minimising unscheduled downtime and the associated costs.
These regulations include ISO 8573, a group of international standards stipulating compressed air purity and quality. ISO 8573 consists of nine separate parts, with part one identifying contamination levels that can be tolerated within a single cubic metre of compressed air. Specifically, part one identifies permitted particle count, pressure dewpoint and amount of oil allowed within this sample.
The other eight parts detail testing methods for a range of contaminants, including solid particles, oil vapour, organic solvents, microbiological contaminants, liquid water and gaseous contaminants, alongside humidity levels and aerosol content. They also ensure that air quality test results are comparable within a given tolerance of measurement.
Many operators are now applying additional measures to guarantee high-quality compressed air, adopting the principles of the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP). This ensures facilities are complying with hygiene legislation and either eliminating any potential hazards or reducing them to an acceptable level.
In some cases, high-quality air is achieved by using oil-lubricated compressors, which rely on filtration to protect products and equipment from contamination. However, to guarantee air purity, many businesses are switching to oil-free compressors.
Why choose oil-free?
Oil-free systems use a range of technologies that remove the need for lubricating oil. This eliminates the risk of contamination and ensures guaranteed air purity.
There are many benefits to oil-free technology, which can help energy managers make valuable cost savings while improving operational efficiencies too. Whole life costs are reduced, with businesses able to save on the cost of oil replacement. Unlike oil-lubricated systems that require oil change intervals throughout their service life, there is also no need to purchase equipment that would clean and separate oil from air, such as oil separators, filtration equipment and condensate treatment.
The latest oil-free solutions take advantage of innovative technologies to help improve site efficiencies, too. CompAir’s Ultima compressor, for examples, uses its efficient U-Drive concept to maximise compressed air production.
Traditional two-stage compressors use a single motor and mechanical gearbox design to drive the low and high-pressure air-ends. In contrast, Ultima replaces the gearbox and single motor with two high-efficiency, permanent magnetic motors, allowing for performance optimisation throughout the complete volume range.
This technology offers energy efficiency savings of up to 13 percent when compared with other traditional, two-stage oil-free compressors. The motors are powered by two separate inverters, so they can be individually driven at different speeds depending on demand. An intelligent digital gearbox design then monitors and continuously adjusts the speeds of each aired, ensuring maximum efficiency and pressure ratios at all times. Most importantly, the compressed air it delivers is 100 per cent oil-free.
In conclusion
Oil-free technologies can provide additional assurance to operators keen to mitigate risk – delivering clean, oil-free air that can help reduce the likelihood of downtime and product spoilage, while being mindful of the environmental concerns around waste oil disposal.
To find out more about oil-free compressor technology, visit https://www.compair.com/en-gb/oil-free-compressors e: david.bruchof@gardnerdenver.com