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Product category: Compressors and Air Treatment
News Release from: Zander-Hiross | Subject: Compressed air treatment products
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial Team on 30 May 2000

Compressed air: don't waste valuable
energy

Nigel Morris, managing director of Zander (UK) suggests that his company's approach to ?compressor condensate management' could provide substantial cash dividends for British industry

Bad management of compressed air systems is endemic in British industry, despite the fact that compressed air is a major source of energy in most factories Where compressed air is concerned, common sense seems to disappear and the best efforts of trade bodies such as the British Compressed Air Society and ETSU, the government-sponsored energy saving organisation, are often ignored

It's hardly surprising then that the supply is often dirty, wet, smelly and corrosive; that expensive leaks are tolerated because they have always been there; and that simple but essential jobs are carried out by expensive labour instead of being economically automated.

My experience suggests that most of the problems faced by compressed air users can be solved by a greater appreciation of the importance of compressed air treatment.

I therefore propose that, in the interests of British industry, distributor salesmen must be trained to sell compressed air treatment products when they are selling compressed air.

And works engineers must be given the economic arguments to persuade accountants that investing small amounts in affordable air treatment products can produce substantial cost savings.

To start the ball rolling let me suggest a few products that can make a difference; and turn that dirty, wet, smelly corrosive and leaking compressed air supply into an economical and efficient source of energy.

If a compressed air receiver is not drained regularly it fills with an oily condensate that starves the system of air and creates a corrosive and acidic mixture that attacks valves and cylinders and results in problems such as poor paint finishes.

Products coming into contact with the compressed air also tend to smell of oil.

To solve this problem we recommend fitting a level sensing drain to automate the draining of the compressed air receiver.

Compressed air and gas drains ensure that all condensate is effectively drained from critical points in the compressed air system, without any loss of compressed air.

They only work when there is condensate present and always leave a little in the bottom of the bowl to ensure an effective seal.

Level sensing drains come in various sizes to cover all compressed air systems and the smaller models are economical enough to fit on even the smallest air receiver.

Compressed air drains are available for every industrial application - from a small float drain for a filter, to a drain suitable for a refrigerant dryer with a flow of 80,000 cfm! As a rule of thumb, condensate drains can be used for applications up to approximately 40 bar; timed solenoid valves are suitable for very high pressures up to 350 bar; and mechanical float drains can be used for small filters and air receivers in applications where electricity is not available.

Even a small oil leak can seriously contaminate water, so when oily condensate is discharged from a compressed air pipe it must be processed before disposal into a drain.

If an air receiver is continuously discharged onto land, the resultant pollution can lead to a heavy fine and even imprisonment under the Water Resources Act 1991.

To ensure that condensate is properly processed before disposal we recommend installing an oily water separator and, for stable emulsions or very large systems using oil lubricated piston compressors, a ceramic membrane separator.

Oily water separators are available in several sizes, suitable for processing flows from 36 cfm to 1800 cfm.

For larger flows they can also be joined together using a flow distributor.

Typically, units have a large volume to allow oil in the condensate to float to the surface and be skimmed off into a container for disposal.

The water then flows through hydrophilic material to remove any remaining bulk oil droplets and then through a final polishing carbon filter.

Specifying an efficient separator allows 99% of compressor condensate to be discharged into the drain, to avoid the expense of transporting it away for purification off site or worse, polluting water courses.

We recommend fitting a ceramic membrane separator if the emulsion is stable or if the system volumes are greater than 1800 cfm.

This unit achieves excellent results by mechanically separating the oil from the water through a ceramic membrane.

Level sensing drains and oily water separators are just two of the products available to British industry to provide economical and effective compressed air condensate management.

These and other compressed air treatment products offer affordable ways to maximise the efficiency of compressed air systems and improve the working environment.

But perhaps more importantly, they help reduce the high wastage of this valuable source of industrial energy.

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