Effective compressed air filters are vital for machine performance

Using a combination of oil flooded screw compressors and high efficiency filtration has become well established and accepted over the years, with many critical industries, including food and beverage, pharmaceutical and medical, all utilising this high quality, low cost solution.




However, few people realise that an oil-free compressor will not necessarily deliver an output feed of oil-free compressed air; in fact, the term oil-free simply means that a compressor does not use oil for its primary operation and does not refer to delivered air quality.




Atomised oil carried downstream to pneumatic components can present a significant threat to the performance of any machine system, for example, affecting the efficiency and operating life of internal seals and the quality of process air, which can be critical in applications in the food, medical or electronics sectors. Oil contamination can, however, be dealt with relatively easily using high efficiency coalescing and oil vapour and odour removal filters immediately downstream of the compressor.




Unfortunately, oil is not the only challenge.




The inherent nature of a compressor is to increase the pressure of a given volume of air by reducing its volume. In so doing, the normally low percentage of contaminants contained in the original mass of atmospheric air rapidly become concentrated as air passes through the compressor. These contaminants include dust, pollen and, most importantly,water vapour.




In a typical system requiring 2.8m3 of air/min (100cfm), a modern screw compressor operating for 4,000 hours at ambient temperatures will produce around 2,200 gallons of water. If this is not removed it will quickly cause system corrosion and subsequent component failure and lead to a major degradation in process air quality, causing product spoilage and recall.




To address the issue,Parker domnick hunter has designed an innovative
range of high performance filters that will not only remove oil and
water aerosols down to 0.01mg/m3 but also particulate contamination down to 0.01µ.




Called the OIL-X EVOLUTION range, these filters have been developed to
provide the lowest possible operational costs, while providing the highest air
quality standards. They are available in three types: coalescing filters, dry particulate filters and oil vapour removal filters. Coalescing and particulate
filter elements are guaranteed for 12 months and are constructed using a nano-fibre filter media, which actively repels oil and water to reduce pressure drop, while the filter housings are made from powder coated die-cast aluminium and carbon steel for ultimate protection against corrosion and are guaranteed for 10 years.




OIL-X EVOLUTION is just part of an extensive choice of compressed air
filters and dryers available from Parker domnick hunter, and forms
part of Parker's integrated range of motion and control technologies.