Ambient conditions

Among the contaminants that threaten your compressed air system, moisture is the most prevalent. It cannot only harm your equipment, for example through corrosion, but also end products it comes into contact with – especially food and pharmaceutical products.

In order to protect your system and achieve the required instrument air quality, you have to properly treat your air by removing or reducing the moisture it contains.

Fortunately, there are different air treatment methods and types of dryers, air filters and water separators available that can get the job done. They help you efficiently and effectively reduce the moisture content and achieve the required instrument air quality.

However, with so many options, it can seem like a daunting task to pick the right air treatment equipment while minimizing your energy consumption as well as keeping investment and operating costs down.

To get this process started, you should know your requirements, i.e. how much air you need and what kind of quality it has to have. It should be noted that, even if no class is required for your application, you should still strongly consider air treatment because it will protect your system from water particles and corrosion.

If you are unsure about the former, you can talk to a specialist to discuss your demand and your current equipment. For the latter, you can consult the chart below, which displays the different air quality classes in accordance with ISO 8573-1 (ed. 2010). This standard shows the permissible level of contamination for solid particles, water and oil for the different classes.