Hello. Today I would like to talk about why moisture present in compressed air is a problem.

If you look at a beer bottle straight out of the refrigerator in the summer, you can easily see the water droplets forming on the surface of the bottle soon afterward. But where did the invisible water drop suddenly come from? Did the water in the beer bottle leak out of the bottle? No matter how much I looked at the front, back, sides, and bottom of the bottle, I couldn’t find any gaps where water could leak out.

beer bottle

These water droplets do not leak out of the beer bottle and are invisible to our eyes, but the moisture that exists in the gaseous state in the atmosphere comes into contact with the cold surface of the beer bottle and is transformed into water droplets.

Like this, although it is invisible to our eyes, a large amount of water exists in the gaseous state in the atmosphere around us. And we are well aware that there is more moisture in the hot and humid summer than in the winter.

hiking

The reason I brought this up was to talk about the dust removal facility using compressed air at the entrance of the hiking trail.

Compressed air is used to remove dust from shoes and clothes after climbing, but most people do not even know that compressed air is released when the air gun is pressed. When you shake off the dust, you will be startled by a substance that is sprayed in the form of a mist together with compressed air at some point and you will retreat back, and you will remember that you were embarrassed or embarrassed because your clothes were already wet.

air gun

You can especially find this sight in the hot and humid summer months. If you look around the dust removal facility, you will find that there is a box-shaped air compressor storage box nearby. And if you listen closely, you’ll know right away that the reciprocating compressors are bouncing around.

In other words, the material we spray from the dusty air gun is compressed air, and the material sprayed together in the form of a mist is condensate water generated during the air compression process. If you install an air dryer after the air compressor, I think that these condensate water splashes can be avoided.

playing in the water

If you look at the summer weather forecast, you can often hear about what the humidity is today and the discomfort index is high. High humidity plays a role in increasing our discomfort index. Then, let’s take a look at how much condensate water is generated in the case of an air compressor of 50 horsepower, which you often encounter in production sites.

An air compressor with a capacity of 6㎥/min at a relative humidity of 70% and an ambient temperature of 25℃ will suck in about 140ℓ of moisture from the outside air for 24 hours. 140 liters of water is a huge amount, equivalent to 70 water bottles based on 2 liters of water.

Moisture absorbed by the air compressor is discharged from the air compressor in the form of condensed water in the process of compressing the air. not supported.

Bottled water

There is still a large amount of moisture in the compressed air that has not been sufficiently dehumidified.

If a large amount of moisture contained in high humidity in summer comes into contact with our body, it may cause an unpleasant index or is just a splash of water pouring out of dust. What kind of problems will occur if a large amount of moisture penetrates into the production site?

In addition to water vapor and liquid water, compressed air contains hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon vapors. The above components contained in compressed air can damage compressed air systems in a variety of ways.

First, it causes the problem of erosion. Water mist, present in gaseous form, severely erodes piping, valves and other system components

erosion

Second, it causes the problem of corrosion. Mist combines with salts and acids within the system to form highly corrosive solutions.

corrosion

Third, it causes microbial contamination. Moisture provides a growth medium for bacteria and molds that can produce acidic waste and pose health risks.

microbial contamination

Fourth, it causes the problem of freezing. In winter, if moisture in the compressed air line is not properly removed and freezes, the entire production system can shut down.

freezing

This results in lower productivity and increased maintenance factors, which increases overall operating costs.

In other words, removing moisture from the compressed air not only minimizes possible damage to the system, but also provides adequate protection and durability to the system’s piping and process equipment. Another benefit for producers by removing moisture is that the production of rejects can be minimized.

Most pneumatic equipment has recommended operating pressures, drying levels, and maximum operating temperatures. The system drying level of the compressed air must be set to exceed the requirements of the equipment supplied by the compressed air. I think you understand that investing in the right dryer system can save you significant costs and avoid frequent equipment failures throughout the life of the equipment in your plant.

Article Source: GSA