Air Quality and EXAIR Products

May 26, 2010 — Kirk Edwards

A common question from our customers is “what kind of air do I need to provide into the EXAIR

product?” or ” is instrument air OK for this product?”. Some sources of debris in compressed air could

be the intake air of the compressor or scale from the piping system. I can tell you that we simply ask

for “clean, dry air”; let me explain further.

ISO 8573-1 is the International Standard for Air Quality Classes. It lays the ground rules for allowable

levels of solids, moisture and liquid condensate, and lubricants in the compressed air source.

Though the standard has very specific values for maximum particle size, maximum pressure dew point

and maximum oil content for different industries and/or environments we can generalize a bit and

express the levels of air quality like this:

Plant Air – general plant compressed air used for air tools, nozzles etc.

Instrument Air – found in laboratories, paint and powder coat booths, used for climate control.

Process Air – used in food and pharmaceutical applications, electronics applications.

Breathing Air – used for breathing respirators, breathing tanks and hospital air systems.

Achieving the different levels of air quality can be done with 3 basic types of filtration.

1. Particulate - a filter element removes particles larger than the opening in the filter material.

Typically done with particles greater than 1 micron.

2. Coalescing - use different methods to capture the particles; 1) direct interception - works like a

sieve, 2) Inertial impaction – collision with filter media fibers, 3) Diffusion – particles travel in a spiral

motion and are captured in the filter media.

3. Adsorption - the filter element holds the contaminants by molecular adhesion.

The cleaner your air needs to be the more of these filtration methods you will use. Adsorption will

remove more and finer particles than a simple particulate filter. And many applications will use a

combination of these methods, especially if you are using a lubricated air compressor to generate your

compressed air.

©Copyright 2010 EXAIR Corporation

EXAIR products, all of which need a source of “clean, dry air” will operate very well utilizing a source

of plant air and only a particulate filter. Your process, environment or type of compressor will

dictate if you need to supply additional filtration methods or better air quality. If you are using a

lubricated compressor or have lubricant in your compressed air lines from another source, you will

want to use a coalescing oil removal filter.

EXAIR stocks 5 micron particulate filters which are properly sized for each individual product as an

option for our customers if they choose. We also stock coalescing oil removal filters for customers who

may need to remove oil from the air. Replacement filter elements are also available and should be

replaced at least twice a year, depending on the quality of your air.

Remember to ask about filtration if you have any concerns about your air quality. We can assist in

sizing up the proper filters to get the air quality we recommend for proper operation and longevity of

our products.

11510 Goldcoast Drive

Cincinnati, OH 45249
TecHelp@EXAIR.com

©Copyright 2010 EXAIR Corporation