subject: Managing Condensation In Your Industrial Air Compressor [print this page] When using a compressed air system, one of the biggest problems you have to deal with is managing the condensates that will build up in the system itself. As compressed air moves through the system, the heat of compression causes moisture such as water vapors, oils, and other liquid condensates to build up in the compressor. Dealing with these condensates is of the utmost importance in order to maintain a long life for your industrial air compressor.
There are a few ways to manage these condensates. One of the most effective ways is to get an air compressor dryer installed on the system or have one built into the system itself. There are two main types of compressed air dryers: desiccant dryers and refrigerated dryers.
Desiccant dryers use a very simple method of cleansing the air by having it flow through desiccant chambers that are lined and filled with desiccants, small cloth pouches of highly absorbent silica gel that holds water and other contaminants. After enough compressed air has passed through the machine, the desiccants will fill up and need to be replaced, while the old ones will need to be disposed of properly.
The other type of dryer in an industrial air compressor is a refrigerated dryer. These dryers cool the air as it flows through the refrigeration chamber and build up all the condensation inside the chamber itself. Then, these condensates are easily drained and disposed of, ensuring that the rest of your pneumatic hoses are moisture and condensate free.
Aside from using a compressed air dryer, another great material to use in the system is stainless steel, and most refrigerated dryer chambers use this material exclusively because of its water repellant nature. By using stainless steel throughout the entire industrial air compressor, you can be assured that water vapor, contaminants, and other liquid condensates will not build up and corrode other parts of the compressor, including the pneumatic hoses.
As with all heavy pieces of machinery, preventative maintenance is the best way to ensure that your equipment is running at optimal level, besides of course keeping it from wearing out too quickly. Managing condensates is a big part of preventative maintenance, and it goes a long way in ensuring that your industrial air compressor will maintain its shelf life for a long time. Check out an established, credible air compressor deal for more information on managing condensates, as well as looking into getting compressed air dryers to keep your machine condensate free.
