by Brian Abbott, SMC Pneumatics
Water vapour and the resulting water condensate are the foremost causes of costly downtime and increased maintenance.
Published in:
Electricity+Control, March 2016 (pages 36 – 37)
Enquiries: email babbott@smcpneumatics.co.za
Failure to remove water vapour from factory air can quickly become a costly maintenance headache. Water vapour and the resulting water condensate are the foremost causes of costly downtime and increased maintenance. The blame is often laid on the more visible culprit ‒ oil or contaminants, both of which are easily removed with proper filtration. Moisture in facility airlines can cause corrosion and rust which can break loose to the air passageways causing blockages in narrow restrictions and filter elements. This can lead to increased pressure drops and loss in machine performance, not to mention energy loss and costs of the compressed air.
Aftercoolers, drip legs and water separators are used to remove water condensate from factory compressed air. However, this air is still at 100% relative humidity and is still at risk of condensing into water should the surrounding temperatures drop to its dew point. In order to increase protection of expensive automation equipment, factory compressed air must remove as much water vapor as possible to avoid any condensation further downstream. This is done by lowering its dew point.
Take note:
• Moisture in facility airlines can cause corrosion and rust which in turn causes blockages.
• To increase protection of automation equipment, factory compressed air must remove as much water vapour as possible to avoid condensation downstream.
• This is achieved by lowering its dew point.
Read the full article on Water vapour in factory air... costly maintenance in low res PDF format.
