If you have ever been unfortunate enough to squirt some compressed air system condensate on yourself you might have noticed it is usually an oily, rusty and smelly mess. Even after several hand washings your fingers may still be stained brown and smell like an old gym sock. Why is that?
Air compressors produce water that is squeezed out of the ambient air; it forms because cooled compressed air has less moisture carrying capability than atmospheric air, so the water must condense out. If the compressor is lubricated, this water carries with it some compressor lubricant, and contains any organic particles that might get by the compressor air inlet filter. This mixture picks up any rust that may form inside steel piping as it passes through, and the ugly mixture finds a nice low spot to percolate in the warm oxygen rich environment. If any microbes exist, they will flourish, tainting the compressed air and giving it the nasty smell.
It is unlikely you would want this contamination to pass down into the network of piping in your plant — it would foul compressed air operated equipment — and worse, may contaminate your product, so some equipment is installed improve the situation.
Water separators and air receivers remove excess moisture and cool the air allowing more moisture to condense from the air stream. System filters remove particles, liquid and even smells. High-quality corrosion resistant piping can eliminate rusting and scaling issues. And air dryers of various types can remove any remaining free water, producing dew points well below ambient conditions, ensuring the conditions for microbe contamination formation are removed.
To ensure a clean and healthy system the filtering and drying system must be well designed for all end-use requirements and have the capacity for worst-case conditions. Proper maintenance is critical, as well as having a good system of air quality monitoring.
Is your system Covid-19 proof? This is a worry for many plant operators. A couple of opinions are given at the link below for your information:
https://kaesertalksshop.com/2020/05/19/best-practices-for-compressed-air-during-a-lockdown/
