Незаменимое руководство по эксплуатации безмасляных воздушных компрессоров

If you work in a sensitive manufacturing environment where no compromises can be made, you probably already know a little about oil-free compressed air. But, do you know what is oil-free air compressor? How do oil-free air compressors work? The answers are in this essential guide.

Introducing oil-free air compressors

In some production environments, maintaining the highest levels of air purity is a critical consideration. From semiconductor and electronics manufacturing to medical and food and beverage, any traces of oil in the air can lead to costly production downtime, product spoilage, and reputational damage.

Many manufacturers in such sectors choose to install oil-free air compressors to ensure that the risk of such incidents is almost eliminated. These state-of-the-art systems produce the highest quality class zero air. Oil-free air compressors can also eliminate the need for additional ancillary filtration equipment, – by reducing replacement filter element costs and operational pressure drops, which means they can deliver significant savings in lifecycle costs.

But selecting the most suitable oil-free air compressor can be a daunting task. There is, for instance, an important distinction to be made between ‘Class 0’ oil-free air compressors which guarantee absolutely no oil contamination of air, and so-called ‘technically oil-free’ where oil as a contaminant is introduced to the compressed air system and needs to be filtered out and removed downstream of the compressor.

This e-Book explains the basics of oil-free compressed air, providing an explanation of the different sorts of categorization, and explaining which type of technology is most suitable for the set of circumstances at hand. It considers maintenance advantages and energy savings associated with oil-free air compressors, while providing best practice examples of real-world application.

How do oil-free air compressors work?

Oil-free air compressors operate without oil in the compression chamber, which eliminates the contamination with oil in the downstream compressed air.

Rather than using oil for lubrication, sealing and cooling, these types of compressors will typically utilise other types of technology such as water jackets and specially coated compressor elements, with microscopic tolerances to deliver efficient oil-free compressed air.

In oil-free screw compressors, which make up the bulk of the market for this type of product, external gears synchronise the position of the counter-rotating screw elements. As the rotors do not come in contact nor create friction between each other, no oil is required for lubrication within the compression chamber. Precision engineering of the housing and elements minimises pressure leakage and drops from the pressure side to the inlet. As the internal pressure ratio is limited by differences in air temperature between the inlet and discharge ports, oil-free screw air compressors are frequently built with several stages and inter-stage cooling to maximise the pressure reach.

For the end-user, oil-free air technology does away with the need to buy additional filter equipment with frequent replacements. Leaks and energy usage are minimised, and the need for condensate treatment to remove oil – along with the collection/disposal of oil contaminated condensate – is eliminated.

Oil-free air compressors in action

Oil-free air compressors are a proven technology that have been applied in just about every type of industry around the world. These include:

• Automotive: high-quality, contaminant free paint finishes, high air volume requirement
• Food and beverage: high-quality end-products with no risk of oil contamination or recalls, which could damage the brand reputation.
• Chemical: increased product purity, strict processes requirements, less waste, increased safety.
• Electronics: uninterrupted control systems and maintenance of clean-room conditions essential to high product quality.
• Oil and gas: trouble-free control systems and processes, upgraded safety, security and a higher quality end product.
• Textiles: more efficient production, reduced maintenance costs, improved textile quality, less wastage.
• Pharmaceuticals: pure products, reducing contamination risks, more efficient processes, decreased waste.

Start your oil-free journey today

How to select the most suitable oil-free air compressor? This decision-making process involves taking a balanced view of all available options – whether that is traditional oil-injected/sealed/lubricated compressors or the latest oil-free air solution.

If 100% oil-free air is required, without fail, then Class-0 certified oil-free air compressors are the only possible route to a risk-free solution. Hopefully, this artical has dispelled any myths and misconceptions about genuine oil-free air compressors and has presented the benefits of using Class-0 oil-free air in sensitive production environments.

We can help you navigate that journey by establishing your air needs, assessing energy efficiency, ensuring scalability, and integrating the right level of service support and remote monitoring.

Whatever the requirement, we can help.

To find out more about how oil-free air compressors can deliver significant benefits to your organization, contact our specialist today.