Page 63 - November/December-2019

62
Imtiaz Rastgar
What can oil-free air
compressors do for
your plant?
Manufacturers around the world are tasked with Oil-free air compressors are becoming more and
finding opportunities to lower their operating costs
while maintaining a consistent, high-quality product
with little to no impact on the environment. For many
industries, employing an air compressor that
provides ISO 8573-1 Class 0 certified oil-free air is
one way to achieve these objectives. risk tolerance for any industrial process. The
October/November 2019
International Standards Organization (ISO) created compressor provides operators with significantly
ISO 8573-1 to provide manufacturers with the ability lower maintenance requirements, including:
to define the level of tolerance for air purity in their • Fewer ancillary air system components to maintain.
compressed air system. This standard outlines the • Longer timeframes between oil changes.
levels of solid particulates, water, and oil allowed • Elimination of expensive oil filters to clean the
based on the classification. compressed air.
• Elimination of oily condensate management.
Class 0, the most stringent of these classes, • Longer desiccant life of downstream air filters.
guarantees compressed air will contain <0.01 • Minimized downstream labor and outage-related costs.
classification most appropriate for your facility. Reduce energy costs
mg/m3 of total oil. The key is to select the
The more energy-efficient the compressor, the more
Manufacturing benefits of oil-free air
direct impact the machine will have on lowering
Eliminates risk of contamination
• Delivers Peace-of-Mind – There is always a risk of 60-75% of the total life-cycle costs of an air
operating expenses. Since energy costs are generally
contamination when compressed air encounters an
compressor, overall cost savings from efficiency
end product; the best way around this is never to
alone can result in several thousands of dollars in
introduce oil into your airstream in the first place.
life-cycle savings. Oil-flooded machines also require
Class 0 air allows manufacturers to avoid
contamination risks, such as an oil filter breakthrough several oil filters and oil separators in the air path to
from post-filtration, that would lower product quality,
clean the manufactured compressed air. Each one of
increase the risk of product recalls and result in
these items will cause a pressure drop across the
unnecessary downtime. Contamination risks can
filter, resulting in lower air pressure delivery
harm your brand reputation, your bottom line and
even worse, the health of your customers.
means the compressor must work harder to maintain
• Protects Your Assets – Oil-lubricated compressors downstream in the plant. The decrease in pressure
will always have a trace amount of oil in the air they the demand needed for the plant creating lower
produce. Trace oil can build-up on pneumatic efficiencies and higher energy costs.
equipment and other valuable assets that use
compressed air, which in turn increases maintenance Why do industries choose oil-free air compressors?
and replacement costs. Compressed air comes in contact with nearly
everything, including finished products. Avoiding the
Reduces environmental impact risk of oil contaminating the air supply is especially
• Minimize Oil Usage – Oil-flooded screw important to the textiles. A quality stream of
compressors require 55 gallons of oil every six to compressed air for spinning machines and air-jet
twelve months for an oil change. This oil must then looms is crucial to prevent fabric staining and
be properly disposed of following the appropriate production loss. Mandating the highest class of air
governing authority guidelines. Oil-free compressors purity is essential for delivering high quality, oil-free,
do not require oil as part of the compression process manufactured products.
and as a result, only need oil changes every two to
three years. Is oil-free air right for you?
• Eliminate Condensate Disposal – When operating Rastgar invites you to allow the application engineers
an oil-flooded compressor, significant amounts of for compressor life-cycle cost calculation to find out
oil-contaminated condensate must be properly what you are currently spending at your plant and
disposed of to safeguard the environment. To ensure review what you could potentially save by
compliance, governing authorities often monitor and transitioning to oil-free technology.
regulate the disposal of contaminated condensate.
more popular for their ability to reduce maintenance Condensate from oil-free compressors can be easily Rastgar & Co is authorized distributor of Gardner
and energy costs, minimize environmental footprint discarded or even recycled for other uses within the plant. Denver’s CompAir brand of Oil-Free Air Compressors
and the possibility of product contamination. in Pakistan with complete aftermarket support. Learn
Reduce maintenance costs more https://rastgar-co.com/products/oil-free/
The degree of air purity required varies based on the Switching from an oil-flooded to an oil-free air (by Mr Imtiaz Rastgar).