Many businesses that use compressed air are subject to air quality standards. Depending on the application, these can be more or less stringent. For example, that air has to be very pure whenever it comes into contact with products that are later consumed by end customers, such as food, beverages or pharmaceuticals.
Knowing these air quality standards and complying with them is not just one of the core responsibilities of any business that works with compressed air, it also makes fiscal sense.
Air quality audit
One tool that can help you greatly in optimizing your system is Atlas Copco’s AIRScan. It offers you a reliable analysis of your system and proposes ways to improve its efficiency and reliability. This also includes measurements of the contaminants in your system. That way, you will know whether you are in compliance with the relevant air quality standards for your industry and applications.
When the AIRSCan is completed, you get a clear summary of what it found as well as an in-depth evaluation that identifies problems (and offers solutions) and serves as a guide for your technicians.
Determining your compressed air quality standard
The quality of the air used for many compressed air applications matters greatly. It not only protects the compressed air system and any downstream equipment but also the end products that the air comes into contact with.
There are no regulations or binding guidelines that specify which level of purity is needed for which type of application. There are some, non-binding guidelines, but in the end, it is the responsibility of the application owner to perform a hazard analysis and define the required compressed air purity based on that.
The ISO 8573-1 standard is generally accepted in the industry. It defines purity classes for three main types of contaminants: particles, moisture, and oil (volatile organic compounds) and thereby provides a consistent definition for the different compressed air quality classes.
The quality of the air used for many compressed air applications matters greatly. It not only protects the compressed air system and any downstream equipment but also the end products that the air comes into contact with. There are no regulations or binding guidelines that specify which level of purity is needed for which type of application. There are some, non-binding guidelines, but in the end, it is the responsibility of the application owner to perform a hazard analysis and define the required compressed air purity based on that. The ISO 8573-1 standard is generally accepted in the industry. It defines purity classes for three main types of contaminants: particles, moisture, and oil (volatile organic compounds) and thereby providing a consistent definition for the different compressed air quality classes.
If, for example, the air has to achieve Class 1 quality in terms of particulates, then it may not contain more than 20,000 parts sized 0.1 to 0.5 micron, 400 parts sized 0.5 to 1.0 micron, or 10 parts from 1 to 5 micron per cubic meter of air.
How to comply with regulations using compressed air quality testing services
Contaminant in the compressed air
It all starts with analyzing your current system to identify optimization potentials. For example, maybe your compressor is set up in very warm, humid or dusty ambient conditions. That results in unnecessary contaminants finding their way into your air that then have to be filtered out again later in the process.
A complete audit of your compressed air system not only helps you determine which air quality you need and how to best comply with applicable standards, but it also increases the overall reliability and efficiency of your system and therefore lowers your costs.
