What Is Quality of Compressed Air, and Who Cares?

ISO 8573.1s quality classes of compressed air

Quality of compressed air is a broad term. One person may deem his compressed air quality as poor if he finds water at the end-use point. Another may tell you that her compressed air is high quality because she is able to maintain a dew point temperature at 40F or lower. As with any measurement, in order to be consistent, we must have a reference for comparison. In the world of compressed air, the most common reference is ISO 8573.1. ad:22097] The quality of compressed air is determined primarily by measuring three contaminants: solid particles as measured by their size or concentration, water vapor content as measured by pressure dew point temperature, and oil content as measured by concentration. The contamination level is influenced by the type of compressor, dryer, filtration, and other related components used. A higher quality of air in any of these categories usually equates to more expensive equipment. A more subjective qualification of compressed air divides air quality into one of four categories: power air, instrument air, process air or breathing air. Power air is typically used for applications such as power-tool operation, sand blasting, or pneumatic pumps. Water in the air is more of an annoyance than a major concern, as are oil and particles. Power air might equate to compressed air at ISO 8573.1 class 4 or 5, as seen in figure 1. Instrument air is a cleaner quality of compressed air used in more sensitive areas where particulates or water could cause significant quality issues in the

process. Powder coating and paint spraying are good examples of where contaminants affect product quality. This type of air may be dried to a higher standard and filtered for oil or particles. Instrument air might equate to compressed air at ISO 8573.1 class 3 or 4. Process air is used during actual production of a product likely to be ingested by a human or animal. For example food or drug production would require a higher quality of air because the product would come into contact with the compressed air at one or more points in the production line. Air may have to be completely oil free and with very few parts of water vapor. Process air might equate to compressed air at ISO 8573.1 class 1 or 2. Breathing air must be suitable for a human to safely breathe. This type of air must contain a certain amount of water vapor and be completely free of contaminants. Compressed air for diving or hospital use is common applications. Breathing air would fall into ISO 8573.1 class 1 for particles and oil, but would be class 4, 5, or 6 for humidity.