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Boilers, Coal
by S. Zaheer Akhtar
The equipment associated with the Instrument air system as used in the industry, generally
consists of an air compressor air dryer and an air receiver tted with a liquid drain trap The
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consists of an air compressor, air dryer and an air receiver tted with a liquid drain trap. The
instrument air system is utilized by various plant instrumentation, some of which may have a
critical role in plant operation and safety. Therefore, the equipment should be properly sized
and capable of producing the required air quality.
This article provides an overview of some of the key points and calculations associated with
the instrument air system, which can assist the design engineer in his task.
1. Pressure Dew Point: “The pressure dew point as measured at the dryer outlet shall be
at least 10C (18F) below the minimum temperature to which any part of the instrument
air system is exposed. The pressure dew point shall not exceed 4C (39F) at line
pressure”.
2. Particle Size: “A maximum 40 micrometer particle size in the instrument air system is
acceptable for a majority of pneumatic devices”.
3. Lubricant Content: “The lubricant content should be as close to zero as possible and
under no circumstances shall it exceed one ppm w/w or v/v.”
4. Contaminants: “Instrument air should be free of corrosive contaminants and hazardous
gases which could be drawn into the instrument air supply”.
removal (usually -40F dew point but as low as -100F) over a wide range of air flow rates used
in the industry.
Consider ambient conditions of 14.7 psia, 68F and 40 percent Relative Humidity. The dew
point can be calculated as follows:
From steam tables 0.135 psia is the saturation vapor pressure at 43F, therefore normal dew
point is 43F
Now consider the same case when dew point (that is, pressure dew point) is evaluated at a
higher pressure of 114.7 psia. In this case, the moisture vapor pressure evaluated above at
0.135 psia is multiplied by the pressure ratio, giving 0.135 x 114.7/14.7= 1.053 psia. From
steam tables, this is the saturation pressure at approximately 104F.
Therefore the pressure dew point is 104F compared to normal dew point of 43F.
The dryers work by adsorbing moisture on desiccant material such as alumina, silica gel
molecular sieves. The desiccant material is contained in two packed towers which are
alternately in service or being regenerated. The regeneration can be achieved by different
methods, such as, using a purge of dry air from the operating tower or by using internal
heaters or by an external heat source. Use of purge of dry air is a simple process with the
discharge air purged to the atmosphere. However, use of purge air consumes about 15 to 20
percent of the compressed air capacity and is best utilized when there is suf cient excess air
capacity.
The capacity of air dryers as provided by the vendor is generally in terms of “inlet scfm” at a
service pressure of 100 psig and service temperature of 100F. At different service conditions,
the inlet flow to the dryer needs to be corrected by multiplying by the pressure correction
factor and the temperature correction factor.
If service pressure is higher than 100 psig (say 120 psig) the flow capacity of the dryer
ratio of moisture saturation vapor pressure ratio at 100F and 115F (that is, 0.9492
psia/1.4711 psia=0.64).
Based on above, the corrected flow to a dryer rated for inlet of 100 scfm (at 100 psig/100F)
and operating at 120 psig/115F, would be =100 x 1.17 x 0.64 = 75 scfm. Note that this is 25%
less than the rated value of 100 scfm.
gas industry, standard conditions are taken as 14.5 psia, 68F and 0 percent relative humidity.
Other variations for standard pressure/temperature conditions are 14.7 psia and 32F. As such,
these variations can cause confusion and result in a mis-match between the compressed air
For example, consider an end-user demanding 10 scfm of air with the understanding that
standard conditions are at 14.7 psia and 32F. Air density (ρ) at these condition of pressure and
temperature is ρ=p/RT= 0.808 lbs/cu. ft. In other words the air demand is for 10 ft3/min
Now consider a reciprocating compressor supplying 10 scfm air at standard conditions of 14.5
psia, 68F. Air density (ρ) at these condition of pressure and temperature is ρ=p/RT= 0.742
lbs/cu. ft. In other words the air supply is providing 10 ft3/min *0.742 lbs/ft3= 7.42 lbs/min of
air. This quantity of air is only 92% of the air demand of 8.08 lbs/min and therefore does not
meet the requirement of the end user.
In case of a centrifugal compressor, the lower ambient pressure and higher ambient
Note that in some cases, compressor capacity is stated in terms of Free Air Delivery (FAD)
which is merely the discharge volumetric flow converted back to inlet conditions of the
compressor.
humidity as the standard conditions. Now consider actual site conditions at 14.5 psia, 68F and
100% relative humidity. The moisture saturation vapor pressure at 68F is 0.339 psia,
therefore the dry air pressure is reduced from 14.5 psia to 14.161 psia (14.5 psia-0.339 psia=
14.161 psia). In turn, this reduced pressure value at compressor suction decreases the mass
flow capability of the reciprocating compressor (or decreases the discharge pressure in case of
a centrifugal compressor).
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receiver, then there is no hold-up or buffer. For the air receiver to be effective, it must
For example, assume that the demand for compressed air requires 100 psig pressure in the air
receiver and the compressor is set to operate in a pressure band to load at 120 psig and
unload at 130 psig. This means that in case the compressor is off-line, or if air demand
increases, a storage volume corresponding to air receiver pressure ranging from 120 psig to
100 psig is always available. The air receiver volume can be calculated from the following
equation which shows the time taken for the air receiver to drop from the higher pressure
point to the lower pressure point within the operating pressure band:
t=V(p1-p2)/C*pa
Where,
t= time, mins
If air is supplied to the air receiver during the time interval being evaluated, then the value of C
Air Compressor:
There are three types of air compressors generally used in the industry. These are as follows:
1. Centrifugal Compressors
2. Reciprocating Compressors
3. Rotary Screw Compressors
Centrifugal compressors are cost effective in large sizes only, can provide oil-free air delivery
and have the characteristic pressure curve with pressure decreasing as capacity increases.
The reciprocating compressors have effective multistep capacity control but has a high rst
cost with special foundations for vibrations and needs routine maintenance.
The rotary screw compressor is popular in instrument air service since it is a compact package
at a relatively low rst cost and provides oil-free air.
temperature. Therefore during periods of low air consumption, the compressor will need to be
unloaded with the discharge-to-suction bypass open (and if an over-run timer is tted, it can
stop the compressor in case it runs in unloaded condition for a pre-set period of time). With a
large sized air receiver, the compressor will be unloaded for a longer period of time thus
minimizing wear and tear associated with the compressor’s load/unload frequency or
start/stop frequency. Therefore the air receiver should be sized accordingly keeping in view
the associated wear/tear effect on the compressor and motor.
The atmospheric humidity entering the air compressor ends up in the air receiver which is
usually at a temperature below the dew point of the compressed air. Note that the pressure
dew point is higher than the atmospheric dew point resulting in water accumulation at the
bottom of the air receiver. This water is usually drained out through a liquid drain trap which
The balance line allows air which has entered the trap to be discharged back to the receiver.
Without the balance line, air binding can occur in the liquid trap.
The size of the liquid trap depends on the differential pressure across the trap and the
required discharge flow rate. The required discharge flow rate can be computed as follows:
Assume ambient air is at 14.5 psia, 70F and 70% relative humidity:
Now (0.022 moles/min) x 18 x (60/8.338) = 2.89 gallons per hour. This is the amount of water
to be discharged from the liquid trap at the bottom of the air receiver.
Conclusion:
The demand for compressed air may vary signi cantly at the plant. Therefore, the compressed
air system must be designed such that that all components in the system (compressor, air
dryer, air receiver and drain) are able to cope with the variation in demand. In this context, the
design tips provided in this paper may help the system designer.
Author
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