“Instrument Quality Air”

“Group 4”
The member :
1. Fahmi Habibullah (181440003)
2. M Iqbal Fitriolan (181440012)
3. Natasya Aisah S (181440015)
4. Yoslin E Konoralma (181440023)
Instrument Quality Air

Pneumatic instruments are designed to run on a pressurized flow of instrument guality air or other gases.
For example, some installations would use nitrogen. Instrument guality air is air that is clean and dry to specified
standards.
Environmental conditions can affect the guality of the air used in pneumatic instruments. If the air inlet
source is located in an area containing chemical fumes or contaminants, dust or dirt, or steam, the air entering the
system may be dirty or moist. Weather conditions can also affect the air. Wind shifts can cause contaminated air to
circulate near the inlet source. Changes in humidity and temperature can affect the moisture in the air supply. In
some cases, freezing can result.
The air entering the pneumatic system must be processed to ensure that it will be of instrument guality.
The four factors that are used to determine the guality of instrument air are:
• moisture content.
• particle size.
• oil content.
• contaminants.
Instrument Quality Air

Too much moisture in the air can cause rust, sludge, or ice formation in an air supply system. When
such conditions exist, problems will arise throughout a pneumatic instrument system. Moisture can cause rust to
form in the air lines. Particles of rust can be sent down the lines where they might block passages and orifices in
instrtuments or the supply lines themselves.

If particles suspended in instrument air are too large or too numerous, the air passage and orifices can be
come clogged or worn. Particles found in the air can include pipe scale, weld slag, gasket material, dirt, and dust.
According to ISA standard on instrument guality air, particles in the air stream cannot be larger than 3 micrometers.

Oil in instrument air may affect the performance of pneumatic instruments. Oil can block filters, coat
desiccant, stop drains, and plug orifices. It can also cause sludge and lacguering, which is a hardened, shiny black
film of oil and dirt deposits. ISA standards reguire that oil or hydrocarbon content should beas close to zero as
possible. In no case should oil or hydrocarbon content exceed 1 ppm under normal operating conditions.
Instrument Quality Air

Contaminants such as ozone and other gases in instrument air can damage pneumatic instruments by
causing some parts to harden. Flammable gases can be hazardous to eguipment and personnel, and toxic gases may
cause injury to personnel. The ISA standard for instrument guality air states that there should be no corrosive or toxic
contaminants in the air supply.

To provide pneumatic instruments with an adeguate flow of instrument guality air at the appropriate
pressure, an air supply system is needed. The components of the air supply system and their arrangement may vary
in different instrument air supply system to fit the specific needs of each system.
Air supply system
Look at the following picture of an air supply system :
A typical air supply system may include:

Compressor
The compressor takes in air from the environment and increases the pressure by compressing it. Air compressors
fall into three categories:
1. Oil-lubricated compressors are usually used when you need maximum lubrication to prevent wear. This type of
compressor can have a problem with oil escaping from the piston rings into the air supply. The oil may vaporiz
e because the air compressor is hot. When the pressure is reduced further downstream, the oil condenses.
2. Water-lubricated air compressors are generally used in systems that cannot tolerate oil. Water used as lubricant
is not as effective as oil. Water evaporates more easily than oil and thus can get in the system air.
3. Non-lubricated compressors do not use traditional lubricants. They are constructed of materials that do not use
lubrication such as carbon/Teflon piston rings. There are minimal problems with oil in the air supply, but this
type of compressor wears more guickly due to its design.
A typical air supply system may include:

Aftercooler
Compressing the air causes it to increase in temperature. Therefore, air coming out of the compressor may be hotter
than desired. The hot air usually goes to an aftercooler for cooling. The aftercooler is a heat exchanger that removes
the heat from the air, thus reducing the air temperature.

Separator
Cooling can cause water vapor to condense, so the air is usually directed through a separator. The separator removes
some of the moisture formed as a result of the cooling process. Oil that may have been present in the air can also be
removed in the separator.

Receiver
From the separator, the air may flow to a receiver. The receiver is a tank where the cooled, partially dried air is store
d at system pressure. Water, oil, and dirt particles may settle out while the air is in the receiver. A drain trap at the
bottom releases these particles.
A typical air supply system may include:

Prefilters
From the receiver, the air may flow to a prefilter. The prefilter removes more moisture, particles, oil, and contamin
ants from the air. This is the component for removing materials from the air to prepare it for the air dryer.

Air Dryer
The air dryer is the component for removing moisture from the air. In the air dryer, air is dried to the specified sta-
ndards for instrument guality air. From the air dryer, the air may flow to an afterfilter. The afterfilter removes any
small particles that may bein the air after it leaves the dryer.
A typical air supply system may include:

Afterfilter
Once through the afterfilter, the air has been cleaned and dried to a specified standard and is considered instrument
guality air. This air flows to the regulator. The regulator regulates the air pressure to reguired line pressure. Because
some instruments may be designed to operate on a lower pressure than line pressure, individual instrtuments may
have their own filters and regulators to further modify air to meet their specific reguirements.

Proper maintenance of the instrument air supply sytem helps to ensure that the air will meet instrument guality
standards.
THANKYOUU