Contaminated compressed air wreaks havoc on any pneumatics system and the importance of high quality compressed air has never been greater. Contamination drastically shortens the life of pneumatically driven equipment, driving up costs and decreasing profits. Failed pneumatic equipment leads to unplanned stoppages that impact on plant efficiency and disrupt routine maintenance cycles. If an air line is infected with water for as little as 24 hours, it can take up to 30 days to dry out. Oil is an even bigger problem and can infect an air distribution system for years; and in contaminated systems drain valves are often left open to remove oily water condensate from the air line, increasing the demand for more expensive compressed air.
A 200 kW air compressor serviced by an OEM costs around R1,3 m a year to operate, assuming a 24/7/365 scenario with power at R0,84/kWhr (purchase and installation costs excluded). This is equivalent to R0,12 /m³ of air. The cost of treating compressed air is considerably less than that and it makes economic sense to treat and maintain compressed air in order to save on expensive servicing.
Twenty years ago there were only five or six air dryer suppliers in South Africa. Many new suppliers are now entering the air treatment industry, importing equipment from all parts of the world. In a recent review at least 26 companies were found to be offering air treatment equipment, some good and some of very poor quality with dew point tolerances from 10 to 15°C – at this level it is hard to call it an air dryer.
A well designed and maintained compressed air drying and filter system will avoid these problems. This can be achieved through a partnership with an experienced, specialised service provider offering advanced air treatment solutions as well as air audits, leak detection surveys and monitoring equipment. The right supply partner will help reduce downtime and drastically decrease equipment failure.
All these services can be supplied by Artic Driers, a company which is considered to be a market innovator in the compressed air treatment industry.
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