In many sectors of industry, high quality and extremely clean air is required. Dust, humidity and oil must be removed from the compressed air in order to meet more stringent requirements. Dust and humidity can be removed downstream by means of compressed air treatment. This is an effective and popular method.

There are, however three methods that can be implemented in order to generate oil free compressed air. Competent advice will help you find the right method, ensuring the safest and most cost efficient means of generating oil free compressed air, for your application.

The most direct method of generating oil free compressed air is to opt for an oil free compressor. Oil free- screw or piston compressors are designed to compress air without coming into contact with oil.

Oil free screw compressors are so-called dry running units whose compression chamber is not lubricated and whose screws operate contact free. The highest precision in manufacture and production ensures optimum efficiency of this type of compression. Highly effective seals and the application of simple physical principles serve to ensure that no oil is able to penetrate into the compression chamber and pollute the compressed air. Oil free piston compressors operate with no oil at all. Bearings are filled with grease and encapsulated. When there is no oil, no oil can penetrate into the compressed air. The result in either case is zero contamination.

Where no oil free compressors are used or only a small amount of the compressed air produced has to be treated in a standalone system, it is recommended that a retrofit installation be put in place. Microfilters in combination with active charcoal filters or active charcoal adsorbers serve to remove liquid and vaporous oil from the compressed air. The result is oil free compressed air with a residual oil content which may even be below that of the ambient air. If properly serviced and maintained, this type of generation of oil free compressed air is able to fulfil many quality requirements.

The latest and third option to generate oil free compressed air is perhaps the most innovative method, i.e. through using oil lubricated standard compressors with a downstream catalytic converter. Any residual oil content in the compressed air, directly after leaving the compressor, is run through the catalytic converter where the long chain hydrocarbons are opened until only CO2 and H2O are left - two harmless substances that are also present in ambient air. The catalytic convertor itself is not subject to wear. The result is not only oil free compressed air but also the entire elimination of the oil and expensive downstream condensate treatment. Any condensate discharged after the catalyst is oil free.