A client called me, asking, “Is an air filter necessary on an air compressor?
I answered yes. I told my client that the air that the compressor takes in is dirty and must be properly cleaned to avoid damage to the compressor itself. Dirty air is capable of causing serious damage to the engine.
When my air compressor air filter clogged, I removed it. I stopped using it until I saw a replacement because it would cause serious damage to the compressor components.
But what will happens if you use wrong air filter, to read the article click here.
Below, I will explain in more detail why an air compressor requires an air filter.
Importance Of Air Filter On Air Compressors
Filters for air compressors are necessary for two simple reasons: to produce quality compressed air and to avoid damaging equipment, pipes, and tools.
80% of the time, water vapor, microorganisms, and volatile particles in the air pass through the compressor inlet filter undisturbed.
Therefore, if our compressor does not have the appropriate filter, all these mentioned particles will mix on their way with water, oil, and other contaminants resulting from corrosion and, over time, will reduce production.
Compressed air filtration plays a hugely important role in any compressor installation.
A high-quality compressor air filter will protect your system from particles, dirt, dust, solid particles, and oil.
Harmful contaminants like these can cause damage to your equipment and subsequent machinery, wearing down parts and causing blockages.
Contamination can affect your manufactured product without a filter, causing lost production and inevitably leaving you with a hefty bill.
Therefore, high-performance filters must be used. Poor-quality filters can offer reduced performance, causing large pressure drops and increasing your energy bill.
How Do You Choose An Air Compressor Filter
When choosing an air filter for your compressor, we must consider factors such as flow, pressure, temperature, or the presence of water and steam.
Producing clean, quality compressed air is important.
Even if it does not come into contact with the product or our application does not require compressed air of a certain purity, having an air filter prevents the deterioration of equipment and tools.
Air filters are tested in laboratories where environmental conditions are highly controlled.
The tests are conducted at 20 degrees with inlet air at 7 bar pressure.
However, in the real world, it is to be expected that these conditions will be different, and therefore the performance of the filter will be distorted.
When choosing an air filter, we must consider factors such as flow, pressure, temperature, or the presence of water and steam.
What Are The Different Types Of Filter For Compressed Air System
Different types of filters depend on the filtration class, the materials, and the structure of the filter elements.
1. Ceramic Filters: Ceramic filters are used with reciprocating piston compressors, with poor air quality. The filtering elements are ceramic candles, and their filtering capacity is over 5 microns.
2. Water Separator Filters: Water separator filters remove large amounts of condensate, such as that generated in compressor aftercoolers caused by compressed air cooling.
3. Coalescing Filters: Coalescing filters are mainly used to remove particles and hydrocarbons according to their degree of filtration, although they also remove part of the moisture from compressed air.
4. Activated Carbon Filters and Towers: activated carbon filters and towers remove hydrocarbon vapors and odors.
5. Sterile and Steam Filters: sterile filters retain bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms. Sterile filter housings must be made of stainless steel.
WHY CHOOSE A FILTER LUBRICATOR
Why choose a filter lubricator?
In addition to cleaning the air, the lubrication filters also lubricate it.
That is made possible by a lubricator built into the filter.
Lubrication filters are compact, easy to install, and inexpensive.
They are usually equipped with a tank of about 150 ml. It represents an advantage over traditional lubrication methods as it saves time.
It will prevent damage to the pneumatic equipment caused by moisture, rust, or limescale.
Final Thought
The explanation from the article has helped you to know the importance of air in an air compressor.
Don’t forget that you are not allowed to use the wrong air filter size.
The article also answers what air filters must be the exact size and how you will know the desired filter.
Click here to read if you can re-use the air filter.