Condensate Treatment

 

A wide range of condensate treatment technologies

Correctly discharging and disposing of the condensate which occurs in a compressed air network is a critical part of keeping the network functioning properly and at the the correct network pressure. This all too often overlooked part of the process is essential to keep the network running at peak efficiency, this section explains the role of the condensate drain in the compressed air network.

As we have seen, compressed air contains impurities such as water, oil and tiny particles which occur naturally in the air around us or which are introduced into the air stream by the compression process, like rust and pipe scale. CompAir air treatment products remove these impurities, air dryers, use different technologies to dry the air & remove the water vapour and air filters, remove solid particles.

Once water and particles are removed from the airstream, it is the job of the condensate drain to drain away this condensate mixture so that it can be disposed of in the correct way. The condensate is usually drained into an oil/water separator so that the oil can be disposed of correctly. Only then is the compressed air ready to be used by the production process. The condensate drain is a special type of valve which can run in a variety of ways depending on the type of installation. For example the drain can be set to run on a timer to drain the condensate away at defined intervals, unpowered drains can work without a power source, a compressed air energy saver can be connected to say a light switch which will shut the drain off when the lights are switched out at the end of a shift to avoid pressure losses (read more below).

Our electronic condensate drains are designed to work for compressed air and industrial gases too. They are especially and significantly designed to work in conjunction with compressed air filters, refrigeration dryers, wet air receivers and after coolers to reduce compressed air leaks.

left to right: the air compressor, air tank or receiver, immediately to the right of the tank on the floor is a condensate drain to drain the condensate from the air tank. To the right of this is the air dryer to remove the moisture from the compressed air, both drain and dryer are connected to the oil/water separator on the far right.