processing

Compressed air in

Increasingly rigorous compressed air

purity standards are being introduced
worldwide to help guarantee product
and process quality throughout
industry in general, and the food
industry in particular. But this
doesnt mean manufacturers and
processors have to panic. John Davis
explains.

Winds of change are sweeping towards

Australian industry as workplace and environmental regulations are introduced to
govern the quality of that most common
industrial utility, compressed air.
First there was the new International
Standards Organisation ISO 8573.1: 2001
Compressed Air Quality Standard which
while not a law in itself is one of
the foundations on which international
best practice is established.
Then another step in the education
and understanding process was taken
when the internationally respected British
Compressed Air Society (BCAS)/British
Retail Consortium (BRC) published a Food
Grade Compressed Air Code of Practice
designed to help food manufacturers and
processors by providing recommended levels
of air quality.
Both these developments are relevant
to Australia because the changes they lead
to will filter their way Down Under via
the practices and requirements of leading
companies that are usually first to adopt
these major changes and to subsequently
require them of their suppliers.
As with any new regulations, or codes
of practice, manufacturers and processors
will be concerned about existing equipment and may find new product selection
a minefield.
In reality, the majority of existing compressed air systems may already comply, or
can be easily and cost-effectively updated
to satisfy the new requirements with air
treatment equipment such as high-efficiency
compressed air filters and dryers.

What is the main contaminant in

compressed air?
As air is compressed, large volumes of
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wet atmospheric air are drawn into the

compressed air system which, when cooled
in storage vessels and distribution piping,
condense into liquid water, making this the
major contaminant in the compressed air
system. If this bulk water is not removed,
it can lead to corrosion of the distribution system and blocked or frozen valves
and machinery, and can ruin finished
products.
More important is the fact that water provides the ideal environment for the growth
of microorganisms including bacteria.
How big is the water problem? Up to
99.9% of the total liquid contamination
found in a compressed air system is water
and the volume of water condensed in the
system is staggering.
In a typically-sized manufacturing unit,
a compressor and refrigeration dryer combination can produce over 100,000 litres
of liquid condensate per year.
The volume of condensate increases
significantly for larger compressor systems,
or during operation on hot, humid days.

So what about oil?

Food-grade compressed air does not need to
be oil free, nor does it need to comply to
ISO 8573.1 Class 0 and, because it accounts
for only 0.1% of liquid contamination, it
can easily be removed using filtration.

Meeting new regulations

Coalescing filters are probably the most
important items of purification equipment
in a compressed air system. Designed to
remove aerosols (droplets) of water and oil,
they have the additional benefit of removing
solid particulate and microorganisms.
Installed in pairs, most users believe one

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19/03/2007 9:11:11 AM

processing

food plants
Should food manufacturers be
concerned by ISO standards
for air quality?
The BCAS/BRC code of practice is
aligned with the compressed air purity
levels shown in ISO 8573.1:2001 and
although not directly stated, the purity
level for air that is in direct contact
with food or could come into contact
with food is equivalent to ISO 8573.1
Class 2.2.1, whilst air that will never
come in contact with food is ISO 8573.1
Class 2.4.1.
Additionally, test methods in the
code refer to the test methods of the
ISO standard.

As with any new regulations, or codes of practice, manufacturers and

processors will be concerned about existing equipment and may find new
product selection a minefield.
to be an oil removal filter and the other
to be a particulate filter, when in fact the
first one is a general-purpose filter used
to protect the high-efficiency filter against
bulk contamination.
This dual filter installation ensures a
continuous supply of high-quality compressed air with low operational costs and
minimal maintenance.

Do filters remove all

contaminants?
No, water vapour is water in a gaseous
form and is removed from compressed
air using a dryer, its performance being
measured as pressure dewpoint.
A pressure dewpoint of less than 26C
will not only prevent corrosion, it will
also inhibit the growth of microorganisms within the compressed air system
and for this reason, the British Code of
Practice recommends a pressure dewpoint
of -40C or better for air in direct contact
with food, which is only achievable with
a desiccant dryer.
Refrigeration dryers are also available,
however they can only achieve dewpoints
down to +3C and are therefore only
used for air that will not come into direct
contact with food.
A word of warning: desiccant and
refrigeration dryers are only designed to
remove water vapour, not liquid water,
therefore they require coalescing filters to
work effectively.

How important is the

compressor type to air quality?
No matter what type of compressor is
installed, they all draw in large amounts
of airborne contamination and therefore
the level of air purification equipment is
not dependent on the type of compressor
installed.
Adequate filtration and separation
products will always be required to remove
the large volume of dirty contaminated
water as well as dust, rust, pipe-scale and
microbiological contamination.

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Do food manufacturers need

to comply with ISO 8573.1
Class 0?
No, the BCAS/BRC Code of Practice
recommends minimum acceptable levels of compressed air quality, which is
specific to the food industry and does
not require the extra expense required
to meet Class 0.

How can food manufacturers

comply with requirements such
as the Code of Practice?
It is important to remember, the aim
of such Codes is to provide air quality
recommendations to the food industry
that will protect both the manufacturer
and the consumer, not to over-specify
air quality in an attempt to sell plant
equipment. Compliance may require little
on the part of the food manufacturer as
many will find that they already comply
with most or all of the requirements.
A full audit of the compressed air
system should be conducted as part of
the HACCP process and where required,
equipment updated or additional purification added.
Remember that additional filters
can be installed simply and relatively
inexpensively at point of use. Costly
compressors do not have to be changed
in order to comply.
John Davis is business development
manager for domnick hunter Australia.

domnick hunter Australia

www.domnickhunter.com

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