Instrumented compressed air quality monitoring
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How to measure oil content and dust content?
Air compressors typically come equipped with auxiliary devices for filtering, water removal, and oil removal. The compressed air resulting from this treatment is suitable for use in instruments, and no monitoring is required; it is sufficient to regularly check the operation of the air compressor unit.
Conclusions are generally drawn from sampling, testing, and analysis. If you really want to monitor it, you can use an online analyzer.
It seems that there are no monitoring devices for the dust and moisture content in instrument air; generally, only the pressure of the instrument air is monitored. If the instrument air source is not clean, an air filtration unit can be installed, and regular cleaning will resolve the issue
We, who are exposed to dust, have used laser particle analyzers to determine the size of particulate impurities, while the oil content can be measured regularly using chromatographic analysis.
The compressed air used for instruments is generally dried, filtered, and treated with oil through molecular sieves. Regular inspections are carried out to monitor the temperature of the drying tower; sediment and water are removed on a scheduled basis each day. The molecular sieves and filter felts are replaced periodically to ensure the quality of the air used in the instruments. No special analysis instruments are required; moreover, online analysis instruments are too expensive. There’s no need.
No online analysis is required. Sampling and analysis can be carried out regularly by the control center.
Generally, instrument air isn’t tested for these things. If you’re really worried, use the simplest method: take a piece of white cloth, place it in front of the air outlet, and let the instrument air blow on it for a while. Check if the cloth gets dirty; that will tell you whether the instrument air or its ducts are clean or not. Hehe