Compressed air dryers & filtration
Compressed air contains considerable quantities of water vapour which will condense to liquid as it cools, causing pipework corrosion and damage to any equipment using the air. This can be addressed by installing an appropriate refrigerant or desiccant dryer to provide additional cooling to prevent any water contamination occurring. The atmosphere in an industrial environment can contain up to 140 million contaminant particles in every cubic metre, most of which are too fine to be trapped by the compressor intake filter. Many current applications require air quality to a much higher standard (i.e. NHS HTM2022, BS7226 1989, ISO 8573.1) which can only be obtained by installing appropriate filters downstream to remove any remaining dirt and oil contaminants.
Compressed air storage receivers
Our range of Hydrovane compressors come with the option of an air receiver because unlike other types of compressors with pulsating air delivery (i.e. rotary screw or piston units}, Hydrovane's deliver smooth pulse free air and can thus be run without a tank. This means that stand alone Hydrovane compressors require no expensive annual Pressure System Safety Regulations 2000 compliance services. The only benefit of using an air receiver with a Hydrovane is in cases of intermittent or highly fluctuating air demand, where one then has the option to run the machine in stop/start mode to save on power. It is worth noting however that if a compressor restarts more than 8-10 times an hour then it is more energy efficient to operate it in constant run, due to the high power consumption on start-up.
Pressure system safety regulations 2000 & water resources act 1991
Since 2000 companies operating an air receiver need to have documented proof of compliance with the Pressure System Safety Regulations which cover design, manufacture, installation, operation, examination and maintenance. Your records must show that they are being operated and maintained in a satisfactory manner and regularly examined in compliance with the current legislation. Since 1991 the disposal of oil contaminated condensate has been controlled by the Water Resources Act, making it illegal to discharge any untreated condensate from your compressor into sewers, drains or soil. A litre of condensate is sufficient for spoiling 1,000,000 litres of drinking water so breaches of these regulations can result in substantial fines. We can provide cost effective solutions for regulatory compliance on both these issues and total peace of mind against prosecution.

