Condensate Treatment

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's 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.

Please download the brochure under the downloads tab for full product specifications.

There is great flexibility in having these drains available as stand-alone equipment. They can be installed quickly as and when needed and they require very little maintenance. However, condensate draining equipment should not be considered as an optional afterthought. It is more than a nice feature to have in a well equipped air compressor set-up. The best compressed air system, comprising of the highest quality compressors, dryers and filters, still needs to have the condensate discharged.

Without condensate treatment, your compressed air system can end up providing an inconsistent supply of dry air. With condensate, there is a high likelihood of production problems occurring. This can include rust and corrosion and in cold weather there is the possibility of freezing.

It also happens that during the process of compressing air, the condensate is compressed and discharged at elevated temperatures in a saturated state. As the air cools through aftercoolers, dryers, or pipelines, the steam condensate turns into a liquid form which then mixes with any normal oil carryover from the compressor. The condensate becomes contaminated by the oil and must be treated before expelling it into a sewer system or onto the ground. The oil must be separated from the condensate and only the condensate can be expelled. The oil must be reclaimed and disposed of in an environmentally safe manner.

In every compressed air system, water is the single largest contaminant and often the most obvious. Removing this liquid condensate from the system can be a high energy consuming area if not managed correctly, so we have different products available to meet your commercial needs which minimize any air losses, and which can be tailored to any compressed air network, the end result is saving money.

Please download the product literature under the downloads tab for the full technical details of each CompAir condensate drain range.