What is the condensetion problem?
What is a condensation?
Hello everyone!
I am Yasutaka, the younger brother of Hirotsugu Kamata, who wrote the last blog! We are both brothers involved in WELLAIR. I will spell it out this time.
This month, I would like to talk a little about drains in the pneumatic industry.
What is a condensation anyway?
Well, first of all, what is a condensation?
To put it bluntly, it is drainage water coming out of machinery. Water drained from refrigerators, air conditioners, etc. is also a type of drain. The original word "drain" comes from the English word "drain," which means "to drain away.
In the pneumatic industry, drainage refers to water, oil, and debris in the long pipes that run throughout a factory.
Mechanism of condensate generation
This section describes the mechanism by which condensate is generated.
A compressor works as a power source for a plant by using air in the atmosphere to produce compressed air. At the same time, water vapor and dust in the atmosphere are taken in with it.
Water vapor becomes hot when compressed by the compressor. When it is cooled in the piping, it reaches the dew point temperature of water and water is generated. (condensation).
This water, along with compressed air, travels through the piping and enters the machine. The water and debris adhere to the cylinders and solenoid valves in the machine.
This adhesion of water and debris causes the cylinders and solenoid valves to rust, resulting in machine failure and malfunction.
General Resolution Methods
There are two main solutions for the site.
Filters
You see those mesh-like filters you often see on air conditioners? There is a method similar to that one, where a filter is attached to the front of the machine to remove water and debris. Since this method uses a mesh element, it needs to be replaced every year to half a year, resulting in high running costs.
Dryer
Compressed air contains a lot of atmospheric water vapor, which causes high humidity. Therefore, there is a method to reduce humidity by turning on a dryer after the compressor to prevent water from being generated in the piping.
While there are solutions like this, on the factory floor the problem of "water in the machine!" is a frequent problem.
So why is the drain problem not being solved?