Festo

Air Quality Service
Frequently Asked Questions

 




Why is the air quality in a pneumatic system so important?
Compressed air is used in every industrial production facility, but its quality varies widely. The optimum operation of pneumatic systems demands not only the correct pressure and flow rate, but also the right values for parameters such as particle, residual moisture and residual oil content. The impact of bad air quality is that it doesn’t affect a single pneumatic device. It affects them all. Oftentimes the lifetime of banks of valves and actuators are affected throughout a production facility:

  • A flood of oil, caused by an undiscovered failure at the oil separator on an air compressor, can flood hundreds of valves and actuators, damaging them all.
  • Moisture is the carrier of contaminants like particulates and oil. That is when damage occurs. When this contaminated air reaches pneumatic systems with rubber parts, they can swell, harden or crack. Valves will slow down, leak or stop working completely.
  • Solid particles in compressed air (e.g. rust) can cause increased friction, which in turn can cause pneumatic valves to malfunction. After the valve, the particles can get to the actuator and damage the seals in the piston due to its abrasiveness.

Optimum air quality is therefore crucial to enjoy the benefits of pneumatic drive technology. To achieve this, an analysis of the air supply at the point of consumption – either before putting new equipment into service or on a regular basis as part of an air service contract is necessary. Derived from this analysis a plan can be developed for improvement.


How does the Festo Air Quality Analysis Service help users of pneumatic components?
The Air Quality Service offers end users the opportunity to receive an analysis of the quality of the compressed air, at the points of air consumption. It measures the oil and water content at multiple points in the air distribution system, inspecting all air treatment units and filters. Taking into consideration what pneumatic components are present, an air quality improvement plan is developed to ensure the best working conditions for pneumatics.

What exactly are the benefits of the Festo Air Consumption Analysis Service?
Poor air quality is the leading cause of premature pneumatic component failures. Component failures create non-conforming products and will require machine downtime for repair, resulting in higher maintenance costs and reduced productivity. To evaluate the quality of the compressed air and to derive conclusions for an improvement plan the service is conducted in several steps:

  • Inspect air preparation units on demand side
  • Inspection of filters and dryers
  • Installation of measurement equipment
  • Measurement of oil and water content
  • Calculation of the pressure dew point
  • Development of a new air treatment improvement plan to achieve new goals

Within one service project up to 10 measurements can be performed. During the service two different tests are performed. Those tests can be performed at different machines:

  • A humidity test. The humidity test allows the pressure dew drop point and water concentration in the air in accordance with ISO 8573 to be found
  • An oil content test. The oil test finds the oil concentration in the air in accordance with ISO 8573.

The results of those tests will be documented in a comprehensive report with photos detailing information on the location of the measurement, air quality measuring results and recommendations.

What are the basic requirements for project consideration?
The successful conductance of the Air Quality Service requires a little assistance of the customer. Since we analyze the quality of the compressed air at different locations we must be able to access the airline in question via T-connection. Most importantly, the customer should provide us with the names of all oils that are being used in the system (compressor oils).

How much downtime is required to install/remove the test equipment?
None! The equipment for this service does not require an in line hookup, but a T-connection. Any quickstar size connector we can work with.

Do customers need to use Festo components exclusively?
No, the air quality service can be used on machines with any pneumatic manufacturer’s components.

What if I want Festo to do this service on all my machines on a regular basis?
This is possible as a part of a service contract.
© 2008 Festo Corporation