Compressed Air Filters & Downstream Equipment to ISO8573 Quality Standards

• A thorough understanding of air quality and testing standards is essential in compressor system planning.
• Which standards you should apply will always depend on the purification you seek to achieve.
• Air filters & downstream equipment from Mid-Tech help you achieve ISO8573 quality standards.

What are ISO standards important?

ISO (International Standards Organisation) are the world’s largest developer and publisher of  standards that are internationally agreed upon by experts. They ensure that only the best standards of practice that affect quality assurance, environmental management, health and safety, food safety, and more, are adhered to universally across any industry.

ISO standards are particularly useful for determining purity levels for individual applications and industries such as food and beverage, transportation, oil and gas, healthcare, manufacturing, chemical processing, and a whole host of other industrial applications where compressed air plays a crucial role. Experts can advise on the required purity level according to ISO guidelines to match the exact application requirements, ensuring accordance with the standard.

What is ISO8573?

This is the international standard that relates to compressed air quality. It is broken down into nine separate parts. Part 1 relates to the specific quality classifications of compressed air and the other parts discuss the various methods of testing for a range of contaminants.

What are the contaminants?

Contamination can affect your air output from a variety of sources including the atmospheric air in your plant, the actual compressor system, the air receiver, and the pipework and distribution system. Through these sources, contaminants such as solid particulates, water, and oil can pollute the compressed air and alter its purity.

When planning a compressed air system, it is particularly important that you are aware of the specific contaminants you aim to remove as this will affect the downstream equipment and other purification and air treatment accessories you will need to include in your installation. 

The main contaminants are:

• Atmospheric dirt – atmospheric air in an industrial plant can be a key source of dust and dirt. Every cubic metre of air can contain up to 140 million dirt particles which are too small to be captured by the intake filter.
• Water – either as a vapour, liquid, or aerosol, water poses a high potential for contamination. When cooled after compression, vapour will condense into a liquid.
• Oil – again, this can be as a vapour, liquid or aerosol. Atmospheric air contains trace amounts of oil in the form of unburned hydrocarbons which can be drawn into the compressor intake. Additionally, in lubricated compressors, compressor oil is carried over into the air system as a liquid or aerosol and can affect purity levels.
• Rust and pipe scale – receivers and pipework can rust and cause blockages in production, leading to final product contamination.
• Microorganisms – bacteria is present in atmospheric air and may be drawn into the system.

Specifying air purity

When it comes to planning a system from your unique industry application, ISO8573 employs 10 classes that are numbered from 0 to 9, with Class O being the purest option. Each class indicates a specific allowable amount of each contaminant in a cubic metre of compressed air.

Class 1 to 9 are universally recognised levels, Class 0, however, differs slightly in that it allows people to agree their own contamination level, as long as it surpasses the standards set out in Class 1.

When choosing products that claim Class 0 efficiency, it’s important to remember that this does not necessarily mean zero contamination, but it does guarantee cleaner air than Class 1. It’s also useful to note that the Class 0 specification should state which contaminant the classification refers to e.g. water, oil, etc. This can help in choosing specific treatment equipment to clean the air in the way you wish.

System design

To achieve a system that produces air to the stringent quality needed for many modern facilities, whilst also yielding cost effective results for businesses, a carefully thought out approach to design, planning, and installation is needed.

Mid-Tech are an accomplished industrial air compressor distributor who specialise in end to end compressed air solutions for our clients. We can design and install a system that will adhere to your air quality requirements, efficiency expectations, application, and budget.

We can use our product expertise to recommend an air treatment approach that will meet the high standards required of even the strictest applications. We recommend treatment throughout the process. By treating air prior to use you can ensure a high level of protection for your air receivers and distribution system, protecting your investment. Point of use purification is also recommended for achieving the specific ISO Class level you require.

Compressed air filters and downstream equipment

Air filters are one of the main forms of filtration that is essential in your plant. They stop liquids, solids, and other contaminants from entering your air compressor and causing damage to the equipment as well as polluting your air output.

Coalescing filters are one of the most important types of filter in your installation as they can treat many of the main contaminants found in a compressed air system. These filters remove atmospheric particulate, rust, pipe scale, microorganisms, and aerosols of oil and water, making them an essential part of any efficient plant. They are also great for protecting downstream equipment that further cleans the air such as refrigeration and adsorption air dryers.

Equipment selection

ISO standardisation of critical performance variables means that consumers can accurately and easily compare equipment performance across suppliers and make the best selection according to their needs.

Trust a professional

For expert advice and guidance from factory-trained industry experts, trust Mid-Tech. Our team of professional engineers can help with design, installation, maintenance, and servicing of air compressors and vacuum pumps to ISO8573 quality standards.

Get in touch to speak to a specialist member of the team, call us on our freephone 0800 028 8366 or click here to contact us online.