What is condensate?
Water condensation is a natural occurrence and a byproduct of compressing air. All oil-lubricated air compressors produce compressed air that holds contaminants within it. These include particles, water droplets, water vapour, oil droplets and oil vapour.
As the temperature of the compressed air drops, water and oil vapour will condense and mix with water and oil droplets to form ‘condensate’, an emulsified combination of oil and water. This condensate as it contain tiny particles of oil is therefore classified as contaminated waste. Condensate from compressed air systems needs to be disposed of correctly and legally. Disposing of this incorrectly is not only damaging to the environment but you could also incur up to £20,000 fine and damage reputation to your company.
What does a condensate management system do?
As condensate flows in, the oil is filtered out through various filtration elements. The first oil adsorbing element has a clever saturation indicating feature, offering you a visual indication of the elements’ saturation level. Final separation stages include a second polypropylene element and specially selected activated carbon to polish out the remaining contaminants. The elements are designed to combine various types of adsorption technologies to achieve less than 10ppm oil residue values at the output stage.
Our FAQs answers if you need a condensate management system
The Avelair condensate management system
The Avelair condensate management system is used for collection and purification of oil contaminated water, which is created by almost all compressed air systems, to the legal discharge limits. The Avelair range covers compressed air systems up to 7000 m³/hr.
Main features & benefits of a condensate management system:
- A coalescing filter improves oil separation for longer compliance with legal discharge limits
- Long residence time ensures excellent gravity separation
- Extreme generous filling with activated carbon ensures long service intervals
Industries
- Chemical and pharmaceutical industry
- Assembly and manufacturing
- Surface finishing
- Machine building industry and plant engineering / construction
- Energy and power generation
- Automotive
Download Condensate BCAS factsheet