In many industries, the atmosphere, though safe to breath, may be unsafe for an electrical spark. These areas often have pneumatically operated equipment for safety. And that equipment needs a source of clean dry air or as it is called in the industry, Instrument Grade Air. Plants typically have a centralized instrument grade air line that delivers air to the instruments that need it. However, oftentimes the instrument grade air is of inferior quality and contaminated with water. This air will benefit from a point of use drying system that guarantees instrument grade air. Traditional drying systems using PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) or refrigerant require expensive modifications to operate within hazardous areas. Air dryers made from hollow fiber membranes can dry compressed air without the use of electricity and are therefore safe for hazardous environments.Hazardous locations have or could potentially have high concentrations of flammable gases, vapors, combustible dusts or ignitable fibers and flyings. Refineries, chemical processing plants, mines and grain mills are examples of industries with hazardous atmospheres. Even a small spark can lead to a horrific explosion dangerous to equipment and workers in the area.
Read the rest of the Parker Balston white paper in the embedded document below, or download your PDF version of "Drying Compressed Air In Hazardous Atmospheres" here.
For more information, visit https://classiccontrols.com or call 863-644-3642.
