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Technology, Nitrogen Generators

Make the Smart Choice, not the Easy Choice, with Instrument Air

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There are often a number of solutions to accomplish the same or similar tasks, as summed up in the unfortunate adage about cats and their skin. However, the outlet of multiple options usually comes with the reality that, even though there is an alternative way of doing something, it may not actually be the right way of doing something.

Compressed air use is a great example of this – or, rather, the misuse of compressed air is a great example. Unfortunately, misuse can be a prevalent problem in production environments where overzealous armchair engineers find creative solutions to everyday challenges. And, while these solutions may address the challenge at hand, it often comes at the expense of resources.

And that’s exactly the case with the use of nitrogen as instrument air. Plant air, the compressed air muscle driving any number of machines, operations and end uses, depending on the facility, does not always have to be extremely clean or dry. And it’s usually in demand or required in large volumes. While instrument air, used for pneumatic instrumentation, needs to be clean and dry to maintain the integrity of its performance – for use as a control valve positioner where dirt or impurities could impact its feedback, or in an outdoor, cold-weather climate where dew point factors and frozen condensation in the instrument air could stop it from functioning.

On the surface, using nitrogen for instrument air would seem like a no-brainer. By its inherent properties, nitrogen is absolutely, positively, 100 percent dry, having undergone a cryogenic distillation process. But it’s also an incredible waste of resources (and good nitrogen).

Instead, it makes much more economical sense to make compressed air dry for use as instrument air by using a dryer. The most common dryer used in small to medium applications is a desiccant dryer. (Note: it is never advisable to use plant air as a direct source of instrument air without proper filtration and dehumidification.)

So stick to clean, dry compressed air for use as instrument air. What might initially seem like a good shortcut could have significant financial impacts – equipment failures, downtime, etc. – in the end.

 

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