Purity You Can Trust. Reliability You Demand.

Oil-Free Compressed Air in Refineries and Downstream Chemical Processing

In refining and chemical industries, process reliability and product quality are non-negotiable. Facilities are facing pressure to reduce risk, meet stringent regulatory standards, and maintain peak uptime in complex environments.

In oil refining not all compressed air is created equal. When air is contaminated with even trace amounts of oil, the consequences can be severe, from product recalls to equipment failures and environmental violations. This is where oil-free compressed air systems come in as a trusted solution to protect what matters most: product integrity, process safety, and continuous operation.

Why Oil-Free Compressed Air Matters

Compressed air supports countless crucial processes in refineries and downstream chemical plants: instrumentation, pneumatic conveying, nitrogen generation, packaging, mixing, sparging, and more. In many of these applications, air purity directly affects the safety, quality, and efficiency of the entire operation.

Conventional oil-injected compressors introduce a risk of oil contamination in the compressed air stream. Even with filtration, complete removal of oil aerosols, vapors, and particulates is not guaranteed. Over time, these contaminants can:

• Compromise chemical formulas or contaminate end products
• Clog sensitive instrumentation and control valves
• Accelerate wear and corrosion on equipment
• Pose fire or explosion risks in volatile environments
• Lead to costly shutdowns, rework, or regulatory penalties

With 100% oil-free compressed air, these risks are effectively eliminated. The result? A system you can trust to deliver air that meets the highest standards of purity all day, every day.

Meeting Stringent Industry Standards

In most applications, assumptions aren’t enough. That’s why the ISO 8573-1 Class 0 standard was developed to certify that an air compressor introduces zero oil contamination into the compressed air stream.

Oil-free compressors that are Class 0 certified undergo rigorous third-party testing to verify their performance. This certification is especially important for:

• Refineries with downstream integration (e.g., lubricants, petrochemicals, plastics)
• Chemical plants producing high-purity or hazardous materials
• Facilities operating under FDA, GMP, or EPA oversight
• Plants located in regions with strict environmental regulations

Oil-free systems provide a tested, dependable foundation for maintaining air quality compliance, avoiding contamination-related incidents, and building stakeholder confidence.

Process Safety Starts with Air Purity

Refining and chemical processing environments are inherently high-risk. Compressed air is often used in applications where purity isn’t just a quality issue but it’s a safety imperative.

Here’s how oil-free air protects your operation:

1. Instrument Air Systems

Control valves, actuators, and analyzers depend on clean, dry air to operate consistently. Oil contamination can lead to false readings, valve sticking, and unplanned maintenance putting people, equipment, and the environment at risk.

2. Catalyst Handling and Pneumatic Conveying

In fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) or polyolefin production, contaminated air can damage catalysts, affect polymerization reactions, or lead to batch rejection.

3. Sparging and Aeration

When compressed air is injected directly into a process stream, even microscopic oil particles can compromise chemical purity or alter product behavior.

4. Explosion Risk Reduction

Oil aerosols in high-pressure environments can create flammable mixtures. Oil-free compressors eliminate this fire hazard at the source.

Operational Uptime You Can Depend On

Every minute of unplanned downtime costs money. In large-scale refining and chemical operations, the cost of lost production can reach hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of dollars per day.

Oil-free compressors are designed with high reliability and low maintenance requirements in mind. With fewer components exposed to oil and less wear over time, these systems support:

• Longer service intervals
• More stable performance across operating conditions
• Simplified compliance with maintenance and audit schedules
• Reduced filtration and condensate treatment requirements

And when integrated with advanced monitoring and control systems, oil-free compressors give plant operators greater visibility and control over compressed air performance, energy usage, and fault detection.

Purity You Can Trust. Reliability You Demand.

When it comes to Oil and Gas, oil-free compressed air is more than a best practice, it’s a critical enabler of process integrity, regulatory compliance, and business continuity. In refining and downstream chemical plants, where even a small failure can have large-scale consequences, the quality of your compressed air system matters.

With Class 0 certified oil-free compressors, you get the assurance of purity and the reliability you need to keep your plant running safely, smoothly, and profitably.

Ready to protect your process with oil-free air? Contact us to schedule a system assessment or learn more about our range of oil-free compressor solutions engineered for the refining and chemical industries.