When it comes to air compressor parts, it can be difficult to know exactly what you may need, and when you may need it. Below we take a look at air/oil separators; what they are, how they work, how to tell when you need a new one, and what products and services Edmac can provide. Show What is an Air/Oil Separator?To put it bluntly, an air/oil separator is a filter-like part that separates the oil from the compressed air. During the compression process, oil is injected into the air compressor to lubricate, seal and absorb the heat of compression. Then, what comes out of the compressor element is a mixture of compressed air and oil. The air/oil separator separates the oil from the air, as the oil needs to stay inside the compressor to keep it lubricated while the compressed air needs to exit the compressor, free of oil. How does an Air/Oil Separator Work?Most of the oil in an air compressor is separated by a centrifugal force, which is the outward force that is created by circulating the air in the compressor tank. The air/oil mixture enters the separator vessel at an angle, so most of the oil gets pushed outside and drops down into the oil vessel. Usually, there is a splash plate installed that prevents the air-oil mixture from hitting the separator filter directly, and 85% of the oil is separated this way. The remaining 15% exists the compressed air as small droplets and mist. As this oily compressed air flows through the separator filter, the small droplets combine and form large drops until they fall and collect at the bottom of the separator filter. This oil is then sucked up and removed by the scavenge line. How Do You Know When You Need a New Separator?Here are some basic checks you can complete yourself to determine if you need a new air/oil separator
How to Replace an Air/Oil Separator
At www.Edmac.com, you can find thousands of air/oil separators from all of the major OEM brands. All of our own Edmac-branded filters meet or exceed OEM specifications and are competitively priced to save you money, while still delivering the performance you need. Our parts benefit your equipment by preventing unwanted airborne particles, water, microbes, and chemical gases from entering your compressors. We sell multiple brands and sizes of air/oil separators, and each product we sell is backed by our Edmac Guarantee, which ensures you get fast shipping, excellent customer support, and high-quality performance products. Feel free to browse our full collection of separators. If you have product or compressor-specific questions, please call our product specialist team at (800) 866-2959. Oil separator elements are installed directly into the exhaust box of the vacuum pump or to capture oil mist carried over from the lubrication process, allowing for recirculation and reuse not only ensuring reduced maintenance and associated costs, but can also reduce or minimise further filtration requirements. At Walker Filtration, all research and development, product design, testing and validation, as well as manufacturing is carried out at our headquarters based in the United Kingdom. Walker Filtration specialise in OEM design and development, manufacture and supply logistics, and are long term partners of choice for world leading, blue chip vacuum pump and compressor manufacturers. In some ways, the components of a compressed air system are comparable to those of cars. There are some things cars must have to function, such as the engine. Then there are features, for example, seatbelts, that are not technically needed to run... What is the purpose of an air oil separator?An Aircraft Air Oil Separators (AOS) is a rotating component used in gas turbine powered aircraft and high-performance vehicles. It uses a robust filter to convert the oil mist inside a gearbox back into liquid oil and clean air; the liquid oil is reused for lubrication and clean air exits to the environment.
How do you separate oil from compressed air?The most effective way to remove oil from compressed air lines is multi-stage filtration. Generally, each stage of multi-stage filtration removes a different type of contaminant; specialized filtration materials and techniques are used to remove moisture, dirt/dust, oil, etc.
Do I need oil separator air compressor?However, oil/water separators are mandatory components for compressed air applications due to regulatory bodies, including the EPA. Failing to add an oil/water separator for air compressors not only hurts machine efficiency but can also result in costly fines.
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