The compressor air is hot, dirty or wet, which can damage downstream equipment including valves and cylinders and minimize their service life. It needs to be cleaned and lubricated before this air can be used. This is where the Festo Filter Regulator comes in! The FR combines the filter and the regulator into one component to maintain optimum working conditions in the air compressor systems.
Filter Regulator Components
An FR is comprised of three primary components:
Airline filter
Pressure regulator
Each of these components has its role to play in supporting a more extensive air compressor system. In the following sections, we will explain more about these roles.
Airline Filter
A compressed air filter cleans. The air is stressed, solid particles (dust, dirt, rust) are trapped, and fluids (water, oil) drawn into the compressed air are separated. An aerial filter, lateral vent and air-driven equipment such as cylinders and aircraft shall be mounted by the airline upstream of control systems.
When airline filters eliminate contaminants from pneumatic devices, equipment and production accidents are avoided because of contaminant inactivity. In an industrial plant, downtime is expensive; often caused by a contaminated air system and poorly maintained.
The appropriate filter size should be selected for any application by determining the maximum permissible pressure drop that the filter could cause. The pressure drop can be calculated based on the flow curves of the manufacturer.
Types Of Air Filters
Three general air filter types are available:
- General-purpose
- CoalescingVapour removal.
General-purpose is to remove water and particles while oil is collected by coalescing filter and oil vapour removal filters.
Pressure Regulators
Festo Pressure Regulator Pressure sensors, like spinning screw-air compressors, reduce air pressures and regulate them in compressed air systems. PRVs (pressure reduction valves) are often also called regulators.
A pressure regulator maintains an acceptable constant output pressure, whatever the upstream and downstream demand variations. In action, differences in the primary pressure and flow influence to some degree production pressures.
In relief or non-relevance forms, general-purpose regulators are available. The adjustment of adjustable regulators is from high to low pressure. The excess downstream forces will be exhausted even in a dead-end situation by the relieving regulators. This causes a loud and typical hissing sound.
Similarly adjusted non-rescue regulators will not permit the escape of downstream pressure. The trapped air instead must be released by operating an upstream valve, for example.
To properly size the correct controller for the application, downstream equipment flow and pressure requirements must be determined.
Choosing The Right Filter Regulator For Compressed Air Systems
Clean, easily accessible and user-friendly compressed air can, however, be the most expensive energy form in your application. Incorrect or uncontrolled pressure changes can lead to increased compressed air demand and higher consumption of energy.
Increased wear and tear can also result in higher maintenance costs and less tool life. The rule of law stipulates that each 2-pig operating pressure rise raises the compression energy cost by 1 per cent more.
Point of use FRs (filter and regulator) are necessary to make sure that all equipment or processes are supplied with clean, lubricated air at the correct pressure to ensure maximum efficiency.
