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COMPRESSED AIR SYSTEM

DESIGN GUIDE

REVISIONS
NO. DATE DESCRIPTION BY CHK’D. APP’D. CLIENT
A 14Jun07 For Design TAR

APPROVALS
NAME / INITIALS DATE
PREPARED BY: TODD RUMSEY / TAR 14Jun07
CHECKED BY:
APPROVED BY:
CLIENT APPROVAL:
1 INTRODUCTION
A. The following document summarizes compressed air generation equipment. It is
written for the type of compressed air we specify for a pharmaceutical facility.

2 AIR REQUIREMENTS
A. Compressed air is required for instruments, controls, equipment and is used in the
process. Therefore, we need to pay particular attention to the moisture and
contaminants in the compressed air as it leaves the compressed air generation and
filtration system. The following are three requirements for compressed air systems in
pharmaceutical plants:
1. Oil Free – This item classifies compressors and divides them into two groups: oil-
free compressors and lubricated compressors. It is crucial we specify an oil-free
compressor. All compressors use some sort of lubrication to cool the
compressor much like oil in an automobile engine, however, when we refer to an
oil-free compressor we mean the compressor is specially designed so that the
compressed air is never in contact with the oil. Moving parts in the oil free
compression chamber are lubricated with inert anti-friction coatings on their
surfaces rather than with conventional fluid lubricants.
2. Moisture – Moisture is present in the intake air as humidity. During the process
of compressing the air and subsequently cooling some of the water vapor
condenses into water. This water causes corrosion, freeze in outdoor air lines
and foul the downstream equipment. We refer to the amount of water in the
compressed air as the air’s “dew point”. The dew point is the temperature to
which the air would have to be cooled in order for saturation to occur or in other
words, water droplets would form in the airline. For pharmaceutical facilities we
typically specify the compressed air have a dew point of –40 deg F.
3. Particulates – Particulates are brought into the compressed air stream through
the intake air and can also be added by improperly operating dessicant dryers (to
be discussed later). It is common to have 0.1 micron particulate filter(s) or better
just at the discharge of the compressed air system. An intake air filter is used to
minimize particulates brought into the compressor.

3 AIR COMPRESSORS
A. There are essentially three different types of air compressors; reciprocating, rotary
and centrifugal.
1. Reciprocating compressors are positive displacement compressors. The
reciprocating compressor uses a piston within a cylinder (much like a automobile
engine). The following are details of the reciprocating compressor:

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 Piston Positions (left picture is pulling in the uncompressed air, right is
compressing the air and then the valve opens to discharge the compressed
air)

Volume/Pressure Relationship - Reciprocating Compressor

a. This type of compressor is usually choosen for the smaller flow rates (100
scfm and less).
b. Because they are smaller is size the compressor is typically mounted on top
of its receiver and sold as a package. They can be purchased either as a
simplex unit (only one compressor mounted on a receiver) or duplex (two
compressors mounted on a single, common receiver).

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(Atlas Copco Model SF, from left, compressor with no receiver, simplex mounted
on receiver and duplex mounted on a receiver)
c. They can be air cooled or water cooled. If it is water cooled, the water could
be supplied from the tower water supply (ie from the HVAC system) or from
a dedicated cooling water loop. Be careful if you select an air cooled unit
because the heat expelled from these units into the surrounding
atmosphere can be high. Exhaust air may need to be ducted outside the
building.
d. Cooling is required for both the compressor and the compressed air itself.
The compressor’s intercoolers and aftercoolers used for cooling the
compressed air.
e. Reciprocating compressors can be noisy. In order to reduce noise levels
the compressor can be equipped with a sound reducing enclosure. This will
reduce the noise from about 85 dBA to about 70 dBA. See photo below for
a compressor with sound reduction equipment.

(Atlas Copco Model LF with sound reduction equipment)

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 f. Reciprocating compressors vibrate due to the motion of the pistons.
Ensure the unit is installed on vibration isolators or pads to minimize the
vibration.
g. Maximum discharge pressures are typically 150 psig.
2. Rotary units are positive displacement compressors. The most common is a
screw type compressor (but there are others including a scroll and rotary tooth).
Refer to the pictures below for the internals of a typical screw and rotary tooth
type compressors. Air is introduced into the compressor and compressed
between the two screws or teeth as they rotate.

Atlas Copco Screw Compressor Atlas Copco Rotary Tooth Compressor

3. Rotary Screw Motion

a. These types of compressors are for higher flowrates, from 75 to 5,000 scfm
and relatively constant air consumption rates or loads.
b. Rotary compressors “rotate” which leads to a much smoother operation with
less vibration concerns as described under reciprocating compressors.
However, when selecting a compressor, discuss any vibration issues with
the bidder for their recommendations.
c. They can be air cooled or water cooled. If it is water cooled, the water can
come from the tower water supply (ie from the HVAC system) or from a
dedicated cooling water loop. Be careful if you select an air cooled unit
because the heat expelled from these units into the surrounding

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 atmosphere can be high. Exhaust air may need to be ducted outside the
building.
d. Cooling is required for both the compressor and the compressed air itself.
The intercoolers and aftercoolers used for cooling the compressed air are
usually sized and provided by the compressor vendor as part of the
package.
e. Rotary type compressors are typically provided with sound reducing
enclosures similar to the reciprocating compressors. See picture below for
rotary compressor with enclosure.

Atlas Copco model ZR55

f. Maximum working pressures are typically 125 psig.
4. The centrifugal compressor is similar to a centrifugal pump, as it has an impeller
which produces the compressed air. This type of compressor is used for very
large flowrates, 2,000 scfm and up. Most of the pharmaceutical plants we design
do not require these higher flowrates and therefore we will not discuss the
centrifugal compressors in detail.
B. Redundancy
1. There is no true answer for the number of compressors required for a facility. It
depends on several factors including the peak, average, minimum flows and how
much redundancy is required for your system (in other words, if one compressor
fails, do you want to still supply 100% of the plant demand, or 50% or less). The
following are some of possible scenarios:
a. One compressor at 100% (if it fails, operations will cease)
b. Two compressors at 100% each (if one fails, no loss in compressed air)
c. Two compressors at 67% or less (if one fails, there will be a shortage during
high demands…may have to curtail some activities until the compressor is
fixed)
d. Three compressors at 50% each (if one fails, the other two will be able to
keep up with peak demands). An advantage of this system is you can use
only one compressor during periods of minimum or average use. The
second compressor will turn on when the one compressor will not keep up
with the facilities air demand. The third compressor is therefore a complete

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 “standby” unit, and can usually be repaired or maintained during normal
plant operations.
2. If more than one compressor is selected for your facility note the following:
a. Specify the compressors’ control system to operate all compressors as one
unit.
b. If you have two compressors at 100% each, you will not run only one
compressor the entire time. Both machines will operate at different times,
one may run for 12 hours shut off and the other will then run for 12 hours,
cycling through the compressors. This method of operation distributes wear
evenly on the two machines.
C. Air Intake
1. Attention should be given to the location of the compressor’s air intake. If
possible, it should not be withdrawn from the inside of the mechanical room
where boiler and other dirty utilities are located. If it is withdrawn from the
outside, it should not be located near a parking lot.
2. Air intake should be equipped with intake filter/silencer.

4 RECEIVER
A. A receiver is located at the downstream of the air compressors. The receiver is a
carbon steel pressure vessel, positioned either horizontally or vertically, which acts as
storage reservoir, essentially the same as a WFI or USP storage tank. The
compressors load and “fill” the receiver with air to a determined pressure and unload
when that pressure is met (compressors typically do not turn on and completely off,
they load and unload…load means the compressor is filling the receiver, unload
means the compressor’s motor is on, but it is not discharging air, much like an
automobile idling at a traffic light). When the users consume the air, the pressure in
the receiver decreases. When the pressure in the receiver decreases to a particular
point (this is the minimum acceptable pressure required by the users), the
compressors will load and pump air till the receiver is brought back the system’s set
pressure. The advantages of the receiver is as follows:
1. As described above the receiver acts much like a storage vessel, and prevents
the compressors from rapidly loading and unloading. This so-called “short-
cycling” is undesirable because it can be abusive to the equipment.
2. The filters and dryers, located downstream of the receiver, will see a relatively
steady pressure as it leaves the receiver. If the filters and dryers were located
between the compressor and receiver, they would see high swings in flowrates
as the compressor loads and unloads.
3. The receiver is uninsulated and due to it’s relatively large surface area,
dissipates some of the compressed air’s heat to the room, cooling the stored air
a bit. When the air temperature drops some of the moisture will tend to “fall out”
and drop to the bottom of the receiver due to reaching it’s thermodynamic dew
point. There is an “automatic” float operated drain valve on the bottom of the
receiver that opens when the water build ups and closes once the water drops to
a minimum volume. These automatic drain valves are notorious for failing and
do require periodic inspection and maintenance.

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 B. A rule of thumb for applications 90 to 120 psig is to provide one gallon of receiver
capacity for every standard cubic foot per minute of compressor flow. Manufacturers
typically have standard sizes of receiver, so they will probably provide a larger size
than is specified (30, 60, 80, 120 gallons and higher). An oversized receiver will
handle larger surges or peak variations in air usage, and may be beneficial in
maintaining a more steady system pressure.
C. Receivers are defined as pressure vessels and shall be constructed in accordance to
the requirements of the ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code, Section VIII, Division
1, and stamped with the ASME “U” or “UM” symbol and registered with the National
Board. The receivers shall be provided with a relief valve. The relief valve is typically
supplied with the receiver.
D. Receivers are typically provided with a pressure gauge and manual drain valve (in
addition to the automatic drain valve as described above).
E. The receiver is typically constructed of carbon steel. The interior of the vessel has an
epoxy coating on the interior. The coating will extend the life of the vessel and
prevent corroded material from entering the air stream.

5 FILTRATION

A. There are typically two types of filters we use on a compressed air system, coalescing
and particulate. The purpose of a coalescing filter is to remove water and the
particulate filter is to remove dust and resin fines introduced from the dessicant dryer.
B. Coalescing filters (located upstream of the dryer) and particulate filters (located down
stream of the dryer) sets are typically installed in pairs parallel to one another, each
with 100% required capacity. This allows us to replace a filter cartridge without
shutting down the entire compressed air system. The cost of the redundant filter is
inexpensive compared to shutting down the entire plant’s compressed air system to
replace a filter.
C. Coalescing filters are provided with an automatic drain valve (similar to the valve
provided on the bottom of the receiver) to remove the water in the bottom of the
coalescing housing. Particulate filters do not require an automatic drain valve
because all of the water will have been removed by the time it reaches the particulate

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 filter (the particulate filter is the last piece of equipment the air passes before it leaves
the compressed air system).
D. Pressure gauges are typically provided both upstream and downstream of the filters.
This will allow the operators to determine when the filters elements are required to be
replaced (as the filter collects debris, it restricts flow and causes a pressure drop).
Some filters can be supplied with differential pressure gauges as shown in the picture
above. It is the small gauge located on top of the filter housing.
E. Shut off valves, located upstream and downstream of each of the filters, are required
to isolate the filters when maintaining the cartridges.
F. Coalescing filters only remove condensed water. It will not remove water vapors that
have not been condensed.

6 AIR DRYERS
A. As mentioned above, coalescing filters only remove condensed water, not water
vapor. In order to remove the water vapor to the specified dewpoint, a dryer is used.
There are two types of commonly used dryers, refrigerated and dessicant.
B. Refrigerated Dryers
1. A refrigerated dryer removes the moisture by reducing the temperature of the air.
By utilizing a refrigeration cycle similar to a household air conditioner, the
refrigerated air dryer lowers the temperature of the compressed air stream to just
above the freezing point of the water. Most of the water vapor contained in the
air condenses at the low temperature and the water is collected and removed
from the air stream by a moisture separator. This type of dryer will remove 90%
of the moisture present in the air stream.

Atlas Copco FD Series Refrigerated Dryers

C. Dessicant Dryer
1. As described above refrigerated dryer remove 90% of the water vapor. In order
to remove even greater amount of water vapor we use dessicant dryers instead

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 of refrigerated types. These dryers typically remove approximately 99% of the
water vapor and lower the dew point of the exiting air to –40 deg F. This is the
type of dryer we typically use in a pharmaceutical plant as it removes a higher
level of water vapor than the refrigerated dryers. The pictures below show the
typical arrangement of a dessicant dryer. There are two categories of dessicant
dryers, heatless and heat reactivated. Description of these dryers are below.

Atlas Copco CD Heatless Dessicant Dryer

2. As you can see that this type of dryer uses two identical chambers. Both of the
chambers are filled with the same type of dessicant resin beads. These beads
are similar to the small packet of beads you find in the bottom of the shoebox
when you purchase a new pair of shoes. They perform the same function by
removing water vapor from the surrounding air. In the case of the dessicant
dryer, air passes through one of the towers at a time. As the wet air passes
through the tower, the moisture is attracted to the dessicant resin. There is a
water vapor detector on the discharge of the tower and when the level of
moisture reaches a high point the resin has reached its saturation point and
loses its ability to remove water vapor. At this point the air flow is then diverted
to the second dryer which has “dry” dessicant resin and the air passes through
this chamber till the resin is saturated. Once a chamber is saturated with water,
the water must be removed from the resin. Moisture removal is performed by a
process called regeneration and occurs the same time as wet air is being dried
in the operating chamber. To achieve regeneration in a heatless type dryer
some of the dry air (between 15 to 18% of the total flow), which is leaving the
second chamber, is rerouted to the inlet side of the wet chamber. As the dry air
passes through the wet resin, it takes the moisture with it and the wet air is
discharge into the atmosphere resulting in resin that is “dry” by the end of the
regeneration process. At any given time, one chamber or tower is actively drying
the airstream, while the other is automatically taken out of service to be

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 regenerated and ready for the next changeover cycle. In a heat reactivated dryer
the dessicant bed is reactivated by a separate heat source.

Atlas Copco Desicant Resin

3. It is very important to remember that when using a heatless dessicant dryer that
15 to 18% of the air coming from the compressors is used for dryer regeneration
and cannot be used in the process. Therefore, when sizing the compressor(s)
this loss of air must be taken into account.
4. As discussed earlier, a particulate filter is required downstream of the dessicant
dryer because some of the resins will shed particles.
5. The same philosophy regarding redundancy should be used for dryers as was
mentioned for compressors. A common mistake is to assume that a dessicant
dryer has two chambers and therefore has 100% back up. As described above,
as one chamber is drying the air, the other is regenerating. If two dryers are
used in parallel and each is sized at 100% capacity, they will be cycled much like
the air compressors. Occasionally, required maintenance or repair can be
carried out on the standby dryer unit without taking the active dryer unit out of
service.

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7 TYPICAL COMPRESSED AIR SYSTEM SCHEMATIC

END OF DOCUMENT

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