ISO-8573 and ISO-8573.1 Purification

Vital Importance of Quality

The quality of compressed air used in industrial processes is specified in the International ISO 8573 standards.

It is vital that the quality of compressed air used in your process is in accordance with the required standards to prevent risk to product quality, human health and corporate reputation.

ISO 8573 Explanation

Of the separate parts in the standard, ISO 8573-1:2001 part 1 relates to defining the quality of compressed air used in different applications. The other parts are concerned with the methods to test the air for a range of parameters used to indicate the level of contamination.

ISO 8573-1 specifies purity classes of compressed air in respect of particles, water and oil. The purity classes can be used to describe the current quality of a compressed air system or to specify the required quality for a precise application.

Quality Classes according to ISO 8573-1 are summarised in the following table

ISO 8573-2 to 5 specifies test methods for particle, water and oil content in compressed air. Standard test methods ensure that air quality test results are comparable within a given tolerance of measurement. The test methods are summarised as follows:

Part 2: Test methods for aerosol oil content

Part 3: Test methods for humidity

Part 4: Test methods for solid particle content

Part 5: Test methods for oil vapour and organic solvent

Safewell Process

To facilitate the ISO 8573 process Safewell has developed the following 4 step approach to compliance:

Step 1 Review in detail your application using compressed air and conduct a risk assessment to assess potential risk to your people, product and/or process. If the existing purity classes in your compressed air system are not known we help you to measure oil, water and/or particles content according to ISO 8573 part 2-5.

Step 2 Once the purity classes are known compare the status quo of your compressed air system with the industry standard requirements of your application. If the purity classes are satisfactory then no further action is required.

Step 3 If work is required we work with your engineering staff to specify the required filtration efficiency for your process based on the outcome from step 1. We use a formula to calculate required filtration efficiency for particles, water, oil aerosols/vapour

Step 4 We help you select an appropriate compressed air filter with validated efficiency according to ISO 12500

The following schematic provides an example of how we can apply standard products to help clients achieve specific ISO 8573 quality classes.

Safewell provides a complete process for evaluation and implementation of solutions to purify compressed air in accordance with the prescribed quality standards. We specify a full range of compressed air purification equipment and integrate these cost effectively to provide a complete solution taking into account factors such as energy efficiency, lifecycle maintenance and cost of ownership.