Compressed air facilities used by food companies include the following key components:
1. air compressor
- role: The air compressor is the core of the compressed air facility, which is responsible for compressing the air in the atmosphere into high-pressure gas to provide the required power and control for food processing.
- Type: Common air compressor types include screw, piston and centrifugal. Among them, the screw air compressor is widely used in the food industry because of its stable operation, low noise and convenient maintenance. In particular, oil-free screw air compressors, because they do not need to use lubricating oil, avoid the potential risk of lubricating oil on food.
- Parameters when choosing an air compressor, it is necessary to consider its exhaust volume, exhaust pressure and other parameters to ensure that the gas demand of food processing equipment is met.
2. gas tank
- role: The air storage tank is used to store compressed air, balance system pressure fluctuations, and ensure that the equipment obtains a stable air supply. At the same time, the air storage tank can also play a cooling effect, reducing the moisture content in the compressed air.
- Configuration: The gas storage tank needs to be equipped with a safety valve and pressure gauge to ensure its safe operation. In addition, the capacity and working pressure of the gas storage tank should also be considered to meet production needs.
3. post-processing equipment
role because the compressed air may contain impurities such as moisture, oil, dust, etc., these impurities will pollute the food processing process, so it is necessary to use post-processing equipment to purify the compressed air.
Common Equipment:
- dryer: Remove the moisture in the compressed air, prevent the moisture from corroding the equipment, and ensure that the dryness of the compressed air meets the requirements of food processing.
- Filter: Filter out dust, oil mist and other impurities in the compressed air to ensure the cleanliness of the compressed air. According to the different filtration accuracy, the filter can be divided into primary filter, main line filter, precision filter and so on. For the food industry, high-precision precision filters are usually required to ensure the purity of the compressed air.
- Degreaser: For oily compressed air, use oil remover to further remove oil to prevent oil pollution to food.
4. piping system
- role: The pipeline system is responsible for conveying compressed air from the compressor to various gas points, such as pneumatic tools, automation devices, etc.
- Requirements: The pipeline system should be made of stainless steel that meets food safety standards to prevent potential contamination of food by the pipeline. At the same time, the piping system should be designed reasonably to reduce pressure loss and energy consumption.
5. control valves and instruments
- role: Control valves and instruments are used to adjust and control the flow and pressure of compressed air to meet the gas needs of different equipment.
- Type common control valves include pressure control valves, flow control valves, directional control valves, etc. Instruments include pressure gauges, flow meters, etc., used to monitor the status of compressed air.
6. safety accessories
- role: In order to ensure the safe operation of compressed air facilities, a series of safety accessories, such as safety valves, automatic traps, etc., are also required.
- Function: The safety valve automatically opens when the pressure in the gas storage tank exceeds the set value to release the pressure; the automatic drain valve is used to automatically discharge the condensed water in the gas storage tank and pipeline.
Generally speaking, the compressed air facilities used by food enterprises are a complex system, including air compressors, air storage tanks, post-processing equipment, piping systems, control valves and instruments, and safety accessories. These facilities work together to provide a stable, efficient and reliable supply of compressed gas for food processing.
