Can the air compressor be put in the chemical workshop?

Whether the air compressor can be placed in the chemical workshop shall be comprehensively evaluated in combination with the environmental characteristics, equipment protection level and safety specifications of the workshop. The specific analysis is as follows:

analysis of Environmental Characteristics of 1. Chemical Workshop

1. risk of corrosive medium
   • acid gases (e. g. hydrogen chloride, hydrogen sulfide), alkaline vapors or organic solvent vapors may be present in the plant, which can accelerate corrosion of metal parts, especially unprotected air compressor housings, pipes and internals.
   • The corrosion rate is positively correlated with environmental concentration, temperature and humidity, and the corrosion rate can be increased by 2-3 times in high humidity environment (relative humidity> 80%).
2. Flammable and explosive risk
   • if the workshop involves the production or storage of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), it is necessary to evaluate whether the air compressor meets the explosion-proof requirements.
   • It is necessary to confirm the gas explosion limit (LEL/UEL) and the explosion-proof level of the equipment (such as Ex d IICT4) to ensure that the electrical components such as motors and control cabinets meet the explosion-proof standards.
3. Dust and particulate pollution
   • there may be catalyst dust, crystal particles and other suspended solids in the chemical workshop, and the filtration accuracy of the air filter element shall be evaluated (≥ F7 level is recommended, and the filtration efficiency shall be above 90%).
   • Dust deposition may cause blockage of the radiator, causing high temperature protection shutdown of the equipment.

Adaptability Evaluation of 2. Air Compressor

1. material protection level
   • the shell shall be treated with 304 stainless steel or epoxy resin coating, and the corrosion resistance shall pass the salt spray test (≥ 500 hours).
   • Copper alloy or polymer materials are recommended for internal piping, and carbon steel is avoided.
2. Sealing performance requirements
   • the shaft seal shall adopt double-end mechanical seal with leakage ≤ 0.5 mL/h to prevent corrosive medium from penetrating into the lubrication system.
   • PTFE sealing gasket shall be used for flange connection, and the temperature resistance range shall cover -20 ℃ to 150 ℃.
3. Explosion proof certification standard
   • motors shall comply with GB 3836.1-2021 Explosive atmospheres-Part 1: General requirements for equipment.
   • The control cabinet shall adopt positive pressure explosion-proof design, and the internal pressure shall be kept ≥ 50Pa to prevent the intrusion of combustible gas.

3. Safety Specifications and Compliance Requirements

1. installation location specification
   • keep away from hazardous sources such as chemical storage tanks and reactors, and the horizontal spacing is recommended to be ≥ 5 meters.
   • An independent machine room or explosion-proof isolation room shall be set up, and the ventilation rate shall meet the air change rate ≥ 6 times per hour.
2. Exhaust gas treatment
   • the compressed air shall be equipped with high-efficiency oil removal filter (filtration accuracy ≤ 0.01 μm) and activated carbon adsorption device to ensure that the emission gas conforms to GB 16297 "Comprehensive Emission Standard for Air Pollutants".
   • The water-containing condensate shall be connected to the waste liquid treatment system of the workshop and shall not be discharged directly.
3. Emergency measures
   • gas leakage alarm device shall be equipped, and the response time of linkage shut-off valve shall be ≤ 2 seconds.
   • The machine room shall be equipped with explosion-proof axial flow fan, and the accident exhaust air volume shall meet the requirement of 12 times/hour air exchange.

Recommendations for 4. typical application scenarios

1. low risk scenario
   • packaging material production workshop (no corrosive gas): IP55 protection grade air compressor can be selected, equipped with primary filter.
2. Medium risk scenario
   • paint production workshop (including solvent vapor): explosion-proof air compressor, F9 high efficiency filter and gas detector shall be used.
3. High risk scenario
   • chlor-alkali chemical workshop (strong corrosive environment): it is recommended to use all stainless steel air compressor, equipped with positive pressure explosion-proof control cabinet and corrosive gas alarm device.

Conclusion
the air compressor can be placed in the chemical workshop, but the following conditions must be met:

1. through the material anti-corrosion, explosion-proof certification and seal strengthening and other adaptive transformation;
2. comply with the requirements of safety spacing, ventilation and discharge in the workshop;
3. configure professional filtering system and emergency disposal device.
   It is recommended to entrust professional institutions to carry out environmental risk assessment and select air compressor suppliers with application cases in the chemical industry to ensure long-term stable operation of equipment and production safety.