08.04.08
Rail Operators, are you getting the worst out of your compressed air system?
Reliability and punctuality of operation are key demands with passenger and freight rolling stock today in an industry where safety and performance are paramount
Compressed air provides power to some of the most sophisticated applications (braking systems, pantographs, pneumatic doors, suspension) that keeps the rolling stock operational and punctual, but is generally contaminated with the most natural elements known to man – dirt and water. If you add the extra contamination induced by the power source, the lubricated compressor, oil and wear particles will mix with the dirt and water to produce a cocktail of contamination in the form of a gritty paste which has no lubricating properties at all!.
If this contamination is not removed from the compressed air system, the result should come as no surprise – breakdowns. Unplanned and unbudgeted maintenance will be required, affecting the single most important value each operator is striving to attain – a reliable service!.
The compressed air system hidden within the depths of a rolling stock vehicle, in most cases, is fitted with some form of air purification after the compressor. On closer examination, the air purification system generally comprises a single desiccant air dryer with a downstream coalescing filter known as an oil filter, but still contamination penetrates into the critical components-valves and cylinders- which rely upon clean, dry air for their safe and reliable operation.
Have you ever asked yourself why? The answer is simple. A desiccant air dryer – alternatively known as an adsorption dryer – is also a critical component that requires clean, filtered air for its operation. By design, its function is to only remove water vapour from a compressed air system and NOT the total contamination which includes bulk liquid water.
By protecting the desiccant air dryer upstream with a water separator to remove bulk liquid water and a coalescing filter to remove dirt and oil, the desiccant dryer is protected to carry out its only function – that of removing water vapour from the system. By positively removing these contaminants, the compressed air system will be clean, dry and oil-free, to ensure continuous and uninterrupted operation of the applications that are dependent upon it.
Parker domnick hunter offers such protection with a dedicated range of railway and transportation air purification and separation systems designed specifically to combat the problems experienced with today’s rolling stock.
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