Air Quality Standards ISO 8573

7/24/15
Air Quality Standards ISO 8573.1 & ISO12500 | Compressed Air Best Practices
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Air Quality Standards ISO 8573.1 & ISO12500

Jay Francis, Vice President of Marketing, SPX Dehydration & Filtration
The next tim e y ou sit down for dinner, take a good look at y our food. Theres a v ery good chance
com pressed air play ed an essential role in preparing y our m eal for consum ption.
Com pressed air is a v ital energy source and is utilized in m ultiple operations in a food processing
facility . When properly treated, com pressed air is regarded as a safe, clean utility , as com pared to other
energy sources. Com pressed prov ides the energy source for pneum atic conv ey ers that transport liquids,
powders and m oisture sensitiv e product throughout the plant. It prov ides power for pneum atically
operated tools and equipm ent that renders m eat products, aerates liquids and m ixes granular
ingredients. It is ultim ately used to package, wrap, seal, palletize and label food products prior to storage
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Of the prim ary utilities em ploy ed in the food-m anufacturing env ironm ent, com pressed air is the only
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utility generated by the end-user. This m eans the end-user directly influences the quality of this
energy source. High quality com pressed air is critical for prov iding food products that are not only cost
effectiv e to process but also safe to eat. Therefore, its in all our best interests for food processors to select
the proper com pressed air equipm ent. The ISO 857 3 air quality standards and ISO 1 2 500 com pressed
air filter standards m ake the basis for air treatm ent product selection m uch easier.
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A Very Good Start ISO 8573.1

Food processors m aintain a social responsibility for upholding the quality of their products and that
accountability begins with the selection of com pressed air sy stem com ponents. In m ost cases, end users
select com pressed air sy stem com ponents by com paring technical data from v arious air treatm ent
m anufactures. In 1 9 9 1 , the International Standards Organization (ISO) established the 857 3
com pressed air quality standard to facilitate com pressed air sy stem com ponent selection, design and
m easurem ent.
ISO 857 3 is a m ulti-part standard, with Part 1 classify ing contam inant ty pe and assigning air quality
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lev els, and Parts 2 through 9 , define testing m ethods to accurately m easure a full range of
contam inants within the end users facility .
ISO 857 3 .1 identifies three prim ary contam inant ty pes as prev alent in a com pressed air sy stem . Solid
particulates, water and oil (in both aerosol and v apor form ) are recognized. Each is categorized and
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assigned a quality class ranging from class 0, the m ost stringent, to Class 9 , the m ost relaxed. The end
user-user is responsible for defining the air quality required for their particular application or process.
Air treatm ent m anufacturers present technical data in reference to ISO 857 3 .1 . An easy to understand
ISO 857 3 .1 : 2 001 table defines the v arious air quality classes. The standard also determ ines that air
quality shall be designated by the following nom enclature:
Com pressed Air Purity Classes A, B, C:
Where:
A= solid particle class designation
B= hum idity and liquid water class designation
C= oil class designation
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Compressed Air Contamination

Contam inants originate from three general sources.
1 . Contam inants in the surrounding am bient are drawn into the air sy stem through the
intake of the air com pressor. Ingested contam inants appear in the form of water v apor,
hy drocarbon v apors, natural particles and airborne particulates.
2.
As result of the m echanical com pression process, additional im purities m ay be

introduced into the air sy stem . Generated contam inants include com pressor lubricant,
wear particles and v aporized lubricant.
3 . A com pressed air sy stem will contain in-built contam ination. Piping distribution and air
storage tanks, m ore prev alent in older sy stem s, will hav e contam inant in the form of
rust, pipe scale, m ineral deposits and bacteria.
Water
Water v apor enters the sy stem through the intake of the air com pressor. In total v olum e, condensed
water v apor represents the m ajority of liquid contam ination in a com pressed air sy stem . On a ty pical
sum m er day of 80(F (2 1 (C) and 7 0% relativ e hum idity , approxim ately 1 9 .5 gallons (7 3 .8 liters) of
water enters a 1 00 scfm (1 7 0 nm 3 /hr) sy stem in a 2 4 hour period. This m oisture will spoil food
products, cause pneum atic m achinery failure and prom ote bacterial growth in the com pressed air
piping. Com pressed air sy stem s serv ing the food processing industry m ust m aintain dry , m oisture free
conditions m itigating the risk of m icro-organism growth.
Since com pressed air used in food processing operations m ay com e in direct contact with the food, a
com pressed air dry er producing a sub-zero pressure dew point is required. Dew point, specified as
tem perature, is the point at which the water v apor held in the com pressed air is equal to the
com pressed airs capacity to hold water v apor. Desiccant dry ers- using activ ated alum ina- will adsorb
water v apor from the air m ost effectiv ely , deliv ering ISO 857 3 .1 Quality Class 2 (-4 0( F/-4 0( C)
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pressure dew point), ideal for the food processing industry . At this lev el of dry ness, bacteria will cease to
grow.
Liquid Oil and Oil Vapor

The m ost scrutinized and often discussed contam inant classified by ISO 857 3 .1 is oil. Com pressed air
free from oil is a requirem ent in a food processing env ironm ent.
End users are giv en the choice of selecting from sev eral air com pressor technologies, som e of which
require lubrication in the com pression cham ber for cooling and sealing purposes, and others that
operate less lubricant in the com pression cham ber. The end user determ ines which com pressor design
best m eets the desired requirem ents. The purpose of this discussion is not to tip the scale toward either
technology , but to address air treatm ent requirem ents in food processing applications.
Lubricated com pressors are ty pically less expensiv e to purchase and hav e a lower cost of ownership.
Dependent on the age of the com pressor and prev entativ e m aintenance program s perform ed, a
lubricated rotary screw air com pressor will introduced 2 to 1 0 ppm /w of oil into the air sy stem . A well
m aintained 2 50 scfm lubricated air com pressor, with a conserv ativ e 4 parts per m illion carry -ov er,
will add up to 4 .8 gallons (1 8.2 liters) of oil into the air sy stem ov er an 8000 hour operation.
Lubricant free com pressors generally hav e a higher initial cost and greater m aintenance costs ov er the
life cy cle of the equipm ent. Lubricant is only required for the bearings and tim ing gears, which is
segregated from the com pression cham ber. This com pressor technology presents no risk of lubricant
m igrating into the process air.
Both air com pressor technologies are subject to the inherent challenges presented by quality of the
intake air. Ingested contam ination in the form of water v apor, solid particulate and hy drocarbon v apor
m ust be addressed regardless if the com pressor is lubricated or free from lubricant. Depending on the
location of the com pressor intake, oil v apor lev els in industrial areas m ay contain 2 0-3 0 ppm of
airborne hy drocarbon aerosols. Hy drocarbon v apors, the prim ary com ponent of fossil fuel com bustion,
will condense in a piping sy stem when cooled form ing a liquid contam inant.
Because com pressed air m ay com e in direct and indirect contact with food processing, an elev ated lev el
of filtration is required. A high efficiency coalescing filter capable of rem ov ing solids and liquids is
recom m ended. It should be capable of rem ov ing solid and liquid aerosols 0.01 m icron and larger. The
rem aining oil content should be 0.007 ppm , or less. An activ ated carbon filter, installed in series, is also
recom m ended downstream of the coalescing filter. The adsorption filter will rem ov e trace odors and oil
v apor to 0.003 parts per m illion by weight. This filter com bination will ensure specified filtration lev els
achiev e ISO 857 3 .1 Class 1 for oil and v apor rem ov al.
Solid Particles
In a general industrial area, there are nearly 4 ,000,000 airborne particles per cubic foot of air. When
this am bient air is com pressed to 1 00 psig, the concentration of solid contam ination will reach
significant proportions. Most air com pressor intake filters are rated to capture sold particles 4 to 1 0
m icrons in size and larger and are rated at 9 0-9 5% efficiency . Approxim ately 80% of airborne particles
are 1 0 m icron or less. Spores, pollen and bacteria are less than 2 m icron in size. This m ay seem like a lot
of particulate m atter, but keep in m ind, a solid particle 4 0 um in size is barely v isible to the naked ey e.
Ev en a well m aintained and routinely changed intake filter will allow solid particles to enter the air
sy stem .
Solid particulate m ust be rem ov ed from process air serv ing the food industry . In pneum atic control
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circuits, solids particles plug control v alv e orifices, affect accuracy of gauging and score air cy linders
walls, causing leaks. Particles m ay restrict flow through air jet nozzles used to clean food preparation
surfaces or adv ersely affect the consistency of spray coatings applied on food products.
To achiev e the recom m ended ISO 857 3 .1 Class 2 classification for solid particulate rem ov al, a 1 .0
m icron particulate filter is recom m ended. The particulate filter will also enhance the serv ice life of high
perform ance coalescing filters by m inim izing solid loading.
Meeting the Newest Challenge - ISO 12500

The ISO 857 3 Air Quality standard is serv ing the industry well by raising end user awareness of how to
m easure and define the quality of com pressed air. Using this, the end-user can m ake educated decisions
as to the filtration perform ance required to generate a certain quality lev el. Howev er, this standard
does not address how m anufacturers are to test and rate the filters. The play ing field is not lev el and
consum ers becom e confused. The ISO 1 2 500 filter standard addresses this issue and establishes how
m anufacturers test and rate com pressed air filters.
The standard defines critical perform ance param eters (nam ely , inlet oil challenge, inlet com pressed air
tem perature and pressure m easurem ent techniques) that will deliv er certifiable filter perform ance
inform ation suitable for com parativ e purposes.
ISO 1 2 500 is a m ulti-part standard, with ISO 1 2 500-1 encom passing the testing of coalescing filters for
oil aerosol rem ov al perform ance, ISO 1 2 500-2 quantifies v apor rem ov al capacity of adsorption filters,
and; ISO 1 2 500-3 outlines requirem ents to test particulate filters for solid contam inant rem ov al.
The SPX Dehy dration and Filtration Research and Dev elopm ent center, located in Canonsburg,
Pennsy lv ania, m aintains adv anced testing resources to conduct ISO 1 2 500-1 , 2 , and 3 filter testing.
Three separate test laboratories were constructed, each equipped with stainless steel piping, state of the
art instrum entation and contam inant m easurem ent equipm ent. SPX D & F m aintains capabilities to
generate dehy drate and filter com pressed air through 3 000 scfm .
T est Methods
The following describes m ethods SPX Dehy dration and Filtration has elected to perform filter
perform ance testing under the guise of ISO 1 2 500 standards.
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ISO 12500-1:2007 Filters for Compressed Air Part 1: Oil Aerosols

ISO 1 2 500-1 has identified two opposing inlet oil aerosols concentrations to determ ine the perform ance
and pressure drop characteristics of coalescing filters. The inlet concentrations, 1 0 m g/m 3 and 4 0
m g/m 3 , were selected to prov ide a wide challenge v ariance. Filter m anufacturer m ay elect to publish
perform ance date at either of the two inlet concentrations. The challenge concentration selected shall
appear in published technical data.
Note: 1 m g/m = 0.84 ppm by weight
a. The ISO 1 2 500-1 coalescing filter test begins with a clean, reliable source of com pressed
air.
b. Testing conditions shall be controlled: inlet air pressure- 1 01 .5 psig (7 bar); inlet air
tem perature- 6 8 (F (2 0 (C); am bient tem perature- 6 8(F (2 0(C).
c. An initial (dry ) pressure drop m easurem ent is taken. Initial pressure drop ratings are
relev ant to quantify cost of operation in that condition.
d.
A Laskin nozzle generator dev elops a supply of aerosol s with a peak distribution profile
0.1 to 0.3 m icrons in size. Aerosols in this range are the m ost difficult to rem ov e. These oil
aerosols are injected into the clean com pressed air stream .
e. A white light scattering photom eter m easures the upstream concentration to ensure the
m ixture com plies with the 1 0m g/m 3 or 4 0 m g/m 3 aerosol challenge.
f. Air then enters the coalescing ty pe filter.

g. Once the filter reaches equilibrium , often referred to as the wetted condition,
m easurem ents are taken to determ ine the effectiv eness of the filter. A white light
scattering photom eter is used to m easure of penetration of the oil aerosols through the
coalescing elem ent. The pressure drop across the filter housing is also m easured and
recorded.
h. Three sets readings are taken. The m anufacturer publishes the av erage perform ance
v alue deriv ed from the three tests.
i. At the giv en inlet concentration of oil, the 1 2 500-1 test will confirm :
Oil aerosol penetration (expressed as m ass per unit v olum e (m g/m 3 )
Oil aerosol filtration efficiency (expressed in percent (% captured)
Pressure drop (p)
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ISO 12500-2:2007 Filters for compressed air Part 2: Oil Vapors

ISO 1 2 500-2 determ ines the adsorption capacity and pressure drop of hy drocarbon v apor rem ov al
filters. Adsorption filters, utilizing an activ ated carbon m edium , possess the polarity to attract
hy drocarbon v apors from an air stream onto a porous surface. The adsorption process will continue
until the activ ated carbon m edia is fully consum ed. A m ass m easurem ent is taken confirm ing the
v apor rem ov al filters adsorptiv e capacity expressed in m illigram s of hy drocarbon adsorbed.
a. The ISO 1 2 500-2 adsorption filter test begins with a clean, reliable source of com pressed
air.
c. A precision rotam eter m easures the concentration of n-hexane liquid. N-hexane is widely
used in laboratory testing for hy drocarbon m easurem ent and possesses the properties
required to conduct adsorption filter testing, i.e., easy to ev aporate, colorless, light
distinguishable odor, and easy to m easure.
d. A heater v aporizes the n-hexane liquid at 1 55.6 (F (6 8(C). When heated, n-hexane
changes phase and turns into a v apor.
e. The v apor enriched air is injected and m ixed with the clean air source.
f. The m ixture of air and n-hexane v apor enters the adsorption filter. An initial (dry )
pressure drop m easurem ent is taken. Note: Adsorption filters are designed to rem ov e
v apor and not liquid contam inants. Establishing a dry pressure drop is useful to
determ ine cost of operation.
g. An infrared spectrom eter is used to detect the presence of n-hexane v apor at the filter
outlet.
h. The filter is continually m onitored until v apor penetrates through the adsorptiv e filter
elem ent. Breakthrough indicates the filter is fully consum ed and is incapable of adsorbing
additional v apor.
i. An adsorptiv e capacity v alue (total am ount adsorbed) is established in m illigram s.
j. Three filters of the sam e size shall be tested under identical conditions. The m anufacturer
is publishes the av erage perform ance v alue deriv ed from the three tests.
ISO 12500-3:2009 Filters for Compressed Air Part 3: Particulates

Note: One m icron particle m easures 0.00003 9 of an inch.
ISO 1 2 500-3 prov ides guidance for the testing and m ethods for determ ining particulate filter rem ov al
efficiency , by particle size. Filters shall be challenged by solid particulate in the range 0.01 < 5.0 um ,
fine ty pe filters, and particulate of 5.0 > 4 0 um , for course ty pe filters.
a. The ISO 1 2 500-3 particulate filter test begins with a clean, reliable source of com pressed
air.
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c. Initial pressure drop m easurem ents across the filter housing are taken and recorded.
d. To generate solid particles for the test, a salt solution is atom ized and then dried, form ing
salt particles ranging from 0.050 to 0.1 m icrons in size.
e. These particles are then injected into the clean air stream .
f. A Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS) prov ides high resolution counting of particles
by size and plots a distribution curv e for the filter inlet challenge.
g. The SMPS is also used to m easure the particle distribution downstream of the filter, thus
determ ining the filters penetration characteristics.
h. Filter efficiency , by particle size, can be calculated (expressed in percent (%).
i. Three filters of the sam e size shall be tested under identical conditions. The m anufacturer
publishes the av erage perform ance v alues deriv ed from the three tests.
Complimenting Each Other

The ISO 857 3 standard will continue to benefit end-users by defining air quality lev els and m ethods to
determ ine contam inants present in their air sy stem . The ISO 1 2 500 test standards will benefit air
treatm ent m anufacturers by prov iding the m eans to com m ercially separate filter products through
certifiable perform ance. We all benefit, appreciating that ISO, a global international standards
organization, continues to refine its standards for the betterm ent of the com pressed air industry and
priv ate sector.
For more information please contact Jay Francis, Vice President of Marketing-SPX Dehydration & Filtration.
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7/24/15

Air Quality Standards ISO 8573.1 & ISO12500

A Very Good Start ISO 8573.1

Resources for Energy

Compressed Air Contamination

As result of the m echanical com pression process, additional im purities m ay be

Liquid Oil and Oil Vapor

Meeting the Newest Challenge - ISO 12500

ISO 12500-1:2007 Filters for Compressed Air Part 1: Oil Aerosols

f. Air then enters the coalescing ty pe filter.

ISO 12500-2:2007 Filters for compressed air Part 2: Oil Vapors

ISO 12500-3:2009 Filters for Compressed Air Part 3: Particulates

Complimenting Each Other

T ERMS & CONDIT IONS

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