The Importance of High Quality Compressed Air in a Winery Environment WEA Aug. 2012
The Importance of High Quality Air in a Winery Environment
Nigel Bartlett New Zealand Operations Manager Parker Hannifin New Zealand Ltd. 18 October 2012
1
Compressed Air – The 4th Utility Compressed air is a safe and reliable power source that is widely used throughout industry Known as the 4th utility, approximately 90% of all companies use compressed air in some aspect of their operations Gas, water & electricity are supplied to site by a utilities supplier and to strict tolerances / quality specifications Unlike the other utilities, compressed air is not delivered by a utilities supplier, instead, it is generated onsite As compressed air is generated onsite, the quality of the compressed air and the cost of producing this powerful utility are the responsibility of the user
The problem with compressed air Compressed air systems inherently suffer from performance and reliability issues Almost all of the problems associated with the compressed air system and also many production related quality issues can be directly attributed to contamination in the compressed air Unknown to many users, in a typical compressed air system there are TEN major contaminants coming from FOUR different sources These contaminants must be removed or reduced to acceptable levels if the compressed air system is to operate safely and efficiently
Compressed Air – The 4th Utility In a typical winery or beverage facility making use of compressed air, there are 10 contaminants from four different sources to consider This contamination must be removed or reduced to acceptable levels for the compressed air to be suitable for use in food, beverage or pharmaceutical production
Compressed Air Contaminants: Water Vapour, Condensed Water & Water Aerosols Atmospheric air contains water vapour (water in a gaseous form) Air’s ability to hold water vapour is dependent upon it’s temperature and pressure As pressure increases, a smaller amount of water vapour can be held by the air As temperature increases, more water vapour can be held by the air
Compressed Air Contaminants: Water Vapour, Condensed Water & Water Aerosols During compression, the air temperature increases allowing the air to easily retain the moisture After compression, air is typically cooled to a more usable temperature Cooling reduces the air’s ability to retain water vapour, resulting in a proportion of the water vapour being condensed into liquid water
Compressed Air Contaminants: Water Vapour, Condensed Water & Water Aerosols As the compressed air enters the storage and distribution system, it is 100% saturated with water vapour The air receiver and system piping will drop the temperature of the compressed air (especially if the receiver or piping is external)
The temperature drop causes the 100% saturated air to condense more water vapour into liquid water Additionally, as the compressed air is used in valves, cylinders, tools & machinery, further condensation and sometimes freezing occurs
Compressed Air Contaminants: Water Vapour, Condensed Water & Water Aerosols Saturated air, water aerosols and liquid water within the compressed air system cause: • Corrosion to the storage & distribution system • Damage to valves, cylinders, tools and production equipment
• Damage to products & packaging in direct contact with the air • Increased microbiological contamination • Reduction in production efficiency • Increased maintenance costs
All forms of water must be removed for the system to run correctly and efficiently
Compressed Air Contaminants: Atmospheric Dirt Atmospheric air can typically contain between 140 - 150 million dirt particles in each cubic meter 80% of these particles are less than 2 micron in size They are too small to be captured by the compressor intake filter They will travel unrestricted into the compressed air system
Compressor Intake Filter 80% < 2micron
Compressed Air Contaminants: Microorganisms Atmospheric air can contain up to 100 million microorganisms per cubic metre of air Microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi & spores are drawn into the intake of the air compressor Due to their small size, they will pass directly through the compressor intake filters The warm moist air in the compressed air system provides an ideal environment for the growth of these microorganisms
The air receiver and distribution piping store their ever expanding growth
Compressed Air Contaminants: Microorganisms Many winery applications require sterility If contaminated compressed air can directly or indirectly contact products, packaging or production machinery, then sterility is eliminated This can cause enormous financial damage for a company as microorganism can: • • • • •
Potentially harm the consumer Diminish product quality Render a product entirely unfit for use Lead to a product recall Cause legal action against a company
Compressed Air Contaminants: Microorganisms Microorganisms don't just cause issues for critical applications or sterile processes Compressed air is used widely in general industry Untreated compressed air exhausted from pneumatic tools, valves, cylinder or machinery will also contain microorganisms If this exhausted air is inhaled by employees working in the vicinity or using tools / machinery it can also lead to excessive work force illness
Contamination & Types of Compressor Approx 75% of compressors sold world-wide are oil lubricated Oil is used in the compression stage for sealing, lubrication & cooling It is also to lubricate bearings and gearboxes Some compressor manufacturers also offer oil-free variants In these, oil is still used to lubricate bearings & gearboxes, but is not used in the compression stage or stages
Contamination & Types of Compressor Oil-free compressors are often advertised as providing contaminant free air Although lubricating oil is not added to the air during compression, even an oil free compressor does not supply contaminant free air
Systems employing oil-free compressors are still prone to liquid oil as oil vapour from the atmospheric air condenses downstream
Contamination & Types of Compressor Important Note: Another advertising claim of oil-free compressors is the ability to remove purification equipment as no oil is present Installing an oil free compressor will only remove one contaminant, oil aerosols
As filtration equipment removes more than one contaminant, they are still required to remove the other nine contaminants present Therefore the purification equipment required for an oil-free system is identical to that required by an oil lubricated system
Water Aerosols Condensed Water Vapour Condensed Oil Vapour
Rust Pipescale Atmospheric Dirt Solid particulates
Microorganisms
Compressed Air for the Food, Beverage & Pharmaceutical Industries In order to protect consumers against ill health (or worse), most industrialised countries have strict regulations and laws governing hygiene of food, beverage and pharmaceutical products which must be adhered to during Preparation Processing Manufacturing Packaging Storage Transportation Distribution Handling Sale or supply
Compressed Air for the Food, Beverage & Pharmaceutical Industries Normally, regulations are strictly observed within the manufacturing and supply processes However, through lack of awareness, they are not often applied to utilities
The most overlooked utility is the compressed air which powers many manufacturing processes
Hygiene and the HACCP Principle As the risks associated with compressed air contamination are not always apparent, it is not uncommon to find that the compressed air system and its usage points are overlooked when the HACCP hazard analysis (risk analysis) is carried out In reality, every point in a winery where compressed air is used should be classified as a CCP (Critical Control Point), due to the contamination present in the compressed air system Once classified as a CCP, measures must be taken to remove or reduce the contaminants to acceptable levels
Compressed Air for the Food, Beverage & Pharmaceutical Industries World-wide Standards With so many different and potentially dangerous contaminants present in untreated compressed air, it is surprising to find that NO standards defining a minimum acceptable level of cleanliness exist, unlike compressed air that is used for breathing or medical purposes
Compressed Air for the Food, Beverage & Pharmaceutical Industries Direct & Indirect Contamination During the production process, compressed air is often in direct contact with ingredients, finished product and packaging materials This allows contamination from the compressed to be transferred directly a product Additionally, the extensive use of pneumatics in the production facility can also lead to indirect contamination if untreated compressed air is allowed to exhaust from valves, cylinders and tools into the production environment
Compressed Air for the Food, Beverage & Pharmaceutical Industries Duty of Care Most hygiene legislation puts the duty of care on the manufacturer / producer For this reason, many companies often define their own internal quality standards based upon what they think or have been told is “best practice” This approach has led to a significant difference in the quality of compressed air in use world-wide
Compressed Air for the Food, Beverage & Pharmaceutical Industries Food Grade Compressed Air Code of Practice In the United Kingdom the governing body for compressed air is the BCAS (British Compressed Air Society) The governing body who represents retailers and manufacturers is the BRC (British Retail Consortium) The absence of either a standard or legislation relating to compressed air quality in the food and beverage industries led the BCAS and BRC to jointly develop a Code of Practice for Food & Beverage Grade Compressed Air This code of practice can also be adopted for use in the Pharmaceutical industry
Compressed Air for the Food, Beverage & Pharmaceutical Industries Food Grade Compressed Air Code of Practice - Scope The code of practice : • References complimentary international standards for air purity
• Gives recommendations on installation, testing and maintenance of compressed air systems • And most importantly, defines a minimum acceptable purity (quality) for compressed air used in the food and beverage industries The code of practice can be applied to the use of compressed air in all food and beverage manufacturing facilities, including bottling plants, however it does not cover the quality of other gases used e.g. CO2 or Nitrogen as these are often covered by other standards
Compressed Air for the Food, Beverage & Pharmaceutical Industries Food Grade Compressed Air Code of Practice - Scope Following the Code of Practice in the United Kingdom is not mandatory and not required by law Following the code of practice does allow a company to show due diligence should a “quality incident” occur and reach court Compliance with the code of practice is becoming a requirement of many major UK retailers Some suppliers are now being asked to show compliance with the code of practice if they wish to remain a supplier or prior to being accepted as a supplier
Code of Practice Air Purity Requirements Air Purity The Code of Practice States : The outlet compressed air must be designated as either Contact, Non-Contact or Non-Contact High Risk
Definitions • Contact - air that comes into direct contact with food or the food manufacturing process (Direct Contact) • Non-Contact - air that will never come into contact with food or the food manufacturing process (Non-Contact) • Non-Contact High Risk - air that is not supposed to come into contact with food or the food manufacturing process but may inadvertently do so (Indirect Contact)
Code of Practice Air Purity Requirements Air Purity The air purity requirements of each are split into Dirt, Water & Oil and are very similar to each other
• Dirt – The purity requirements for dirt are identical for Contact, Non Contact and Non Contact – High Risk • Water – The purity requirements for water are identical for Contact & Non Contact – High Risk, only Non-Contact changes • Oil – The purity requirements for oil are identical for Contact, Non Contact and Non Contact – High Risk
Air Purity Requirements - Dirt
Reference Conditions from ISO8573.1 : Absolute atmospheric pressure 1 bar, Temperature = 20°C. Humidity is measured at air line pressure.
Air Purity Requirements – Water Vapour
Reference Conditions from ISO8573.1 : Absolute atmospheric pressure 1 bar, Temperature = 20°C. Humidity is measured at air line pressure.
Air Purity Requirements – Total Oil (Aerosol & Vapour)
Reference Conditions from ISO8573.1 : Absolute atmospheric pressure 1 bar, Temperature = 20°C. Humidity is measured at air line pressure.
Air Purity Requirements & International Standards The air purity requirements within the code of practice provide air quality in accordance with ISO8573-1 : 2001 - The International Standard for Compressed Air Quality
System Recommendations System Design To achieve the stringent air quality levels required for food hygiene, a careful approach to system design, commissioning and operation must be employed. It is highly recommended that the compressed air is treated prior to entry into the distribution system as well as at each usage point or application. This approach to system design provides he most cost effective solution to system purification and can be seen in the following system examples
System Example One
Water Separator
Coalescing Filter (Pair) Gross / High Efficiency
Oil Vapour Removal
Dust Removal Filter (Pair)
AA Grade Dust Filter
Food Grade Compressed Air Code of Practice - Documentation The BCAS code of practice is available from the British Compressed Air Society web-site A Parker domnick hunter branded version is also available from Parker domnick hunter (Cost = Free) Parker also provide a guidance document to accompany the Code of Practice
THANK YOU!
QUESTIONS?
Nigel Bartlett New Zealand Operations Manager Parker Hannifin New Zealand Ltd. 18 October 2012
1
Compressed Air – The 4th Utility Compressed air is a safe and reliable power source that is widely used throughout industry Known as the 4th utility, approximately 90% of all companies use compressed air in some aspect of their operations Gas, water & electricity are supplied to site by a utilities supplier and to strict tolerances / quality specifications Unlike the other utilities, compressed air is not delivered by a utilities supplier, instead, it is generated onsite As compressed air is generated onsite, the quality of the compressed air and the cost of producing this powerful utility are the responsibility of the user
The problem with compressed air Compressed air systems inherently suffer from performance and reliability issues Almost all of the problems associated with the compressed air system and also many production related quality issues can be directly attributed to contamination in the compressed air Unknown to many users, in a typical compressed air system there are TEN major contaminants coming from FOUR different sources These contaminants must be removed or reduced to acceptable levels if the compressed air system is to operate safely and efficiently
Compressed Air – The 4th Utility In a typical winery or beverage facility making use of compressed air, there are 10 contaminants from four different sources to consider This contamination must be removed or reduced to acceptable levels for the compressed air to be suitable for use in food, beverage or pharmaceutical production
Compressed Air Contaminants: Water Vapour, Condensed Water & Water Aerosols Atmospheric air contains water vapour (water in a gaseous form) Air’s ability to hold water vapour is dependent upon it’s temperature and pressure As pressure increases, a smaller amount of water vapour can be held by the air As temperature increases, more water vapour can be held by the air
Compressed Air Contaminants: Water Vapour, Condensed Water & Water Aerosols During compression, the air temperature increases allowing the air to easily retain the moisture After compression, air is typically cooled to a more usable temperature Cooling reduces the air’s ability to retain water vapour, resulting in a proportion of the water vapour being condensed into liquid water
Compressed Air Contaminants: Water Vapour, Condensed Water & Water Aerosols As the compressed air enters the storage and distribution system, it is 100% saturated with water vapour The air receiver and system piping will drop the temperature of the compressed air (especially if the receiver or piping is external)
The temperature drop causes the 100% saturated air to condense more water vapour into liquid water Additionally, as the compressed air is used in valves, cylinders, tools & machinery, further condensation and sometimes freezing occurs
Compressed Air Contaminants: Water Vapour, Condensed Water & Water Aerosols Saturated air, water aerosols and liquid water within the compressed air system cause: • Corrosion to the storage & distribution system • Damage to valves, cylinders, tools and production equipment
• Damage to products & packaging in direct contact with the air • Increased microbiological contamination • Reduction in production efficiency • Increased maintenance costs
All forms of water must be removed for the system to run correctly and efficiently
Compressed Air Contaminants: Atmospheric Dirt Atmospheric air can typically contain between 140 - 150 million dirt particles in each cubic meter 80% of these particles are less than 2 micron in size They are too small to be captured by the compressor intake filter They will travel unrestricted into the compressed air system
Compressor Intake Filter 80% < 2micron
Compressed Air Contaminants: Microorganisms Atmospheric air can contain up to 100 million microorganisms per cubic metre of air Microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi & spores are drawn into the intake of the air compressor Due to their small size, they will pass directly through the compressor intake filters The warm moist air in the compressed air system provides an ideal environment for the growth of these microorganisms
The air receiver and distribution piping store their ever expanding growth
Compressed Air Contaminants: Microorganisms Many winery applications require sterility If contaminated compressed air can directly or indirectly contact products, packaging or production machinery, then sterility is eliminated This can cause enormous financial damage for a company as microorganism can: • • • • •
Potentially harm the consumer Diminish product quality Render a product entirely unfit for use Lead to a product recall Cause legal action against a company
Compressed Air Contaminants: Microorganisms Microorganisms don't just cause issues for critical applications or sterile processes Compressed air is used widely in general industry Untreated compressed air exhausted from pneumatic tools, valves, cylinder or machinery will also contain microorganisms If this exhausted air is inhaled by employees working in the vicinity or using tools / machinery it can also lead to excessive work force illness
Contamination & Types of Compressor Approx 75% of compressors sold world-wide are oil lubricated Oil is used in the compression stage for sealing, lubrication & cooling It is also to lubricate bearings and gearboxes Some compressor manufacturers also offer oil-free variants In these, oil is still used to lubricate bearings & gearboxes, but is not used in the compression stage or stages
Contamination & Types of Compressor Oil-free compressors are often advertised as providing contaminant free air Although lubricating oil is not added to the air during compression, even an oil free compressor does not supply contaminant free air
Systems employing oil-free compressors are still prone to liquid oil as oil vapour from the atmospheric air condenses downstream
Contamination & Types of Compressor Important Note: Another advertising claim of oil-free compressors is the ability to remove purification equipment as no oil is present Installing an oil free compressor will only remove one contaminant, oil aerosols
As filtration equipment removes more than one contaminant, they are still required to remove the other nine contaminants present Therefore the purification equipment required for an oil-free system is identical to that required by an oil lubricated system
Water Aerosols Condensed Water Vapour Condensed Oil Vapour
Rust Pipescale Atmospheric Dirt Solid particulates
Microorganisms
Compressed Air for the Food, Beverage & Pharmaceutical Industries In order to protect consumers against ill health (or worse), most industrialised countries have strict regulations and laws governing hygiene of food, beverage and pharmaceutical products which must be adhered to during Preparation Processing Manufacturing Packaging Storage Transportation Distribution Handling Sale or supply
Compressed Air for the Food, Beverage & Pharmaceutical Industries Normally, regulations are strictly observed within the manufacturing and supply processes However, through lack of awareness, they are not often applied to utilities
The most overlooked utility is the compressed air which powers many manufacturing processes
Hygiene and the HACCP Principle As the risks associated with compressed air contamination are not always apparent, it is not uncommon to find that the compressed air system and its usage points are overlooked when the HACCP hazard analysis (risk analysis) is carried out In reality, every point in a winery where compressed air is used should be classified as a CCP (Critical Control Point), due to the contamination present in the compressed air system Once classified as a CCP, measures must be taken to remove or reduce the contaminants to acceptable levels
Compressed Air for the Food, Beverage & Pharmaceutical Industries World-wide Standards With so many different and potentially dangerous contaminants present in untreated compressed air, it is surprising to find that NO standards defining a minimum acceptable level of cleanliness exist, unlike compressed air that is used for breathing or medical purposes
Compressed Air for the Food, Beverage & Pharmaceutical Industries Direct & Indirect Contamination During the production process, compressed air is often in direct contact with ingredients, finished product and packaging materials This allows contamination from the compressed to be transferred directly a product Additionally, the extensive use of pneumatics in the production facility can also lead to indirect contamination if untreated compressed air is allowed to exhaust from valves, cylinders and tools into the production environment
Compressed Air for the Food, Beverage & Pharmaceutical Industries Duty of Care Most hygiene legislation puts the duty of care on the manufacturer / producer For this reason, many companies often define their own internal quality standards based upon what they think or have been told is “best practice” This approach has led to a significant difference in the quality of compressed air in use world-wide
Compressed Air for the Food, Beverage & Pharmaceutical Industries Food Grade Compressed Air Code of Practice In the United Kingdom the governing body for compressed air is the BCAS (British Compressed Air Society) The governing body who represents retailers and manufacturers is the BRC (British Retail Consortium) The absence of either a standard or legislation relating to compressed air quality in the food and beverage industries led the BCAS and BRC to jointly develop a Code of Practice for Food & Beverage Grade Compressed Air This code of practice can also be adopted for use in the Pharmaceutical industry
Compressed Air for the Food, Beverage & Pharmaceutical Industries Food Grade Compressed Air Code of Practice - Scope The code of practice : • References complimentary international standards for air purity
• Gives recommendations on installation, testing and maintenance of compressed air systems • And most importantly, defines a minimum acceptable purity (quality) for compressed air used in the food and beverage industries The code of practice can be applied to the use of compressed air in all food and beverage manufacturing facilities, including bottling plants, however it does not cover the quality of other gases used e.g. CO2 or Nitrogen as these are often covered by other standards
Compressed Air for the Food, Beverage & Pharmaceutical Industries Food Grade Compressed Air Code of Practice - Scope Following the Code of Practice in the United Kingdom is not mandatory and not required by law Following the code of practice does allow a company to show due diligence should a “quality incident” occur and reach court Compliance with the code of practice is becoming a requirement of many major UK retailers Some suppliers are now being asked to show compliance with the code of practice if they wish to remain a supplier or prior to being accepted as a supplier
Code of Practice Air Purity Requirements Air Purity The Code of Practice States : The outlet compressed air must be designated as either Contact, Non-Contact or Non-Contact High Risk
Definitions • Contact - air that comes into direct contact with food or the food manufacturing process (Direct Contact) • Non-Contact - air that will never come into contact with food or the food manufacturing process (Non-Contact) • Non-Contact High Risk - air that is not supposed to come into contact with food or the food manufacturing process but may inadvertently do so (Indirect Contact)
Code of Practice Air Purity Requirements Air Purity The air purity requirements of each are split into Dirt, Water & Oil and are very similar to each other
• Dirt – The purity requirements for dirt are identical for Contact, Non Contact and Non Contact – High Risk • Water – The purity requirements for water are identical for Contact & Non Contact – High Risk, only Non-Contact changes • Oil – The purity requirements for oil are identical for Contact, Non Contact and Non Contact – High Risk
Air Purity Requirements - Dirt
Reference Conditions from ISO8573.1 : Absolute atmospheric pressure 1 bar, Temperature = 20°C. Humidity is measured at air line pressure.
Air Purity Requirements – Water Vapour
Reference Conditions from ISO8573.1 : Absolute atmospheric pressure 1 bar, Temperature = 20°C. Humidity is measured at air line pressure.
Air Purity Requirements – Total Oil (Aerosol & Vapour)
Reference Conditions from ISO8573.1 : Absolute atmospheric pressure 1 bar, Temperature = 20°C. Humidity is measured at air line pressure.
Air Purity Requirements & International Standards The air purity requirements within the code of practice provide air quality in accordance with ISO8573-1 : 2001 - The International Standard for Compressed Air Quality
System Recommendations System Design To achieve the stringent air quality levels required for food hygiene, a careful approach to system design, commissioning and operation must be employed. It is highly recommended that the compressed air is treated prior to entry into the distribution system as well as at each usage point or application. This approach to system design provides he most cost effective solution to system purification and can be seen in the following system examples
System Example One
Water Separator
Coalescing Filter (Pair) Gross / High Efficiency
Oil Vapour Removal
Dust Removal Filter (Pair)
AA Grade Dust Filter
Food Grade Compressed Air Code of Practice - Documentation The BCAS code of practice is available from the British Compressed Air Society web-site A Parker domnick hunter branded version is also available from Parker domnick hunter (Cost = Free) Parker also provide a guidance document to accompany the Code of Practice
THANK YOU!
QUESTIONS?
