Beko GmbH

Frequently Asked Questions

We are compiling questions which are frequently asked on whether on compressed air technology, gas generation, air pollution control, their products as well as its jargons.

Look out for the icons, as they can be important on how efficient to run your compressed air systems and etc.

 Good practice

Bad practice

Air flow/flow rate:  compressor output capacity usually measured in cfm(cubic feet per minute), cfh, m³/hr, m³/min etc.

Compressed air: generated by air compressors such as piston, screw, centrifugal etc.  Is to power all pneumatic application.

Cost of compressed air:  an aggregate estimation ranging from RM0.03/m³ to RM0.06/m³ depend on the new compressor's type, investment, maintenance, overhauls, and electricity tariff.  For example, a 100 m³/hr compressor running 12 hour for 360 days a year will cost RM13,000 at least to operate.

Desiccants:  also known as drying agents used in Pressure Swing Absorption(PSA) heatless air dryer, blower purge heater dryer or heat regenerative dryers.  Desiccants use in PSA dryers are Molecular sieve(-70°C pressure dew point), activated alumina(-40°C pressure dew point), and silica gel(-20°C pressure dew point).  In heat regenerative dryers, more durable desiccants are used to capture moisture in longer cycle.

Dew point: the maximum threshold of the air to contain moisture.  For example: at 25°C, 1 bar(abs), the amount of moisture is 23.0 g/m³.  By increasing the amount of moisture while maintaining same temperature and pressure, threshold is broken and condensation will take place.  Another example: in cold winter time of -20°C, the dew point is only 0.88 g/m³.  Suffice to say, dew point also indicates the air dryness.

Low dew point or pressure dew point in compressed air means less moisture, which is ideal for manufacturing processes.

High dew point or pressure dew point can result in compressed air piping corrosion, destroying pneumatic instruments, and producing defective products.

Dew point chart:  Pressure dew point chart

Gauge size:  units(mm, inch)

The measurement of steel sheet thickness.  7 gauge  = 4.55 mm, 10 gauge = 3.4 mm, 12 gauge = 2.65 mm

ISO8573.1 table: ISO table

Pressure:  units(bar, PSI, kPa)

There are three commonly used pressure terminologies, namely atmospheric pressure(atm), gauge pressure(g) and absolute pressure(abs). 

Formula: absolute pressure = atmospheric pressure + gauge pressure

For example: The compressor is running at  6 bar(g) or 7 bar(abs), atmospheric pressure is always 1 bar(atm) measured at sea level.

Pressure drop: the difference of pressure between pipings, compressed air installation such as compressed air filter elements, refrigerant dryers, heatless air dryers, water separators as so on.  The higher the pressure drop means the installation or pipings are not efficient, defective or badly designed. 

Pressure drop must be observed and recorded regularly. 

Replace filter elements periodically.

Relative humidity: associates with dew point, measured in percentage(RH%).