Air… We all breathe it, we live in it, we even compress it to use it as a utility. What is it though? Well, read through the next to learn some valuable points that aren’t easy to see with your eyes, just like air molecules.
- Air is mostly a gas.
- Comprised of roughly 78% Nitrogen and 21% Oxygen. Air also contains a lot of other gases in minute amounts. Those gases include carbon dioxide, neon, and hydrogen.
- Air is more than just gas.
- While the vast majority is gas, air also holds lots of microscopic particulate.
- These range from pollen, soot, dust, salt, and debris.
- All of these items that are not Nitrogen or Oxygen contribute to pollution.
- Not all the Carbon Dioxide in the air is bad.
- Carbon Dioxide as mentioned above is what humans and most animals exhale when they breathe. This gas is taken in by plants and vegetation to convert their off gas which is oxygen.
- Think back to elementary school now. Remember photosynthesis?
- If you don’t remember that, maybe you remember Billy Madison, “Chlorophyll, more like Bore-a-fil.”
- Carbon dioxide is however one of the leading causes of global warming.
Moisture In The Air – (Grant)2
- Air holds water.
- That’s right, high quality H2O gets suspended within the air molecules causing humidity. This humidity ultimately reaches a point where the air can simply not hold anymore and it starts to rain. The lack of humidity in the air leads to static, while lots of moisture in the air when it gets compressed causes moisture in compressed air systems.
- Air changes relative to altitude.
- Air all pushes down on the Earth’s surface. This is known as atmospheric pressure.
- The closer you are to sea level the higher the level of pressure because the air molecules are more densely placed.
- The higher you are from sea level the lower the density of air molecules. This causes the pressure to be less. This is also why people say the air is getting a little thin.
Hopefully this helps to better explain what air is and give some insight into the gas that is being compressed by an air compressor and then turned into a working utility within a production environment. If you would like to discuss how any of these items effects the compressed air quality within a facility please reach out to any Application Engineer at EXAIR.
Brian Farno
Application Engineer
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF
1 – Air – Creative Commons – Tsurutea Yosuke – https://www.flickr.com/photos/tsurutayosuke/47732716442/in/photolist-2fHYDBG-dd5e5z-5snidD-oaU8fm-68kqiz-8sMG3P-fnqYx7-9bkTrx-5P2BDv-6R75dG-9vi5xL-5yADR-8EAFci-9NQvER-8sMGoR-4Uybwo-9bNqfB-6N9qf8-6LZyG-7MF4aZ-dehz3-5h1wXk-6uJWNq-7eQCUU-6qoUm6-8sQHxo-uqDdE-6NDHW3-8sQMDQ-7wyCsV-dd5io5-5yAwX-ZmCdh2-BMZCW-agSno-bQ8UFK-6d8Pkz-ars544-novykD-3PF1FT-W13jE9-3GSRLj-7r9Msu-6yn1Ne-32iJKf-7CPqWv-8qhcn-4Eicvh-LLgb4-54ixko
2 – DSC_0750 – Creative Commons – David Grant – https://www.flickr.com/photos/zub/24340293/in/photolist-39Kwe-2cZxjuw-6ywctR-26b7Z2F-84vqJN-bpjRN3-6aDzQR-i84BUr-xbu1Us-fxyvn-5UPDBh-VDz7nD-8Be4fP-a6MVGC-nP4end-PA5nb9-3ddwtq-nRF2yr-j4XPzo-cd5CvJ-eoGFTQ-rYNapy-pKAJpQ-pVrbq6-21hFhHB-n8hpva-7uMwPs-4EZ9ok-jGahK-foR798-JP9rcG-cMRjhu-i74Qo-2d1nE-7nXj3e-9tMib1-6JrXP-9tMdnd-4o5ZCx-6uk2LG-9Gt8K4-5xksdV-9tJgMa-9tMh8b-kkZNy5-c8oM8C-8reqky-4KXe87-aFt7kn-MNNDwU