Compressed Air & Nitrogen – Food and Beverage’s Secret Ingredients

17th August

Compressed Air and Nitrogen Solutions for the Food & Beverage Industry

Compressed air and nitrogen play a critical role across the food and beverage industry, supporting everything from production equipment and automated processes to packaging, product handling and preservation.

However, when compressed air or nitrogen comes into contact with food, packaging or critical production processes, simply having a reliable supply isn’t enough. Air quality, efficiency, contamination risk, reliability and the suitability of the complete system all need to be considered.

At Aircare, we work with food and beverage manufacturers to assess these requirements and design compressed air and on-site nitrogen solutions around the demands of their individual production environments.

The Challenge

Food and beverage production can place significant demands on compressed air systems. Production schedules are often intensive, downtime can be costly, and compressed air may be used across multiple processes with very different requirements.

Depending on the application, compressed air can be used for pneumatic machinery and automation, product handling, cleaning, packaging and other production processes. Nitrogen can also play an important role in applications such as modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), blanketing and other processes where controlling exposure to oxygen is beneficial.

This means there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach.

The first consideration should always be understanding where the air or gas is being used and what it could come into contact with.

Compressed Air Quality

Compressed air quality is particularly important within food and beverage environments.

Contaminants including particles, moisture and oil can potentially enter a compressed air system, making appropriate air treatment an essential part of system design.

The level of treatment required will depend on the individual application and whether compressed air has direct or indirect contact with the product, packaging or production equipment.

A complete compressed air solution could therefore incorporate:

• High-efficiency compressed air filtration
• Refrigeration or desiccant dryers
• Condensate management
• Oil-water separation
• Appropriate air receivers and distribution pipework
• Air quality testing and ongoing monitoring

Rather than treating the compressor in isolation, Aircare considers the complete compressed air system to ensure the quality of air reaching the point of use is appropriate for the application.

Reliability and Business Continuity

In a busy food or beverage production facility, an unexpected loss of compressed air can quickly become an operational problem.

Where compressed air is critical to production, system resilience should therefore form part of the conversation.

This could mean incorporating duty/standby compressors, additional storage capacity or a system design that allows individual equipment to be isolated for maintenance without shutting down the entire compressed air supply.

Regular preventative maintenance is equally important. Understanding the condition of compressors, dryers, filtration and downstream equipment can help identify potential issues before they result in unexpected downtime.

Reducing Compressed Air Energy Costs

Compressed air can be one of the largest consumers of electricity within a manufacturing facility, meaning system efficiency can have a significant impact on operating costs.

Choosing an efficient compressor is important, but there are opportunities for savings throughout the entire system.

Aircare can help manufacturers investigate areas including:

• Correct compressor sizing
• Variable speed technology
• Compressor sequencing and control
• Air leak detection and repair
• Pressure optimisation
• Pipework design
• Heat recovery
• Data logging and system monitoring

Understanding actual air demand allows equipment to be selected and controlled around the way the facility really operates rather than relying solely on assumptions or existing compressor sizes.

On-Site Nitrogen Generation

For food and beverage manufacturers using nitrogen regularly, generating nitrogen on site can provide an alternative to relying entirely on delivered cylinders or bulk liquid nitrogen.

An on-site nitrogen generation system produces nitrogen from the facility’s compressed air supply, allowing gas to be generated as required.

Depending on the application and usage, this can offer several advantages, including:

• Greater control over nitrogen supply
• Reduced reliance on external deliveries
• Reduced cylinder handling and storage
• Consistent nitrogen availability
• Potential long-term cost savings
• A solution designed around the required flow, pressure and purity

Correct specification is essential. Nitrogen purity, flow and pressure requirements can differ considerably between applications, so Aircare assesses the production process before recommending a generation system.

Looking at the Complete System

For food and beverage manufacturers, compressed air and nitrogen shouldn’t be considered as individual pieces of equipment.

From the compressor and air treatment equipment through to distribution pipework, point-of-use filtration and nitrogen generation, each component can influence reliability, efficiency and the quality of the final supply.

Aircare can assess existing installations, identify opportunities for improvement and design complete compressed air and nitrogen solutions around individual production requirements.

Whether you’re expanding production, reviewing energy consumption, considering on-site nitrogen generation or simply questioning whether your current system is still right for your operation, our team can help you understand where improvements could be made.

When was the last time you looked at what your compressed air and nitrogen systems are really costing your food or beverage operation?