ISIISO 8573-1 : 2001

Indian Standard
COMPRESSED AIR
PART 1 CONTAMINANTS AND PURITY CLASSES
1 Scope
This part of ISO 8573 specifies purity classes of compressed air in respect of particles, water and oil regardless of
the source of the compressed air.
This part of ISO 8573 identifies microbiological and gaseous contaminants.
The gaseous contaminants included in this part of ISO 8573 are carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ni-
trogen dioxide, nitric oxide and hydrocarbons with carbon atoms in the range C
1
to C
s
'
NOTE Other contaminants are taken into consideration for specific applications, e.g. air used for breathing, medical, food and
beverage purposes.
2 Normative references
The following normative documents contain provisions which, through reference in this text, constitute provisions of
this part of ISO 8573. For dated references, subsequent amendments to, or revisions of, any of these publications do
not apply. However, parties to agreements based on this part of ISO 8573 are encouraged to investigate the possi-
bility of applying the most recent editions of the normative documents indicated below. For undated references, the
latest edition of the normative document referred to applies. Members of ISO and IEC maintain registers of currently
valid International Standards.
ISO 7183, Compressed air dryers - Specifications and testing.
ISO 8573-2, Compressed air for general use - Part 2: Test methods for aerosol oil content.
ISO 8573-3, Compressed air - Part 3: Test methods for measurement of humidity.
ISO 8573-4, Compressed air - Part 4: Test methods for solid particle content.
ISO 8573-5, Compressed air - Part 5: Determination of oil vapour and organic solvent content.
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this part of ISO 8573, the terms and definitions given in ISO 7183 and the following apply.
3.1
aerosol
suspension in a gaseous medium of solid particles, liquid particles or solid and liquid particles having negligible fall-
velocity/settling-velocity
3.2
agglomerate
group of two or more particles combined, joined or formed into a cluster by any means
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ISIISO 8573-1 : 2001
3.3
dewpoint
temperature at which water vapour begins to condense
3.4
microbiological organisms
viable colony lorming units which may be a bacteria . lung l or yeasts
3.5
oil
mixture of hydrocarbons composed 01 6 or more carbon atoms (e
6
)
3.6
particle
a small discrete mass of solid or liquid matter
3.7
particle size
d
length 01 the greatest distance between two external boundaries.
3.8
relatiwl ..ter vapour pressure
relative humidity
ratio 01 the partial pressure of water vapour to Its saturation pressure at the same temperature
3.9
vapour
gas which is at a temperature below its critical temperature and which therefore can be Iiquel ied by isothermal com-
pression
4 Measurement of contaminants
For the purpose of assessing the PUrityclass 01 a compressed air sample . measurements shall be made ," accord-
ance with the appropriate part 01 ISO 8573:
Part 2 lor measuring oil aerosols and at! liquid content of compressed air ;
Part 3 lor measuring humidity;
Part 4 for measuring solid part icles;
Part 5 lor measuring OIl vapour and organic solvent content ;
Further parts of ISO 8573 are under preparation lor measuring gaseous contaminant conte nt (part 6). lor deterrrun-
Ing viable microbIOlogICal contaminant content (Part 7) and lor measuring solid part icles (Part 8) and liquid water
content (Part 9). In their absence. other recognized standards shall be used lor the measurement of the various can-
tammants. II possibte. and the lollowing rules apply:
measurements shall be based on a number of samples taken dunnq a suitable length of time;
measurements should be carried out at the actual operating pressure and temperature;
the purity classes 01 a compressed air system should be based on the mean value 01an agreed number 01 meas-
urements (see note) :
the purity classes are relevant Oflly at the point 01 measurement (see note) .
The content of partICles. water and OIl in compressed air varies due to sudden changes in the intake air. to the wear
01components as well as to changes In How. pressure. temperature and ambient conditions .
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ISIISO 8573-1 : 2001
It ISnot pos si bl e to measure ttl e full flow area of a compressed all str eam uSing most test met hods a"d ltle,,,l o,e It 1$
necessary 10 take samples ot !t ,e air Car e snoutu be exercsec 10 ens ure that the samp le taken .s rppresen:at lvt! ot
the com pressed al l punty.
NOTE Measurements should be cameo out at the aclual operating concu.ons as otherwise the balance belwE'en ,n IIQ'
uid, ae rosol or gaseous form Wi ll be anereo Liquid 0,1 and fr ee water rn particular lend 10 cling to pope and tub<' wall s where
lorm a ntm or thin rivul ets
5 Standard atmosphere
Reference conditions tor volume statements shall be as specified In Table 1.
Table 1 - Reference conditions
Air temperature ' 20 C
-- - --- ---
, . _"_0>
Air pressure 1 bar a absolu te
.. ...
..-- -- ----------10- ---' ".. ..- -----.-. -.. .. .. --...
--.
Relative water vapour pre ssure
a
1 bar = 0.1 MPa
6 Contaminants
6.1 General
The thr ee major imp unnes In compressed .ur art' solid par nctes, water and 0 11. They Influe nce each other (e.g. sol id
pa rticulate aggl omerates In the presence ot oil or wat er to tor m lar ger particles. 011 and water for m an ernutsion ) and
are sometimes deposited or condense d ( e q 0 11 vapour or water vapour) inside the pipework 01 a compressed air
syst em. Other contami nants are al so considered Including mi crobi olo gical organi sms and gaseous contaminants.
6.2 Solid particles
6.2.1 General
Solid part icle prope rt ies are Import ant ard are characten zed by densrty. shape. size and by hardness
It IS essential 10 ehrrunate the mnuence 0 1water on pa rt icle size and numbe r In order 10 obtai n a correct reading
6.2.2 Measuring parameters
6.2.2.1 Particle size
Particle size shall be measured in accordance with recognized met hod s
6.2.2.2 Particle concentration
Concentration 0 1 part icles shall be measured In acco rdance with ISO 8573-4 Mass concentranon 01 parncies shall
be measured In accordance with a recogni zed standard (see clause 4)
6.2.2.3 Humidity
The actual hUmidIty level sha ll be measured 10 acc ordance with ISO 8573 -3
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ISIlSO 8573-1 : 2001
6.3 Water
6.3.1 General
Atmospheric air always conta ins water vapour . When atmospheric air is compressed the partial pressure of the water
vapour Increases but, owing to the increase In temperature caused by the compression, no water precipitates. When
the air is subsequently cooled (e.g. in an Intercooler or aftercooler, in the distribut ion pipework or during the expan-
sion process In a pneumatic tool) water will condense to liquid, but the air will be fully saturated with water vapour.
6.3.2 Measuring parameters
Humidity measurement shall be in accordance with ISO 8573-3 and for liquid water in accordance with a recognized
standard (see clause 4) .
6.4 Oil
6.4.1 General
For the purposes of this part 01 ISO 8573. oil In compressed air can belong to one or more of three categories: liquid.
aerosol or vapour.
When considerinq 011vapour content 01compressed air It is impor tant to reference the temperature as this affects the
ratio 01vapour 10total 011 content.
Testing lor vapour should be earned out in conjunct ion with the test lor aerosols and bulk liquid so the various phase
concentrations may be discerned. Due to Ihe complex organic molecules. which may be involved, the calibration pro-
cedure of the measurement shall be clearly stated.
6.4.2 Measuring parameters
6.4 .2.1 Oil liquid. aerosol or vapour
The measurement of 0 11 aerosol and hquid shall be In accordance with ISO 85732. The measurement of oil vapour
shall be In accordance With ISO 8573-5.
6.4.2.2 Humidity
The actual humidity level shall be measured In accordance with ISO 8573-3.
6.5 Gaseous contaminants
Atmospheric air contains not only those common contaminants generally identi fied for treatment but also gaseous
contaminants which may be present in varying amounts depending on location. Concentration 01 gaseous contami-
nants shall be measured in accordance Witha recognized standard (see clause 4).
6.6 Microbiological organisms
MICrobIOlogICal organisms are generally considered to be solid contaminants. which can be present In the atmos-
pherIC air. These orgamsms may be introduced into the compressed air by a numoer of means. If the microbiological
orgamsm IS to be 1dentTfled as a solid parncle then the measurement method identified in ISO 8573-4 is used. If the
colony forming act iVity 01bactena. fungi or yeasts is Important then this can be identified using a recognized standard
(see clause 4).
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15nSO 8573-1 : 2001
7 Compressed air purity classes
7.1 Solid particle classes
The solid particle classes are defined In Table 2 Values tor classes a to 5 shall be measured In accordance with
ISO 8573-4 and for classes 6 and 7 In accordance with a recognized standard (see clause 4)
Table 2 - Solid particle classes
Concentration
5
t-
10
;Not applicable
!
I
-
Particle
size
Particle size, d
I flm ,
,-,- 0,10 ,0,10< ,1 0.5:0,5 "'1_0 :1,0 Ii 5_0 !
Maximum number of particles per m
J
I
(see clause 5) !
f-----------------------------.----------------'
i
Class
o As specified by the equipment user or supplier and more stnngent than INot
class 1 [apphcable
1 Not speCified TiOo--.
2 Not specified i100 000 11 000 !10 :
I --.-....--.-...,... .. -t -- -- -. --...----...-,.---.t
3 Not speclfJe3__l Not __ __?OO__ i500 --1
4 Not specified i Not specrtied i Not specrtied i 1 000 I
5---
-- L J . -4-_
6 Not applicable ;. 5
f------- - ,------- -+-
7 Not applicable i 40
NOTE A fillrallon rallo " rl'i:lll'd 10,] pailicle size class IS the rano between the number of parnctos ups.uearn of the Illter and
the number of particles dc'wnsfr"dm ThiS can be expressed as [ ,I 1 F'). where l ' IS the penetration 01 the parllcle:-:. ex-
pressed as the r.lllO of do\',,, Sfre,1fl1 partl -Ie concentration to upstrr-am parllcle concentration The w;rtlcle Sill' class IS used as
:In 111CJ!', "q 7:) 111,. ,H),. that the number of particles of size 10 I'm (,1 m : and larger IS 75 urnes higher upstream of the
+lit',-'r
7.2 Humidity and liquid water classes
The humidity classes are defined m Table 3 and hqurd water classes In Table 4 Values for pressure oewpo.ots shan
be determined accordrnq to ISO 8573-3 and hqurd water content according to a recognized standard (see clause 4)
When lower dewpomts are reourred they shall be clearly specrned
Table 3 - Humidity classes
Pressure dewpoint
Class
C
0 As spec-bed by the equipment user or supplier and more stnngent than class 1
1-- __ .. .. .. _-_._- .__.. ..
1 70
2
.-
--40
3
.>
-20
--,-----
'--'-- ,._._- -----_._._..
4
I
"
-'-3
--------------------------
5
<'
-'-7
---:-::
..-
6
-,
+10
--
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ISIISO 8573-1 : 2001
Tabl e 4 - Li qui d water classes
Concentration of l iquid water,
(

Class
m
3
9
1 i<'
' . , 0.5
.. _-
- - ,-_. .. .-
__.______ _L .,.,
------- .._--- -.
8

<
(
'"

5
f
. . .. -_.---- - _. -
. .
9 j 5
..
<'",
10
7.3 Oil classes
The oil classes are def ined m Table 5. Val ues for all aerosol and all liquid shall be de ter mined according to
ISO 8573-2 an d all vapour according to ISO 8573-5. Th e conce ntration of total all is the sum of these values.
Table 5 - Oil classes
---- - ------_._-
[As speci fied by the equipment user or supplier and mo re strin gent than cl ass 1
i ' - '-'
0.01
0.1
!< 1
I
!. 5
!Concentrati on total oil (aerosol . liquid , and vapour)
Img/ m
3
o
Class
1
f- - .... - ..
2
f-.-- ----- - . ... - ...- --- ---+- - - - - - - - - - - ---- .-- - - - --- - - - ---- - -j
3
f---. .- - . -- - - . - . , .. - - - - -- -.r--- - - - - - - - - - .---- -- -- - - - - - - - - - - - .---
4
7.4 Gases
r he reporting of ttle levels of gas eous contaminant content Incl uded within the scope of this part 01ISO 85 73 shall
be determined as the actual determined values rn acc ordance With a recoqruzcd standard (see cl ause 4) .
7.5 Microbiological organisms
Due :0 the co mplex nature of the mvol veme nt of mic rob iol ogical organisms In many types of appli cation the classdr -
cali on In thl'i part of ISO 8573 IS limited to a simp le Ident ity based on sterile or non-sterile apphcatr ons . Reporll ng of
the leve ls of co ntaminant content Incl uded Within the scope 01thrs part 01ISO 85 73 shall be det ermined as the actual
determlr1ed val ues In accordance With a recognized stand ar d (see clause 4)
7.6 Designation
The oe siqnation of the PUrity cl ass of compressed air at the specified measuri ng POint shall Include the foll OWing In.
formati on .n the order give n:
Compressed air purity classes ISO 8573-1 ABC
where
A IS the hgure for soit d par ticle classes as measured In accordance With ISO 8573-4 (see 7. 1);
8 IS the fIgure for humidity or "qUId water classes as measur ed In accordance with ISO 8573-3 (see 7.2):
c 's the f'gure for total oil classes as measured In accordance With ISO 8573 -2 and ISO 8573-5 (see 7.3)
When a class for any parncular contammant A. Bar C is not specihed, the de signall on shall be replaced by a hyp hen.
6

Additional qualification may be given on
gaseous contaminant content (see 7.4):
mi crobiol ogical con taminant content (see 7.5).
I5nSO 8573-1 : 2001
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ISIISO 8573-1 : 2001
Bibliography
[ ' ) ISO 3649, Cieernnq eqiuoment for air or other gases - Vocabulary.
[21 ISO 8573-6, Compressed sur - Part 6: Determination of content of gaseous contsrtunents.
[3J ISO 8573-7, Compressed air - Part 7: Test methods for viable microbioloqicel contaminant content.
[41 ISO 85738, Compressed air - Part 8: Contaminants and punty classes (by mass concentration of solid parti-
cles).
[5) ISO 8573-9, Compressed air - Part 9: Test methods for liquid water content.
[6) PN 14M3, Contsminsnts. purity classes and measurement methods' ).
l) PNEURQP Puohcall ons avaIlable from PNEUROP General Secretanat, 33/34 Devonshire Street, London W1N lRF.
8