However, not many are aware that compressed air is a major power source in the healthcare sector and saves many lives. It is a key component that enables the functioning of modern medical equipment. Be it artificial respirators or surgical instruments, air compressors power a number of systems in hospitals and dental clinics.

Let us look into some of these in more detail:

Operation theatre

Medical-grade compressed air, free from contaminants such as oil, dust particulates, bioburden and water vapour, is administered to patients for anaesthesia and inhaled medications during surgeries. It keeps them with breathing and makes them feel comfortable during invasive procedures. Air compressors also help run several handheld medical tools and pneumatic devices in the OT.

Treatment of severe respiratory conditions in the ICU

Life support systems in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) are powered by air compressors. Medical grade air compressors deliver clean and dry air while running ventilators. They also power the incubators that provide a safe space to new-born babies as their vital organs develop. The controlled flow of air helps reduce unsafe levels of oxygen exposure and enables easy breathing for patients.

Dentistry

Air compressors are also at the core of dental treatments and surgeries. They help operate drills, scalers and other handhelds used by dentists in tooth extraction, root canal process, teeth cleaning and other invasive procedures.

Besides providing the cleanest of air for equipment, dental air compressors must also function without making much noise – this is necessary to enable dentists to focus on their work and the patients to stay relaxed. Small air compressors with filter silencers can significantly reduce the noise a unit makes.

Hospital maintenance

Compressed air is the best resource to clean dusty surfaces in any facility, making it useful for hospitals that must be kept very clean. Air compressors also power a number of other tools used in the repair and maintenance of medical equipment such as nail-guns, impact hammers and others.

Hospital maintenance teams also use air compressors to inflate mattresses and the tyres of wheelchairs, stretchers and service carts.

Air compressors that supply medical-grade air

Medical air compressors are specially designed to distribute air that does not have any traces of fine particles, oil, odour or moisture. Such air is used only for patient care and calibration of devices for respiratory applications.

Oil-free air compressors are the best models to supply medical-grade air Since they use materials like Teflon for lubrication, there is no trace of harmful oil in the air output of these compressed air systems.

It is also critical to eliminate water from healthcare compressed air systems because moisture is corrosive and can cause significant harm to the units. Besides damaging distribution pipelines and air receivers, it may lead to mould growth on equipment used in medical treatments. Water can also freeze in control lines during cold weather, resulting in faulty operation of associated applications.

Regardless of airborne moisture or vapour from system condensation, water in any form is harmful to systems run by medical air compressors and can lead to multiple breakdowns and repair bills.

More alarmingly, any bacterial contaminant or pathogens mixed with moisture, put patients’ lives in danger, defeating the very purpose of using compressed air in medical facilities.

Smooth functioning of air compressors

The key component requiring maintenance to avoid water in medical air compressors is the air dryer. While buying accessories, ensure that you choose the right size of dryers and fit them carefully, considering the amount of moisture that they can hold.

Service or replace the dryers when required because, in time, they tend to lose their ability to stop vapour from passing through the air compressor.

As part of your routine air compressor maintenance, check the condensate drains to prevent them from carrying moisture downstream into the linked medical systems. Get the clogged drains cleaned thoroughly and if there are any other signs of damage, contact a professional to make necessary repairs or replacements.

ELGi offers air compressors and accessories for the healthcare industry for select applications and to support your facility maintenance tasks. To know more about these models or to sign up for an annual maintenance package, contact our team at 1800-425-3544 (India tollfree) or write to us at communications@elgi.com .

Air compressors convert normal air into its high-pressure, denser form for uses in a wide range of environments.

From small, portable models for safe supply on-the-go, to huge commercial installations that fuel complex industrial processes, they vary considerably in size and configuration to best suit all kinds of needs.

ELGi offers compressed air solutions to multiple industries, and here’s a list to name a few:

According to historians, it is believed that sandblasting was first patented after the observation of what appeared to be sand-laden winds. Apparently, this seemed to significantly affect objects or surfaces they met. This observation was made by none other than Benjamin Chew Tilghman – the person who invented the first air compressor.

Sandblasting is also known as abrasive blasting. It is the operation of forcibly propelling a stream of abrasive materials against a surface. It is done under high-pressure to smooth out a rough surface, roughen a smooth surface or shape the same to remove its contaminants.

The abrasive material for this operation is chosen based on the finish required on the surface.

To get the best performance from your sandblaster, you need to select the right compressor for the job.

Choosing your compressor:

Compressors and sandblasters are sized based on:

• Flow: Defined as the volume of air that the system can move in a minute, the flow is dictated by
  • Number of users
  • Hose length
  • Hose diameter
  • Nozzle size and type
• Pressure: The pressure generated by the system is dictated by media, hose length, & diameter
  One must consider both numbers to make sure the compressor and sandblaster will work together. The size of the sandblaster and nozzle will determine what size of the compressor should be used for the operation.

How sandblasters work:

To select the right size of the compressor for the operation; it is necessary to understand how exactly a sandblaster works. They clean out rough surfaces by abrading them with sand that is fired out of an air-powered gun at high velocity.

• Different types of projection systems that can throw abrasive using compressed air:
  In pressurised projection systems, both abrasive pot and air mixing champers are under the same pressure, sweeping the abrasive material along in the blast hose.
• In suction systems, compressed air is injected into the gun through a nozzle which creates a partial vacuum that sucks a mix of air and abrasive materials from the pot.
• In gravity systems, the abrasive material enters the mixing chamber by gravity and is then pushed by compressed air into the nozzle.

This industry has not only lived up to Dubai’s love for pushing the limits of human ingenuity, but also met its constant requirement for construction materials to feed the high demand. One such material is cement, the lifeblood of the real estate and construction industry.

To power this journey, ​one of the ​largest​ ​producers ​of​ ​cement​ ​in​ ​the United Arab Emirates (UAE)​, has been at the forefront of this sector fulfilling heavy demand, and making heavy investments in technology including state-of-the-art air compressors.

According to the report, ‘All India installed capacity (in MW) of power stations’ published on 31st March 2020, India’s installed utility-scale hydroelectric capacity was 46,000 MW. This accounted for 12.3% of its total utility power generation capacity.

In the future, it is estimated that India’s hydroelectric potential shall reach up to 148,701 MW. Furthermore, it is said that an additional 6,780 MW from smaller hydro schemes which have capacities of less than 25 MW can be deemed as exploitable.

Apart from this, a total of 56 sites for pumped storage schemes with an aggregate installed capacity of 94,000 MW have also been identified.