Wednesday, 26 May 2021

Oil-Injected Compressors v/s Oil-Free Compressors

A new buyer on the road in need of an air compressor will be confused with the labels of ‘Oil-Free” and “Oil-Injected” attached to the respective ones within the shop. A professional or an expert knows the two and buys the right one for his/her company, whereas a non-expert in the field might stand wondering, utterly confused about the right choice. This article puts before you the actual difference between them and then you know which is accurate for your business. Once you know, contact the best compressor services in Dubai, they will install the right one that suits your need. 

What is an Oil-Injected or Lubricated Air Compressor?

Oil-Injected air compressors use a liquid component, most commonly oil for its lubricating and sealing properties, injected into its operation chamber for the smooth functioning of its elements. Oil-Injected compressors are majorly utilized for:

Cooling and lubricating the compressor elements’ and moving parts

Cooling the compressed air within the chamber

Minimizing leaks during discharge

Operating within temperature limits, removing excess heat during the processes

The lubricant is removed from the compressed air using different air filtrations like centrifugal separators or coalescing filters. The oil is thoroughly filtered and cooled before re-injecting them to the operational chamber. These lubricated air compressors require routine maintenance and change of oil, or any synthetic lubricant, from time to time. 



What is an Oil-Free Air Compressor?

Oil-Free air compressors are operated with external gearboxes, thus the elements within the compressing chamber do not come together to create any friction. As a result of which, the compressing chamber is completely lubricant-free, whereas the external gearbox requires oil or other lubricants against corrosion, reduces friction and ensures efficient, reliable operation of the elements. To avoid the scenarios of overheating and possible leakages, oil-free compressors often have a two-step process of compression. In order to remove excess heat, there is an intercooler installed in between the two stages and an aftercooler at the end of the process. 

They have two advantages compared to oil-injected compressors:

They have low maintenance costs, as there is minimal repair work in the compressor chamber, only the gearbox requires regular service.

They offer clean compressed air, free of any contaminants or foreign particles within.


In conclusion, it can be said that the industries with heavy workload using air compressors can go with the lubricated/oil-injected air compressors and the industries like pharmaceutical, food processing or electronics, that requires high-quality pure air can pick oil-free compressors for an excellent final product free of contaminants. Instead of going for a new compressor, one can always opt for highly serviced used compressors in UAE, for lower costs.  

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