Air Treatment/N2

Leland Brewing Adopts Modular Nitrogen Generation

By Troy Dreier, Senior Editor, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine 

A modular nitrogen generation system integrated with compressed air infrastructure enabled on-site nitrogen production, reducing reliance on delivered CO₂ and improving process efficiency. Adjustable nitrogen purity levels (e.g., 99.99%) optimized flow rate and demand matching while maintaining product quality in brewing applications. The implementation demonstrates how scalable nitrogen generation technology can lower operating costs and support growth in small to mid-sized industrial operations.

Read Full Story

Understanding the ISA-7.0.01-1996 Instrument Air Standard

By Joe D’Orazio, National Sales Manager, Kaeser Compressors

This article examines the ISA-7.0.01-1996 instrument air standard and its requirements for pressure dew point, particle size, oil content and contaminants. It explains how to select and size refrigerated and desiccant compressed air dryers, filtration systems and air compressors based on operating conditions and application requirements. The article also addresses dew point optimization, compressed air demand, system redundancy, maintenance and leak management, with practical examples from food packaging, oil refining and remote industrial applications.
[ Read Full Story ]

Safe Compressed Air Drying Systems for Class I, Division 1 Environments

By Jess Elley, Product Marketing Manager, Suburban Manufacturing Group – Tsunami Compressed Air Solutions

Learn how engineers can safely remove moisture from compressed air systems in hazardous environments by eliminating ignition risks through pneumatic controls. This article explores design considerations, performance characteristics and reliability factors for regenerative desiccant dryers operating in Class I, Division 1 locations.
[ Read Full Story ]

The CABP Interview: Ring Power Director of Power Systems Brian Cholmondeley and Vice President Roger Adkins

Edited by Troy Dreier, Senior Editor, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine 

Discover how Ring Power’s leadership philosophy, employee development programs and commitment to innovation have fueled decades of growth in the compressed air industry. Company executives share insights on building high-performing teams, fostering a competitive culture and preparing the next generation of industry leaders.
[ Read Full Story ]

The 2026 AICD Show Report

By Bill Smith, Regional Sales Manager, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine

The Association of Independent Compressor Distributors (AICD) held its annual trade show in Orlando, FL, in April 2026. Participating distributor members and guests enjoyed the AICD trade show, guest speakers, golf tournament and networking. “Each year, the relationships and synergies keep growing and growing. The AICD is very proud to celebrate our 40th year,” said Sal Calvo, AICD board member and Owner, Compressed AIR USA.  
[ Read Full Story ]

2026 Compressed Air Distributor Sales Survey

By Troy Dreier, Senior Editor, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine 

Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine has conducted its first-ever reader survey for this 20th anniversary issue, and the results show a positive outlook for compressed air system sales in the near future. 
[ Read Full Story ]

Morey Cuts Nitrogen Costs by $270,000 with On-Premises Generation

By Michael Dolan, Director of Sales and Marketing, South-Tek Systems

What started as a cost concern quickly exposed deeper risks tied to supply reliability, contract constraints and production downtime. Facing a tight deadline, the electronics manufacturing company executed a rapid transition to an on-site nitrogen system that reshaped how its operation is powered. The results reveal why more manufacturers are rethinking their dependence on delivered industrial gases.
[ Read Full Story ]

R&D Labs Shifting to N2 Generation

By Dave Henning, Sales Manager, MCE Diversified Air

This article explores how on-site nitrogen generation, using PSA and membrane technologies, enables engineers to produce nitrogen on demand with greater control over purity, flow and pressure. It also highlights real-world applications and the operational benefits of improved uptime, reduced handling risks and lower total cost of ownership.
[ Read Full Story ]

CAGI Releases Compressed Air Purity Guide

By Chad Larrabee, Technical Editor, Compressed Air and Gas Institute

The Compressed Air and Gas Institute has released a Compressed Air Purity Guide to help industries achieve clean, dry compressed air and improve system reliability. The guide applies ISO 8573-1 to classify contaminants such as particles, water and oil, and defines purity levels for plant, instrument and process air. It also outlines key technologies like dryers and filtration systems to ensure optimal air quality and equipment protection.
[ Read Full Story ]

Dishaka Strengthens Operational Efficiency with Onsite Nitrogen Generation

By Joshua Blair, Sales Engineer, Liberty Systems

A snack manufacturer, strengthened operational efficiency and product freshness by implementing onsite nitrogen generation at its Houston facility. By replacing delivered nitrogen with PSA-based systems from Liberty Systems, the company gained 24/7 supply reliability, reduced operating costs and improved sustainability performance. The investment supports scalable Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP), enhances business continuity and positions Dishaka for long-term growth in the competitive food manufacturing industry.
[ Read Full Story ]

Egger Modernizes Its Compressed Air System for the ESG Era

By Graham Coats, Director of Strategic Product and Business Development, CMC

Wood-based materials manufacturing plant transformed its compressed air system from an invisible utility into a data-driven energy asset by deploying a modern, multi-zone monitoring and control platform. The upgrade delivered real-time transparency, ISO 50001- and ESG-ready reporting, and verified annual savings of 1.43 GWh, \$166,500 and 889 tons of CO2.
[ Read Full Story ]

Best Practices 2025 EXPO & Conference Show Report

By Troy Dreier, Senior Editor and Brooke Jones, Digital Content Editor, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine 

The Best Practices 2025 EXPO & Conference was the busiest one yet, with 89 presentations, 84 exhibitors and nearly 1,000 registered attendees. It included two conference tracks, five workshops and five EXPO classroom pavilions. The event was so big, we’re splitting our show report into three reports to capture all the activity. 
[ Read Full Story ]

The Importance of Compressed Air Quality in Nitrogen Generation Systems for Food Packaging

By Mirko Krebs, President, KSI Technologies

Modified Atmosphere Packaging alters the gas environment inside food and beverage packaging to maintain product freshness and slow degradation and fouling processes. The exact gas mixture used needs to be tailored to the product and can vary significantly. For many products, nitrogen gas is part of the packaging mixture due to its inert nature. 
[ Read Full Story ]

Texas Recycling Plant Saves Water with Air-Cooled Air Compressors

By Troy Dreier, Senior Editor, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine

There are multiple compressed air applications in a waste management facility. This new recycling center uses laser-guided optical sorters to divide waste, with no human involvement on the sorting line. Laser optics determine what type of material each scrap is, then compressed air jets maneuver each piece to its collection area. Compressed air also powers handheld blow guns used for cleaning, as well as the bundling and packaging system. 
[ Read Full Story ]

Selecting the Appropriate Nitrogen Gas Purity Level for Your Application

By the Compressed Air & Gas Institute

Producing nitrogen locally is an excellent way to reduce nitrogen costs and ensure a continuous supply of nitrogen gas at the appropriate purity. The ideal nitrogen generation solution varies by application, based on the specific levels of nitrogen purity, flow, pressure and dryness that are required. Environmental factors such as air quality, humidity and temperature also affect the performance of the system.
[ Read Full Story ]

The Industrial Sustainability 2025 Best Practices EXPO & Conference Show Report

By Bill Smith, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine

Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine launched its first event in Europe, the Industrial Sustainability Best Practices EXPO & Conference, in June 2025 in Barcelona, Spain. Designed to educate and connect factories and specifying engineers on the optimization of industrial compressed air, vacuum and cooling water systems, the event featured 12 hours of conference sessions, exhibits and the first Compressed Air Challenge training to take place in Europe. 
[ Read Full Story ]

Cardinal Glass Increases Throughput with Dry Compressed Air

By Troy Dreier, Senior Editor, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine

With over 49 locations and 10,000 employees, the company’s Casa Grande, AZ, plant specializes in tempering, taking annealed or raw glass, cutting it to size, running it through a 1,250°F (677°C) oven and then using a pressurized air system to quench the glass and turn it into safety glass. Compressed air powers the plant’s belt systems that transfer materials, the seaming system that rounds the corners and the washer system that cleans particulates off glass before it goes into the furnace.
[ Read Full Story ]

The 2025 AICD Show Report

By Bill Smith, Regional Sales Manager, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine

The Association of Independent Compressor Distributors held its annual trade show in Louisville, KY, April 27-29, 2025. Participating distributor members and guests enjoyed the AICD trade show, guest speakers, a golf tournament and a visit to the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. This report presents a sampling of the trade show exhibits (by technology, alphabetically) to share company and technology news. 
[ Read Full Story ]

Danmar Industries Custom Engineers for Oil and Gas

By Troy Dreier, Senior Editor, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine

The items included three 550 horsepower (hp), oil-flooded, water-cooled, single-stage air compressors with inlet valve modulation capable of providing 1,540 scfm at 165 psi (11.4 bar), two heatless desiccant, 3,138 cfm, 165 psi (11.4 bar) compressed air dryers, and two nitrogen generators for the main station, as well as two smaller air compressors and heatless desiccant compressed air dryers for each of three smaller facilities. Air compressor packages typically meet API 619, but the customer did not request that in this case. The motors, however, need to meet API 547. Air compressor system piping needed to be carbon steel built to ASME B31.3. 
[ Read Full Story ]

How Breweries Save By Switching to Nitrogen Gas

By Brett Maiorano, Business Development Manager, PEAK Scientific

The brewing industry has long used carbon dioxide (CO2) in various brewing processes. Carbon dioxide has been the workhorse gas for the industry. It’s not only used to carbonate beer and give it fizz, but also to purge oxygen from tanks and lines to prevent spoilage and preserve freshness and flavor throughout the entire brewing process. 
[ Read Full Story ]

IPS Advises Midwest Industry on Compressed Air Efficiency

By Troy Dreier, Senior Editor, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine

IPS supplies compressed air to a lot of machinery running outdoors, such as dust collectors and feed mills on grain elevators, as well as to other equipment in environments lower than 32°F (0°C). Temperatures that low require desiccant dryers. Hoffman helps his customers sort out their options and determine which type of desiccant dryer – heatless, heated purge, heated blower purge – is ideal for their needs.
[ Read Full Story ]

BEKO Technologies Creates a Culture of Invention and Innovation

By Troy Dreier, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine

“The difference between the floaters and the electronic was that the electronic is much smarter. So, it doesn't only know that it has to open, it also knows when it's not opening, or when it's failing,” explains Tilo Fruth, President of BEKO Technologies. “When mechanical float drains get stuck in the open position – due normally to solid particles in the condensate – they become a significant compressed air leak source.”
[ Read Full Story ]

Selecting a Reliable and Efficient Nitrogen Generation System

By Kevin Conley, MID, Arkansas Industrial Machinery

PSA nitrogen generators are fed compressed air which goes to two vessels alternately. One vessel fed by pre-treated air produces nitrogen, and the other undergoes regeneration by depressurization, purging the adsorbed gases, and then repressurization. This cyclic process ensures a continuous supply of nitrogen. The adsorbent materials selectively capture gases like oxygen, carbon dioxide and other trace gases within the compressed air stream while allowing nitrogen to pass through. 
[ Read Full Story ]

The 2024 AICD Show Report

By Bill Smith, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine 

The Association of Independent Compressor Distributors (AICD) held its annual event at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada, in April 2024. Participating distributor members and guests enjoyed a few days of networking events, the AICD trade show, speakers, the AICD Golf Tournament and more. 
[ Read Full Story ]

Defining the Purity of Facility Generated Nitrogen Gas

By the Compressed Air & Gas Institute

While oxygen is unquestionably the most important gas in our atmosphere, as it is essential for most animals and human life, nitrogen is the most widely used atmospheric gas.  Nitrogen is the go-to gas for countless industrial, medical, and scientific applications. This is because nitrogen is in vast supply, inert, and possesses the desirable characteristics of being colorless, odorless, and tasteless. The purity of nitrogen significantly affects the outcome of the application for which it is used and how the industry measures the purity of nitrogen gas is the focus of this article.       
[ Read Full Story ]