Compressed Air technology
Oil-Free Screw
Class 0-capable air for sensitive processes.
Schematic section, not to scale
How it works
Oil-free (dry or water-injected) screw compressors keep oil out of the compression chamber. They are specified where air contacts product, such as food, pharmaceutical and electronics.
Dry screw designs use two stages with intercooling and timing gears; water-injected designs use water to seal and cool instead of oil.
Performance range
Typically ~15-1,000+ hp
Typical industry range. Exact capability is model specific, see each model’s curve.
In the catalogue · 489 models from 18 manufacturers
- Motor power
- 4 – 500 kW · 440 models
- Weight
- 255 – 11,100 kg · 423 models
- Free air delivery
- 33 – 4,900 m³/h · 373 models
- Max. pressure
- 2.5 – 40 bar · 338 models
- Noise level
- 62 – 85 dB(A) · 140 models
Spread of each model’s own rated figure, as published by its manufacturer.
Advantages & tradeoffs
- No oil in the compression chamber
- Reduces contamination risk
- Fewer downstream oil filters
- Higher capital cost
- More complex mechanics
- Water quality matters for water-injected designs
Best applications
Common in Food + Beverage, Pharmaceutical, Semiconductor, Electronics.
Maintenance
Gearbox oil, intercooler cleaning, element inspection or exchange per OEM interval.
Energy characteristics
Specific-energy comparisons (kW per unit of flow at your operating point) appear here as sourced performance curves are added. Until then, compare models directly on the Performance Map.
Open the Performance Map