Technical data

11
Compressed Air Applications Manual | Configuration of a compressed air system Compressed Air Applications Manual | Selection of material and pipe system
Selection of material and
pipe system
Compressed air lines need to be tight,
maintenance-free and adequately di-
mensioned.
The materials for compressed air pipes
can be divided into the two major groups:
• metals and
• plastics.
The group of metals includes:
• steel
• copper
• stainless steel
• aluminium
and the group of plastics comprises, for
example:
• polybutene (PB)
• polyethylene (PE)
• polypropylene (PP)
• acrylonitrile-butadiene styrene (ABS)
Nowadays plastic piping is becoming
much more widely established, partly
because of the growing compressed-
air quality requirements with respect to
cleanliness, and partly because these
pipe systems are easier to install and
maintain.
There is no material that is ideal under
all circumstances for all compressed air
lines. The right material is always deter-
mined by the requirements of the specific
application.
Important selection criteria are:
• Place of application
• Pressure/temperature limits
• Service life
• Safety
• Pipe jointing system
• Pipe-laying system
• Dimensioning
• Product range
Generally, the compressed air facility
should have the same pipe system
throughout.
Selection criteria
Place of application
The majority of compressed air networks,
more than 80 %, are found in workshops
and production halls or inside other build-
ings. One can therefore assume an ambi-
ent temperature of 15 to 25 °C. However,
it should be borne in mind that work-
shops with glass shed roofs exposed to
the sun may have temperatures of 50 °C
or more.
In view of its excellent suitability, the
specialists at BEKO TECHNOLOGIES
recommend polybutene (PB) as a ma-
terial for compressed air pipes.
BEKOFLOW
®
- the flexible pipe sys-
tem for compressed air distribution.