One of the big challenges in the current compressed air market is how to monitor stringent new guidelines on compressed air quality. With the launch of OILCONTROL, BEKO TECHNOLOGIES have a powerful new tool which can aid the end user to check the quality of his compressed air.

BEKO  have many years experience in manufacturing solutions for clean and dry compressed air; they sell dryers in membrane, adsorption and refrigeration formats and are highly respected the world over.


The BEKO story started in 1982 with the launch of the BEKOMAT- the world’s first electronic level sensing condensate drain- the name BEKO has become synonymous with excellence and reliability. BEKO have now produced more than 1.5 million BEKOMAT drains as the model range continues to expand and diversify.

Enough of the past- what about the future? Ever more stringent quality demands mean that compressed air has to become ever cleaner. And it needs to be shown beyond all doubt that the compressed air meets the required standard day, day out. Traditionally a glass tube type test has sufficed in most cases- this gives a pretty reliable guide to water and oil content in compressed air at the time of testing- even down to fairly low levels of oil content.
The problem is that this test result is purely a “Snapshot” of a given moment in time. Testing is usually performed at intervals between three and twelve months. What about the time in between? In key industries such as pharmaceutical and food there is a growing demand for “Online” monitoring of air quality, and this is where OILCONTROL comes into its own.
OILCONTROL consists of two main parts- a sensor unit/measuring cell, which must be precisely mounted into the airstream, and the display unit. The sensor unit is mounted into a specially constructed measuring section, this ensures that exactly the right profile of the airstream is presented to the Ion-Exchange sensor unit- after all we are looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack! The measuring section is available in several different formats and sizes to allow installation of the sensor quickly and easily into most compressed air systems- right up to DN150.
The display unit can be mounted remotely if required- 5 meter of cable is standard- and comes complete with 4-20 mA output for the alarm function along with 2 x 230v relay signals, so connection to a building management system is simple. OILCONTROL is currently suitable for pressures from 4-16 bar at ambient temperatures up to 50 degrees. Sensing ranges go down to as low as 0.001 mg/m3 (depending on the model).
The experience gained so far at BEKO has been extremely interesting. OILCONTROL means that, for the first time, it’s really possible to clearly see how clean your compressed air really is. It has also demonstrated that an Oil-free compressor doesn’t necessarily mean Oil-free compressed air, let me explain....
We have had instances where we’ve installed OILCONTROL OCA into a system with Oil-free compressors. OCA has a measuring range between 0.001 and 1 mg/m3- it’s the most sensitive of the range, and is often chosen because of an oil-free compressor station. However, upon installation OILCONTROL has immediately reached a situation where it closed down needing re-calibration, due to oil overload! The customers usually are at first adamant that OILCONTROL was at fault- how could there be oil present when oil-free compressors were used? Upon checking, OILCONTROL has been performing as expected (Each one is checked before leaving the factory). The next step was to look at the compressed air system itself. What we find in many cases is a steel pipe system, on which cutting oil had been used during threading upon installation, along with ptfe tape. Enough contamination to give a significant reading for years!
When installing OILCONTROL, we wear gloves (A fingerprint will give a reading for some days) and all components are dust-tight packed after factory cleaning. If there is any evidence of oil contamination in the system, the pipework must be thoroughly cleaned prior to installation. Now there are less sensitive versions of OILCONTROL available, which measure down to 0.1 mg/m3- these need less care, but if you want to measure down to retail consortium guidelines, you need the OCA.
Another point to consider is equipment downstream of the compressor: Most filters contain grease around the bowl O-ring and drain connection. This is another potential source of contamination which should be addressed if you are really serious about going properly oil-free. BEKO supply special filters for use with OILCONTROL which are oil and grease free due to  special deep cleaning method employed at the Beko factory.
The question is- do you want oil free compressors, or oil-free air? One doesn’t necessarily mean the other unless great care is taken with the installation. OILCONTROL is like a camera- it doesn’t lie, though it may sometimes shows a picture which you may not like! Our advice regarding OILCONTROL is: If you really want to know what the oil content of your compressed air is, then there is no better solution. Just be prepared that oil in compressed air systems can come from the ambient air, pipework, filters, dryers, in fact any part of the compressed air network. True Oil-free air requires a holistic and methodical approach to the entire installation.
With proper thought and construction, and using OILCONTROL to verify the true situation, it is possible for the first time to construct a truly oil-free system at a reasonable cost. BEKO also manufacture BEKOKAT, which provides oil-free air from lubricated compressors and is the perfect partner to OILCONTROL. The key is to get oil free air regardless of ambient conditions.
Only now, with OILCONTROL from BEKO are end users able to aim for superlative quality compressed air.