Dry vs “Wet” Compressed Air

Basics

• This page aims to cover the differences between the Compressed Air as it comes out of most Air Compressors (particularly Oil Sealed/Lubricated Reciprocating Piston based compressors), and how that compares to properly filtered/“dry” air (and to a lesser extent Dry Nitrogen )
• The distinction is largely important for making sure it is compatible with the intended end use (or aiding in selecting Compressed Air Filters / Compressed Air Dryers etc), as well as for design of Compressed Air Plumbing for a Centralized System