Des-Case Corporation, a leading manufacturer of contamination control products that improve process equipment reliability, has launched a new line of desiccant breathers called Extended Series — aptly named, as the breathers will help companies extend the life of their lubricants, the life of their equipment, the amount of time between maintenance intervals and, most importantly, maintenance budgets.

The series of four variously-sized breathers addresses a number of industrial needs, bringing greater protection and productivity to tank farms, wind turbines, large gearboxes, as well as applications in both high humidity environments and remote locations.   The line features higher airflow, more moisture adsorbing desiccant, check-valve technology, and longer life.

Though simplistic in appearance, Des-Case desiccant breathers are highly sophisticated filters for industrial lubricants, removing dirt and water from the headspace of equipment.

“The Extended Series line is reflective of our continuing R&D commitment to remain a leading innovator in the industry,” said Brian Gleason, CEO of Des-Case.  “These breathers, as well as our other contamination control products and services have for years helped companies around the world detect, prevent and remove contamination from their equipment and plants.  This new development continues our drive to help customers improve lubricant quality, maximize equipment reliability and achieve an entirely new level of performance.”

Contaminants such as dirt and water in industrial lubricants can lead to equipment breakdown if not filtered out, bringing plants to a grinding halt and costing companies both time and money.  As the original inventor in 1983 of the desiccant breather, Des-Case has a history of keeping lubricants clean and dry with breathers and fluid handling products, helping equipment run at the highest optimum level, maximizing uptime, reducing costs and achieving greater production output.

“This line builds nicely on our past innovations, combining the trusted materials, design, and high air flow of our standard breathers with the check-valves of the company’s hybrid breathers,” said Jon Haworth, VP of Product Innovations and Operations. “The new oil mist-reducing feature — plus more than double the desiccant of our other disposable breather products — makes for an attractive solution to contamination.  We’ve listened to the needs of customers in the market who have requested a durable, long-lasting product that could fill the gap and this new product is doing just that.”

How Des-Case Breathers Work

As wet, contaminated air is drawn through the breather, multiple 3-micron polyester filter elements remove solid particulate and the color-indicating silica gel extracts moisture.  When air is expelled from the container, the top foam pad prevents oil mist from contacting silica gel or entering the atmosphere.

The breather is also outfitted with a nylon standpipe and polypropylene oil mist reducer to allow oil mist to coalesce and drain back into the reservoir, rather than compromising the desiccant.  Six umbrella check-valves are located underneath the unit to isolate equipment from ambient conditions — prolonging breather life and protecting system integrity.

Additionally, more desiccant in the Extended Series breathers provides more adsorption capacity and elongates breather life.  The larger capacity accommodates higher airflow and female threaded mountings offer users greater durability, stability, and versatility with a number of adapters.