Tea processing uses compressed air for withering, rolling, drying, sorting and packaging. Where air contacts the leaves, it must be clean and oil-free to protect the product and meet food-safety standards.
Key applications
- Withering and drying airflow control
- Rolling and cutting machine actuation
- Pneumatic conveying of leaves
- Sorting, blending and packaging
Air quality
Product-contact air must be oil-free and dry, because oil odours taint the tea and moisture causes spoilage. Control air needs a low dew point for reliable operation of sorting and packaging machines.
System design
Use oil-free compression with drying and filtration, separate product air from utility air, and provide redundancy for continuous processing lines. Manage the leafy, dusty environment with appropriate filtration.