Cutting Compressed Air Costs: Tips and Technologies

Some tips may help you. 1. Almost continuous running equipment , use new energy efficient motor. 2. Generate with lowest maximum pressure. Go on reducing the pressure and see what gets affected. Improve there and still try for lowest pressure. At lower pressure you get more cfm too. My experience is that for every 5 psi drop it is 2.5% saving in kWh. 3. Similarly if you can draw in air at lower temperature from outside the compressed air room, you save energy. Take for every 5 degree C drop, it can save 2.5% of energy. 4. Unloading period of screw compressor be zero or minima. Screw compressor uses more power during unloading period. So better use it continuously . 5. On off days check all sounds of air leakages. 6. For belt drive, use flat belts.

Ultra sound detects all air leaks even down to hair size at as little as 10 PSI,, This with proper engineering will reduce your energy costs almost unbelievably. In one plant I detected enough air leaks on the first three of 40 machines to be able to shut off one 50 hp compressor. They still did not believe in Ultra Sound detection. At that time I was told that shutting down that compressor was a saving of $ 25,000.00. CDN.

Soapy water detects air leaks even lower plus requires almost no training to use.

Agreed but ultra sound will work at distances that are difficult or unsafe to try with manual systems. The devices can also be used for many other preventive maintenance functions such as corona, arcing, tracking plus listening to mechanical devices in operation. To me one of the most valuable and underrated tools available on the factory floor.

A good squirt bottle goes pretty far and if there is a leak somebody has to go in and fix it regardless of the difficulty or danger.