Measuring and repairing compressed air leaks can easily reduce energy costs by 10 to 20%. Compressed air is used in factories all over the world to control machines, processes, and pneumatic equipment. It is a safe and easily available medium and can be used in all possible places via hoses and pipes. However, compressed air […]
Components
Compressed air fail: Crud in the lines
A compressed air auditor had a system of measuring devices that was monitoring a compressed air system located in a metal foundry. Pressure, flow, and compressor power were all monitored to help determine if the system was running efficiently and effectively. An additional set of instruments were added to the monitoring suite due to some […]
Compressed air fail: Drive by shooting
A compressed air auditor visited a large mine and was asked to look for areas of improvement. The mine’s manager was interested in reducing the electrical consumption and had a hunch that the compressed air system was a good item to investigate. The facility was a very mature site, so there were many large compressors […]
Compressed air fail: Obsolete compressor controls
Recently, a compressed air auditor ran across a newly rebuilt compressor at a wood products company. The unit was cleaned up nicely and had a shiny new air end due to a rebuild β but because the unit had obsolete controls, this compressor continued to run very inefficiently. Saving money by rebuilding this compressor was […]
QBX proportional electronic regulator for low pressures and flows
Managing pressure regulation in applications with low pressures and low flows is easy with the Proportion-Air QBX electro-pneumatic proportional pressure regulator. With customizable pressure ranges and accurate, repeatable results, these compact devices can improve application performance in nearly any environment. The QBX boasts accuracy of up to Β±0.2% and repeatability of Β±0.02%, regulating pressures from […]
Compressed air fail: Service factor
Quite often, people are surprised when they measure an air compressor and find the motor is consuming more than rated amps. One of the unfortunate things about the industry is that it is common to see motors are being stretched into the βservice factorβ in order to get more cfm out of a given compressor […]
Clippard releases new NPV-7 long stroke pinch valves
Clippardβs high flow pinch valve provides the same functionality as the standard series but with the added benefits of a longer stroke. This makes it suitable for applications that require greater flow or those that use viscous or particulate-laden media. As with all Clippard pinch valves, each valve comes pre-installed with 12 in. (30 cm) […]
Compressed air fail: Artificial demand
One hidden problem in many compressed air systems is something called βartificial demand.β Many users are unaware of the effects of this component of compressed air demand as evidenced by higher than needed compressed air pressures on most systems.Β Artificial demand in a compressed air system refers to the excess consumption of compressed air caused […]
Compressed air fail: Expensive air conditioning
Compressed air is useful for very many important tasks in facilities. However, due to the high cost of producing it, there are some end uses that are very wasteful. Air conditioning and ventilation is one such inappropriate end use. In a recent survey, a compressed air auditor found a surprisingly unique waste of compressed air […]
Compressed air fail: Corrupted VSD settings
When the equipment is new and set up correctly, the coordination of VSD air compressors with fixed speed units is quite easy β if the number of compressors in the mix is four or less. Typically, what should happen is the VSD compressor maintains trim position with all combinations of fixed speed compressors providing base […]
