Under Pressure

 'Higher pressure unnecessarily increases leakage losses and air consumption by air tools.'

reworded: HIGHER PRESSURE WILL COST YOU MORE

Plant Services (one of my favourite online magazines) started an article with, "In the good old days, most industrial plants ran their air compressors at levels below 100 psi (6.9 bar). "

Typically we see an increase in plant pressures and now often reaching levels of 120 psi or higher. Let's have a quick chat about why you want to stay under pressure (cue Queen ??)

...Doo buh dum ba beh beh...

Once I visited a plant that had their pressure brand set to 130 psig. I asked if there was a reason, perhaps a machine that required higher pressure. "No." was the reply. It turns out, as it commonly occurs, if the end-users aren't getting enough air, they increase the pressure.

This is not ideal. The plant had not added any additional machines, nor increased production. There were substantial leaks throughout the plant. The hoses were old and cracked, the connectors were worn. It needed some TLC. After a few minor changes, they reduced the number of leaks. They kept their pressure lower (down to 120 psig, which I think is still too high but its a work in progress). We weren't able to run an air audit so I can't put a dollar amount to this case. However, some food for thought; Calculating the cost of leakage, 50 CFM at an efficiency of 21.6 kW/100 CFM is 10.8 kW. 10.8 kW to serve leaks x 8760 hours per year at $0.15 per kWh is an annual cost of $14, 191.

Can you imagine fixing a $14,000 issue with a few hoses and clamps? Amazing! Simple and achievable.

If you are experiencing pressure issues, ask yourself;

Did we change production? Did we add machines? Are there audible leaks?

Still having issues? You may have to dig deeper. Pressure issues can be related to machinery faults, inability of air cylinders to apply necessary force, or inadequate torque on an air tool.

Piping may also be the cause. Ensure the size is appropriate, the layout has proper flow dynamics, and that the pipe is in good condition. I recently read something that gave me an Ah-ha moment.

" Just as hearts can fail due to clogged arteries, compressors can fail due to poor piping."

Regulators. Use em, love em.

If you are reading this and are in the compressed air industry, I know what you're thinking, and I'm getting there I promise.

Storage! Commonly referred to air, receiver, tank, pressure vessel. There are ways to calculate how much storage you want, ideally, depending on your system. Including in this, is the type of compressor you have (specific to technology and cfm output). Some companies will have just one large receiver, some will have a wet receiver and a dry receiver (not sure what that is, message me), some have pony tanks near an application that requires lots of air at short intervals*, some companies have none at all. * Applications that consume large amounts of compressed air for a short period of time, causing intermittent low-pressure problems, with extra pressure used to compensate is problematic for your overall system pressure.

A pressure issue doesn't necessarily call a cause for a new or additional compressor.

For the best look at your system, you need an air audit. A proper air audit, not the kind that only looks at half your system. The supply and demand-side needs to reviewed. It will take at least 2 weeks to get good data and analyze it. Set your timeline and budget. Try to look for a third party that doesn't represent a brand.

For clarification, guidance, and support, call Airmax Compressor Services (905) 681-6687. Proudly serving Ontario for 25 years.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency. Examples of analyses performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world analytic products as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information