WEE News Desk, Reduce the energy use in your compressed air system

Reduce the energy use in your compressed air system
July 18th 2006

Compressed air is an essential source of power which is safe and reliable, but thisconvenience and flexibility comes at a cost if systems are not properly managed. Withincreasing electricity prices, compressed air represents one of your best opportunitiesfor substantial energy savings, and many of these are achievable at low cost, andwithout compromising reliability

Here BCAS, the UK trade association forcompressed air suppliers and users,discusses the energy savingopportunities within a typicalcompressed air system. There are manyreasons why people may be reluctant tochange anything about theircompressed air system as long as it'sworking, leave it alone!

Surveys and audits

Compressed air use changes as systemsevolve, so it is sensible to review usesand consumption on a regular basis.

Ask yourself:

Have your processes or patterns ofuse changed since the compressedair system was installed?
When did you last have an audit orsurvey of compressed air use carried out?
What detail of audit do you need?

With a basic understanding of the principles ofoperation of a compressed air system, you can conductyour own walk round survey and decide whether youneed an audit of your system. As part of Carbon Trust'sNetworks Programme, BCAS has secured funding fromCarbon Trust to establish benchmarks for auditingmethods, and also to produce a register of trainedauditors from its membership. Members who registerwith BCAS will have to provide evidence of eachregistered individual's relevant training in air audits.They then have to demonstrate carbon savings as aresult of their audits and recommendations.

Effective maintenance

Effective maintenance is essential to energy efficiency incompressed air systems. Cutting back on maintenancewill incur more cost in terms of energy consumed, aswell as decreased service life and reduced reliability ofcomponents and equipment.

Staff awareness and training

Since energy costs are often asinvisible as the compressed airitself, few users are aware of therunning costs or how much theycan influence consumption as usersof compressed air. Posters andliterature are available from CarbonTrust and BCAS to help you run anawareness campaign.

So, take control of your compressed airsupply and reap the benefits ofimproved safety, reliability and energyeffectiveness.

Component	Actions	Energy cost of poor maintenance
Compressor	Change air inlet filter and oil at regular intervals depending on 'hours run'	Blocked inlet filter reduces efficiency of compressor intake.
Air receiver	Maintenance must be carried out at least every 2 years.	Catastrophic failure due to severe rusting of the shell
Filters	Check the drains and empty the condensate. Change blocked filter elements	Pressure drop is higher across blocked filter element and therefore compressor to use more energy
Condensate drains	Check both manual drains and automatic drains on a regular basis for blockages	Manual drains jammed open act as a large source of leaks. Leaks waste large amounts of
Distribution piping and hoses	Repair leaks at connections between hoses and air tools or fixed equipment Isolate redundant piping	energy and compromise supply pressure. Hoses connections are a primesource of leaks

Company NameBritish Compressed Air SocietyAddress33/34 Devonshire StreetLondon W1G 6YPTel: 0207 935 2464 Fax: 0207 935 3077E: info@britishcompressedairsociety.co.uk www.britishcompressedairsociety.co.ukFurther information is available onenergy saving in compressed air:

BCAS offers technical, legislative andcommercial information to thecompressed air industry.
Pressure and Leak Testing of compressedair systems - Code of Practice
Set of 10 energy efficiency posters

Carbon Trust publications :