Turn Down the Pressure

If you're not looking at lowering at lowering the psi in your compressed air system, you're probably throwing away money for no reason. 

(If you're okay with doing that, please email me, and I'll send you my paypal account).  

Every 2 psi increase in pressure over 100 psi raises the energy costs to run your compressor 1%.  The average cost of electricity in Florida (in 2013 up to August) is 10.29 cents per kW/hr.  If your business runs a 60 hour workweek, which is common, then on average it costs $239.59 to run one horsepower for a whole year.


If you've got a body shop with a 5hp compressor, that's no big deal.  It costs about $1200 per year to run it, so you might save $300 per year turning down your 5hp piston from 175 psi to 125 psi.  That's actually pretty good, for just changing a $40 pressure switch.

Let's look a typical rotary screw application.  A pretty typical installation would be 20 hp and the machine would cut off at 125 psi.  It costs about $4792 to run per year.  Normally no more than 90 psi is needed, and realistically with a few fixes, we could turn down their pressure to 100 psi.  That would save them 12.5%, which is $600 per year.  Sometimes no modifications are needed; all it takes is just to adjust the pressure in the controller or adjust a pressure switch. 


I'll give you a real world experience that we just ran into this week:

Our customer is starting up a new grain mill.  The manufacturer of the mill equipment specified they wanted a 60 hp compressor that produced 160 psi.  In our experience we have never seen a mill that needed over 100 psi - most mill equipment needs 90 psi or less.  We emailed the manufacturer and asked them why they wanted 160 psi, and they said the machine only needs 88 psi, but they recommend 160 psi to their customers, because they're worried about pressure drop!! 

This particular customer pays 15 cents per kW/hr and runs 5 days per week, 3 full shifts, so it costs them about $42,120 per year to run a 60hp compressor.  Because they only need 88 psi at the equipment, they can run the compressor at 110 psi - that saves $10,530 per year! 

By asking one question we saved them over $10,000 per year.  With a properly designed air system, they can probably drop the psi down to 100 and save even more.

Now let me ask you one question:  Why aren't you looking at reducing your system pressure right now?

We can help.  We can offer many different ways for you to achieve these energy savings with no effect on your production.  Please call us to examine your air system - what are you waiting for?

First grid-scale compressed air battery now operational

We've always said that compressed air is the 4th Utility.  Now it looks like it can be the 1st and the 4th.

SustainX has found a way to make compressed air a green and sustainable storage solution for electrical generation.

"The 1.5-megawatt ICAES system is located at SustainX headquarters in Seabrook, New Hampshire. It takes electricity from the grid and uses it to drive a motor that compresses air and stores it isothermally, or at near-constant temperature. To do so it captures the heat produced during compression, traps it in water, and stores the warmed air-water mixture in pipes. When electricity is needed back on the grid, the process reverses and the air expands, driving a generator. No fossil fuel is needed to reheat the air and no emissions are produced, making ICAES a safe and sustainable energy storage solution."

"The system can be scaled in both power (megawatts) and energy (megawatt-hours) depending on the application, and can be located where needed thanks to its use of standard pipeline storage and clean, emission-free operation. Because it's based on proven mechanical principles and mature industrial components, the system has a 20-year operating life with a very low levelized cost of energy, enabling cost-effective, large-scale storage of electricity. Unlike chemical battery systems, ICAES performance does not degrade over its lifetime or need frequent replacement. No hazardous materials are used.

SustainX ICAES technology is a significant improvement over conventional compressed air energy storage (CAES) systems, which have existed since the 1970s. CAES systems burn fossil fuel and are greatly limited by the need for specific geological locations (i.e. caverns) for air storage -- as well as substantial investments in time and money. Because of these limitations, there are only two such installations worldwide. SustainX's ICAES is the first megawatt-scale compressed air energy storage system built anywhere since 1991, and represents an opportunity to expand the availability and use of this bulk energy storage method."

Full story here.

It looks like the key breakthrough is in the way they do their heat exchanging.  Normally when you compress air, a large amount of energy is lost as heat.  It looks like they've found a way to capture the heat of compression in a very efficient and sustainable manner.  You can read the science behind it here.

SustainX isn't the only one who can capture the heat of compression and put it to use.  Kaeser Compressors have an energy recovery option to capture this heat, as well.  You can download the brochure on it here.  If you're interested, contact us, and our experts will help you decide if this is right for your facility.

It Pays to Meter Your Compressed Air

A picture is worth a thousand words:

A flow meter can save you thousands of dollars.

It's that simple.

For more information, please call us.

Always Have a Backup

The clock is ticking.....

Every piece of machinery you have will fail at some point.  

Every second your equipment gets closer and closer to a problem.

It's inevitable.

It doesn't matter how well built your equipment is, eventually something will go wrong and you'll need to fix it.  Granted, well-built equipment will last longer and work better than the cheap stuff.  It may take longer before there's a problem, but there will be problems. 

So when your compressors fails is it time to panic?  Is your production shut down until the compressor is fixed?  Do you have to send people home because there's no work for them to do?

You shouldn't.  You should have had a backup compressor; you should have had redundancy. 

A redundant system would allow your production to continue.

I know what you're saying - "My compressor cost me thousands of dollars.  I can't afford two of them."

You're wrong. 

If your compressor is critical to your operation, then you can't afford to not have one.

How much money do you lose when your production shuts down for a day?  How much do you lose in one week?  For most companies, the price of another compressor pales in comparison to the cost of being down for just a few days. 

Additionally, when you're down, that requires you to ship the parts next day air and often pay overtime labor rates, further increasing the cost.  If you had a redundant system, then you could repair the compressor during regular hours; you could wait a week for ground shipping. 

What you can lose is more than just financial.  Your customers suffer, too.  The ones that rely on you to deliver when you promised, will be hurt.  If you lose their trust, you'll likely lose their business.

Your compressor is going to fail.  Work on getting redundancy right now.

There's a way to do it that will save you money in the long run, too.  If you're planning a new system, consider multiple smaller compressors with an intelligent control system, instead of one large compressor.  The savings on your electric bill and maintenance costs will eventually pay for the extra initial cost, and you'll have the security of a redundant system.  Spreading out the hours on the compressors will make failures happen much less often, as well.

If you already have an air system in place, you may not need a full sized backup.  Call us, and we can determine that out for you. 

A backup compressor or a redundant system doesn't have to break the bank, but not having one will eventually cost you a fortune.
 .....
It's just a matter of time.

Big Tank = Big Bank

Your compressed air tank is too small.

Yes, I'm talking to you.  I don't know who you are, but if you're reading this I'm probably right.  Compressed air storage is one of the most overlooked items when companies purchase a compressed air system.  A tank is a small expense compared to the other items in your air system.

In most cases, a large air receiver can improve energy savings, air quality and pressure stability.  It can also reduce maintenance costs and extend the life of your air compressors.  The best part about it is that there's no electricity and no moving parts.  There's nothing to go wrong with it, other than the drain (and you'd need the same drain on a smaller tank anyway). 

Think of your tank like a bank account.  It saves money for later use, and allows you to save that money in a more efficient way.  Also when large expense or a surprise bill pops up, you have already saved enough to cover the expense.  Think of it as having enough money in the bank, so that you only to have work when it's convenient and easy for you.  You don't have to scramble around looking for money or work because you don't have enough to pay the bills.  You would never put a limit on the amount of money you can save.  In the same way you should never limit the amount of compressed air energy you can save to just a small amount above what you can produce.

Another way to think of it is this:  Imagine if you had a two hour commute from your house to your job.  What is more efficient for you - going to work twice per day at 4 hours per day or going to work once per day for a whole 8 hours?  Of course you'd rather work the whole 8 hours.  Having to go back and forth to work twice per day wastes 4 hours of your time, doubles the gas, and puts more wear and tear on your car.  When your compressed air storage is too small, you're doing this to your compressor, and you're forcing it to go all the way home and back to work each time.

Another benefit to a big tank is that you can lower your system pressure.  This reduces leaks and saves you 1% on the electrical bill to run your compressor for every 2 psi.  Also, running at the lower pressure is easier on your compressor.

It's just a small extra cost initially, but it saves you money year after year after year.  There are many other benefits, as well, and if you'd like to go more into the hard science of it and see some examples of it, please read this excellent article from Kaeser Compressors. 


You can also contact us if you would like a free expert evaluation by our factory trained personnel. 

Five Easy Fixes To Save Money With Your Compressed Air System

If you use compressed air at your company, then it's likely the largest part of your electricity bill.  Also, if you're like most companies, you could make small improvements to reduce this bill by 15% or more.

Here are some easy fixes that would save you money:

1.  Fix The Leaks.
I'm sure you if you have the air conditioner on, you make sure everybody closes the windows and doors.  The same principle applies to your air system.  If you have leaks, you're just "leaving the doors and windows open."  Hundreds or thousands of dollars in electricity are literally leaking out of your system, until you fix it.  Not only that, it makes your compressor run more, which increases your maintenance costs and wear & tear on the compressor. You would never accept this with your A/C system, so why do most companies accept this with their compressed air system?

 2.  Lower The Pressure.
Every time you lower your system pressure by 2 psi, you save approximately 1% on your electrical costs.  Additionally, if you have leaks, they leak less air at lower pressures - sometimes a considerable amount.  Why not lower your system pressure to just above what you use?  If you have proper tank storage (4-5 gallons of storage per CFM of compressor) and air system with a  low pressure drop, then you should make this change immediately.  If you don't have proper storage, get it.  A big tank is big bank - it saves you money in so many different ways, I cannot list them all in this blog post.

3.  Pressure Drop.
Pressure drop is the difference in psi coming out of the compressor from the pressure at the end of the line where you use the air.  This is often caused by pipe being too small, in-line filter elements not being changed or too many twists and turn in the piping.  Changing the filter elements is an easy fix, but the others may take a little more time or money.  However, the return on investment should make it worth the effort.  If you are unsure about taking this step, call or email us.  We can figure out your return on investment.

4.  Maintenance.
You should be doing this anyway.  Changing the filters and oil on your compressor(s) lets them run more efficiently.  Changing the elements in in-line filters reduces pressure drop.  Cleaning the coils on condenser in a dryer makes it run more efficiently, and cleaning the coils on the compressor cooler lets the compressor run more efficiently and keeps it from overheating.  Make sure you have a proper preventative maintenance program in place is essential.  You may want to consider a professional compressor company to put you on a maintenance program.  Our service department offers this program for companies of all sizes, so please contact them if this interests you.

5.  Reduce the size of your blow down/blow offs.
A lot of personnel use compressed air to clean equipment or themselves.  They just take a hose and blow the dust off of them or the equipment.  If they're using an open hose, then you're losing a considerable amount of money every time.  Please look at this chart.  This is just a leak, so reducing the pressure and the size of the leak saves you a lot of money. Put a regulator and blow gun on that hose - it probably costs $20-$50, and will save you hundreds of dollars in energy costs.  Use the smallest orifice blow you can with the least amount of pressure you need to get the job done.

There are many other ways to reduce your electricity bill and compressor maintenance by optimizing your compressed air system.  Please call or email us if you need help or more information.

How much do air leaks really cost?

How much do air leaks really cost?

The highest cost associated with air compressor ownership, is not the cost of the compressor, or the cost of preventative maintenance, but the electrical cost associated with running the compressor itself. With the electrical cost being the most expensive portion of compressor ownership, can you really afford to run a compressor unnecessarily? Well, let’s examine this a little further.

First, we should look at how electrical companies charge for your electricity. The standard billing is measured in Kw/H (Kilowatts per hour). Electrical rates vary greatly depending on time of day, location, and total usage, but for our example we’ll use a rate of 16 cents per Kilowatt Hour.

The next step is to figure out how much electricity we’re using; our example is using a 5hp compressor. To convert horsepower to kilowatt, multiply the horsepower rating by .74. So, 5 horsepower x .74 gives us 3.7 kilowatts.

Getting closer now, we’ve got to figure out how long the compressor runs. We’ll use a conservative rating of %50. So, during an 8 hour shift, we’ll assume that the air compressor is running for 4 hours. If we work with a single shift operation, and based our example on 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year, we come up with 4 hours a day x 5 days a week x 52 weeks per year  = 1040 run hours per year.

And finally, 1040 hours per year x 3.7 kilowatts x 16 cents per Kw/H = $ 615.68 per year.

Doesn’t sound like much, and perhaps it’s not, however, we are talking a small compressor, in a small shop, with relatively low run time. However, does it really need to be this high? At just about any shop you walk through, you can hear air leaks. Many times people think these leaks aren’t anything to be concerned with, and that they are so small, that they won’t matter, I disagree. I think it’s fair to say, that an average shop would have the equivalent of a 1/16” holes worth of air leaks – from hose quick disconnects, leaking fittings, leaking tool, leaking drains, or a host of other sources. Think about it this way; a 1/16” of an inch is about the size of the tip of a pen, really not large at all, but at this size, and at 125psi of pressure, there is waste of 7.9 CFM worth of air. So, how much is 7.9 CFM? Well, remember that 5hp compressor we started our example with? Well, this compressor delivers an average of 17.5 CFM, so there is %45 waste of the total capacity.

It should be noted as well, that the amount of air that's wasted is exponential when compared to the diameter of the hole; at 1/16th of an inch, at 150psi, the leak rate is 9.1CFM, at 1/8th of an inch, that number more than triples to 37.3CFM!

So, in the system above, if the leaks were eliminated, there would be a 45% reduction in electrical usage, so the $615.58 annual costs would drop to 338.62.

How many horsepower worth of compressed are do you have? How many shifts do you run? How much can YOU save?

At Air Compressor Works, we work on compressors from ½ a horsepower up to 300hp and larger, and our staff of highly trained service technicians and salesmen are constantly on the look out for ways to make your compressed air system more efficient. Give us a call, and let us find ways to save you money on your compressed air system.

 

Wayne Holtzclaw, Technical Service Manager, Air Compressor Works, Inc.

PVC Piping for Compressed Air - A Disaster Waiting to Happen

Man, that PVC pipe we got from Home Depot was really cheap and easy to put up.  Now we're ready to get this body shop up and running.

Cheap and easy now could turn into expensive and deadly down the road. PVC pipe is not designed for compressed air. 

In fact, it's not even legal (unless you bury it or encase it in a shatter-proof material, which gets rid of the whole cheap and easy part). 

There are very good reasons:

1.  The maximum temperature of most PVC pipe and fittings is 140F, and even at 110F you derate the pressure rating in half (so a pipe rated for 150 psi is now only good for 75 psi).  Most small piston compressors can have air coming out close to 200F or higher, especially in the summer.

2.  PVC becomes brittle when exposed to the oil vapor in the compressed air and UV light.

3.  A PVC pipe cracking or failing at 100 psi can easily kill or injure you or your employees.

Don't just take our word for it - here is what the pipe manufacturers themselves have to say about it:

Charlotte Pipe:  "WARNING! Never test with or transport/store compressed air or gas in PVC pipe or fittings."

GF Harvel:  "GF Harvel's PVC and CPVC piping products are "rigid" thermoplastic materials. As a result, GF Harvel does not recommend the use of PVC or CPVC piping products for the testing, transport, or storage of compressed air or gases.
Warning! The use of rigid thermoplastic plastic piping in compressed air or gas applications can result in severe bodily injury or death."

Silver Line Plastics:  "PVC PIPE IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR AIR PRESSURE"

Don't let cheap and easy now cost you a lot later.  Don't use PVC pipe for compressed air, and if you have it replace it immediately.

Clean out your strainer!

Many companies that have compressed air have timed electric drains on their tanks.  They look like this:

They are very convenient, because you don't have to remember to drain your tank every day.  However, the convenience is a double-edged sword.  They're sometimes so convenient that the maintenance person forgets to maintenance them at all. 

You are supposed to clean out the strainer to make sure it's not clogged.  Most of the failures we see from these drains are because the strainers were clogged.

You should check the strainer weekly.  It's very easy to do.  Here's how.

1.  SAFETY FIRST - Make sure the power to the compressor is disconnected - at the the disconnect - don't rely on the pressure switch.  Make sure the drain is unplugged from it's electrical supply.  Make sure you drain all of the pressure out of the tank.

2.  Find the strainer on the drain.  It should be piped between the solenoid of the drain and the tank.  There will be nut you can remove without unpiping it.  On some strainers it's on the end, and on some it's in the middle.

3.  Remove the nut, take out the mesh inside, clean out the mesh, and put everything back together.  Turn everything back on, and pressure test it by having the drain manually open (usually there's a button on the drain).  Check for leaks.

That's it.  It should only take a couple of minutes, unless the nut is stuck on there. 

If the mesh is gone, you can pick up some cheap from a local hardware shore.  Cut it to size, roll it into a cylinder and put it in the strainer.

If you don't have a strainer - get one.  You can pick them up nearly anywhere and they're cheap.  Just check the psi rating to make sure it meets or exceeds the psi rating of your tank.  If you can't find one, we sell a 1/2" one for $20 (our part number is YBS50).  You know what - I'm knocking down that price 20% to $18, if you like this on Facebook or share it on Twitter.

This simple step can prevent a drain failure.  In some air systems an unnoticed drain failure can be a disaster - the tank will fill up with water and you'll shoot it downstream, damaging all of your equipment.

Never skimp on maintenance - you'll pay for it later.

Optimizing Your Compressed Air System

Optimizing Your Compressed Air System

According to the US Department of Energy, manufacturers spend over 5 billion dollars per year on the energy to power compressed air systems (link here).  Optimizing your compressed air system can save 20-50% of that cost.

At Air Compressor Works, we suggest the that best way to optimize your air system is have free system assessment done, and then move on to a full Air Demand Analysis if needed.

Why throw your money away for no reason?  Get a free analysis today.