A compressed air auditor was monitoring a system in a plant that produces plastic film. Part of the measurement involved analyzing the flow from the compressor room and the dewpoint of the compressed air. When examining the data, a strange pattern developed on the flow and dewpoint profiles (Fig. 1). We can see the output […]
Compressed air fail: Unexpected water
It’s always frustrating to find water in a compressed air system, and especially so in locations where the air is supposed to be dry. During a recent compressed air audit, a survey of the piping found that poor dewpoints were being experienced in the system. Investigation found that significant amounts of free water mixed with […]
Compressed air fail: Extra heat
Most of the energy that goes into an air compressor comes out as heat, so it is always a good idea to direct the hot air produced to a location that needs heat — like into a plant in the winter season. The compressor in the photograph has a specially designed heat recovery system that […]
Compressed air fail: Bad water
Water-cooled compressors can have an advantage in locations where the ambient conditions are hot — and therefore using air cooled compressors would result in discharge temperatures that exceed the capacity of the air-drying systems. Overloading air dryers could result in free water entering the plant piping system. This would cause contamination of connected machines and […]
Compressed air fail: A rat’s nest of wiring
An air compressor at a metal processing plant had a troubled life. It started out as a VSD controlled machine, but a fire damaged the controls. Because of this, a new VSD was installed. It didn’t match the old drive, so wiring was altered to accommodate. Next, the drive failed due to dust contamination and […]
Compressed air fail: Quadruple dry
A metal processing company had a laser cutter installed in its manufacturing plant to produce accurately fashioned pieces from metal sheets. This machine requires compressed air that is dried to about 35° F for general use but requires a small amount of air to keep the beam path clean —this avoids contaminating the expensive positioning […]
What is a lubricated compressor banana curve?
If you are carefully selecting your new compressors by looking at Compressed Air & Gas (CAGI) data sheets, you should be commended. Use of these sheets are a great way to compare compressor energy and flow characteristics between brands of compressors. In this way, you can choose the most efficient machine for your use and […]
Compressed air fail: A small compressor issue
A power utility had a 100-psi station service compressed air system that was used infrequently for maintenance. Two 50-hp water-cooled compressors were installed to maintain system pressure during the high flows, but these were overkill for normal times when the compressed air flow was only about 10 cfm. To reduce the number of starts and […]
Compressed air fail: desiccant dryer with too much purge
An industrial compressed air user was having a difficult time with their high pressure compressed air system. The compressed air demand required instrument quality air, so a heatless desiccant air dryer was installed. The dryer uses activated alumina within its chambers to strip off the moisture from the compressed air flow using an adsorption process […]
Compressed air fail: Auto mode was forgotten
One little button click can save thousands of dollars in wasted electrical and maintenance costs on air compressors. Recently, a compressed air auditor encountered the same problem in two different plants; operators had failed to select “Auto Mode” on their compressors. Both units were 150-hp lubricated screw compressor installed in a system of multiple compressors. […]