By Ron Marshall for the Compressed Air Challenge A PVC window components manufacturer upgraded their compressed air system a few years ago by adding a VSD controlled compressor. To provide backup capability, they kept their old fixed speed compressor. Measurement and verification of the new installation showed that the company initially gained energy savings of […]
CCEFP, industry players brainstorm on human scale fluid power
Last week, 45 representatives from fluid power manufacturers, researchers, universities and industry associations met in Nashville at Vanderbilt University’s LASIR Laboratory to discuss the future of Human Scale Fluid Power. Human Scale Fluid Power is, quite simply, about scale, and generally refers to applications under 10 kW. While industrial automation falls under this definition, this […]
Compressed air fail: Automatic savings?
By Ron Marshall for the Compressed Air Challenge A fabricator of copper tubing products had a large and expanding plant with three separate compressed air stations located in three different areas. One area was constantly complaining of chronic low pressure events, so the maintenance staff decided to install an extra compressor in a fourth location, […]
Compressed Air Fail: Staff gets its wires crossed after plant fire
By Ron Marshall for the Compressed Air Challenge A metal foundry had a disastrous fire that took down part of their plant. Buried under the rubble were their new air compressors, installed only a few months earlier. Miraculously, their compressor supplier was able to refurbish the units, shine them up, and get them running like […]
Compressed air fail: Failure to see the obvious
By Ron Marshall for the Compressed Air Challenge A few years ago, an Italian woodworking company producing benches and chairs for schools purchased a central system controller for their three screw compressors. The controller was designed to automatically rotate the compressors to share the hours. It also provided a single pressure band, rather than using […]
Compressed air fail: To VSD or not VSD?
By Ron Marshall for the Compressed Air Challenge A mineral processor purchased a VSD controlled compressor for their plant, to save energy. This unit very nicely supplied the variable compressed air load, automatically ramping up to full speed when peak demands required full flow, but efficiently turning down to low speed when normal demands consumed […]
Compressed air fail: Poor control by design
By Ron Marshall for the Compressed Air Challenge A highway coach manufacturer had a large compressed air system feeding their growing plant. Over the years, the plant had expanded three times—and each time, new air compressors were installed. There wasn’t room to install all the compressors in one location so new compressor rooms were built […]
Compressed air fail: Wet storage
By Ron Marshall for the Compressed Air Challenge A metal products manufacturer was well aware of the benefits of large storage receivers installed on its system of load/unload compressors. The receivers act as a quiet zone where water and lubricant can settle out of the air before entering the system dryers. In this zone, the […]
Compressed air fail: Dryer sensing issue
By Ron Marshall for the Compressed Air Challenge A building products manufacturer installed a completely new compressed air system to increase reliability and reduce compressed air costs. A new two-stage VSD, externally heated dryer with dew point demand switching, and low differential filters all combined for excellent system energy performance. The power utility installed a […]
Technology Tuesday podcast on fluid power distribution
Design World has launched Technology Tuesdays Podcasts in 2015, and the latest episode focuses on the business of fluid power and industrial distribution. Click below to listen to Design World Editorial Director Paul J. Heney discuss impact of the Internet on distribution, along with some thoughts on the future of fluid power, with Bill Tulloch, Executive […]