There is always much talk about the need to fix compressed air leaks and inappropriate uses in a plant — but sometimes the wasted flow is hidden inside components such as compressed air desiccant dryers. A small chemical processing facility is located in an area of the world where temperatures in winter drop down below […]
Why are compressed air thermal readings important?
Heat is not the friend of any compressor. Overheating can shut down your compressor, cause excessive water and oil to pass downstream, can kill air dryers, and prematurely age system components. For this reason, it is a good maintenance step to monitor the temperature at various points in the system. This can help you flag […]
Compressed air fail: Oversizing was not the answer
A medium-sized tire shop was having troubles with pressure during their busy times. In the spring and fall, during agricultural planting season, the pressure went way down when servicing the many farm implement tires coming in. And the shop’s compressor would cut out when they needed it the most — a very frustrating experience. A compressor […]
So you bought a VSD compressor — Now what?
Congratulations, variable speed drive compressors can save you lots in avoided electricity costs — the invention of this type of compressor has helped to save millions of dollars across the world. These compressors consume only the electricity required of them, they track the compressed air flow up and down and adjust the speed of the […]
Compressors are dust magnets
Compressor rooms are usually dirty, dusty places that take care and attention to keep clean. It’s not that the compressor operators are slobs, it’s that the air compressors must suck in surrounding air to work and to keep cool. This creates a negative pressure around the compressors that draws in anything airborne. The photograph shows […]
Best practices for industrial compressed air systems
Removing water from factory air and lowering the dew point protects automation equipment. One of the foremost causes of costly downtime and emergency maintenance in industrial automation systems is not oil or contaminants, which are easily removed with proper filtration, but water vapor and the resulting condensed water that is trapped in factory compressed air. […]
How do you improve air powered ventilation?
A compressed air assessment was done at an aircraft maintenance facility. Part of the study was identification of inappropriate compressed air uses. The study identified some compressed air powered ring jets used for ventilation of aircraft fuel tanks while the internals were being inspected. The study concluded that these ring jets were using about one-third […]
Oil-free scroll compressors delivers Class 0 air for small uses
Ingersoll Rand has introduced the W-Series of oil-free scroll rotary air compressors, offering whisper-quiet operation. Scroll compressors meet a broad spectrum of oil-free needs for commercial applications that require contamination-free air, low maintenance and a smaller footprint. “Ingersoll Rand now offers a true, complete oil-free solution that guarantees reliable, pure air while reducing waste, inefficiencies […]
Compressed air fail: The danger of assumptions
Part of a good compressed air assessment is the measurement of the plant pressure gradient. This can be accomplished by placing data loggers at various points in the plant along the distribution piping. If this is done, a time-based plot of the data can show where the biggest pressure loss occurs. Often times, loggers might […]
Compressed air fail: Filter change
Plant management at the paper products plant were always on their guys to save money. Therefore, when it came time to do the maintenance on their desiccant air dryer, the replacement of their dryer filters was delayed. This was not thought to be a problem because the differential gauge on the filter was showing in […]
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