An automotive plant was having trouble with a finishing tool. The device was sluggish and would easily stall. It had no power. It even sounded weak. It didn’t have that nice “Vrrip, vrrip!” sound like a normal air tool. A compressed air auditor was called in the investigate. The auditor took one look and frowned. […]
Air Preparation
A primer on compressed air leakage calculations
Question from a reader: I was wanting to estimate my compressed air leakage level in my plant. I watched my 100-hp compressor and saw that it was loaded for 87 seconds — and unloaded for 64 seconds on the weekend with no production. How would I calculate leakage flow? Answer from Ron Marshall: You are […]
Matching compressed air capacity with controllers
An automotive parts manufacturer wants to better control the air compressors. They installed a system of permanent monitoring and discovered the following (a quote from the Maintenance Engineer) “You should see what the datalogging revealed … 73% of the time, the system was operating over 30kW/100cfm. For only 5% of the time below 25 kW. […]
A look at air compressor capacity control problems
If an air compressor ran uncontrolled at full load all the time during periods of light load, the system pressure would rise until something popped. Manufacturers have built-in ways to prevent overpressure, the simplest of which is start/stop and load/unload control, using pressure switches. But for large fixed-speed screw type air compressors, there are two […]
Emerson to showcase smart pneumatics at PackExpo
Exhibiting in booth #SL 6307, Emerson will present the new integration of AVENTICS series 652/653 air preparation units with AF2 flow sensors. The combined solution enables more efficient air consumption and versatility for packaging lines. The expanded capabilities of the newly combined solution provide a clearer picture of air consumption in pneumatic systems and deliver valuable […]
Compressed air fail: Dryer reading
This question came from the manager of a large manufacturing plant: Question: We have a bank of parallel refrigerated air dryers. All the air dryers are showing very good dew point, yet almost every day we have water forming in our compressed air pipes. This water causes product spoilage and is a major problem. What’s […]
Compressed air fail: Wet flow
A large mine had a compressed air assessment done to gauge the efficiency of its system. The complex had more 14 large air compressors feeding underground operations. The assessment results showed their many compressors were running at superior efficiency; in fact, the numbers were so good they could not possibly be true. In previous years, […]
Compressed air fail: Measurement discovers costly malfunction
A small sand blasting company was incurring very large electrical bills totaling $48,000 per month, even though they ran their compressors on average only 8 hours per day. A look at their compressor hour meters showed the compressor was only running at 50% load. The company had been sold on a large 250-hp compressor, due […]
Compressed air fail: Startling discovery
Here is a question from a past (and possibly future) client of a compressed air auditor. Q: I managed to get a co-op student to help with compressed air leaks management/audit for the summer and we were also lucky to have had an opportunity to do the test you recommended a couple of years ago […]
Modular FRL units offer better visibility and environmental resistance
The new ACD FRL unit from SMC USA features a modular design with uniform body style, better visibility and environmental resistance. Featuring a 2-layer construction, the bowl is covered with a transparent bowl guard. The bowl guard with windows has been replaced with a polycarbonate transparent bowl guard. Now, even if the environment changes and […]
