In the heat of summer, it is common to have heat-related problems in an industrial facility. When these problems include the failure of the air compressor, the only option is often to bring in a motor driven portable rental compressor. The use of these gas or diesel units can cause huge problems in a plant […]
Air Preparation
Why is proper installation of a piping bypass so important?
Bypass connections are required for pneumatic components that are in continuous use applications, so that the flow of air is not interrupted when the component is maintained or taken out of service. Typically, shut off valves are installed before and after the component and a piping loop with a shut-off valve routed around the component […]
What is causing your high pressure?
It is at times interesting to observe the variety of compressed air pressure levels one sees when visiting various industrial plants. Some plants operate successfully at pressures near 70 psi, yet others are running at near 200 psi. Often, the equipment in the facilities are doing the same function, and the reason for the boosted […]
What’s the wrong way to install a piping bypass?
Bypass connections are required for pneumatic components that are in continuous use applications, so that the flow of air is not interrupted when the component is maintained or taken out of service. Typically, shut-off valves are installed before and after the component and a piping loop with a shut-off valve routed around the component for […]
Do I want wet or dry compressed air storage?
The presence of storage receivers in a compressed air system has many benefits. The additional storage helps with compressor control, making the system pressure more stable and slowing down the compressor load/unload cycles — reducing compressor power consumption. But there is often confusion as to where to put the primary storage located near the compressors. Should the […]
Should you use utility incentives to buy new equipment?
The purchase of air compressors can be expensive. Sometimes the untimely death of your equipment can stretch the maintenance budget, and repairing it can leave you with the same old tired and inefficient equipment. If and when problems happen, you should consider looking for assistance through various available energy incentives. For example, a small metal […]
Compressed Air Fail: Compressor exhausted
By Ron Marshall An automotive parts manufacturer had expanded their production and were running out of compressed air capacity. The pressure was dropping so low that it was interrupting production activities and causing parts delays. Facing these problems, the maintenance foreman rented a small diesel compressor to supplement his other three electric compressors, putting it […]
Innovative pneumatics are realized in subsystem design
Innovation in pneumatics is often found in the way components are put together to create subsystems, instead of within the components. Contributed by Pat Phillips, PE, Product Manager for AutomationDirect, Fluid Power and Mechanical Product Div. Pneumatics have been used in industrial machines and manufacturing plants and facilities for decades, so most of the […]
Why is compressor oil important?
The oil inside lubricated screw compressors not only protects the internal bearing surfaces from wear, but it also has other jobs. Compressor oil is much different than the lubricant inside other typical machines — therefore, it is best not to stretch the maintenance intervals of your compressor, and reduce the oil changes, especially in hot […]
Air prep products from Emerson reduce energy consumption and costs
The new ASCO Numatics Series 653 air preparation products from Emerson allow users to power more products from the same filter-regulator-lubricator (FRL) or reduce pressure drop across the system, both of which enable potential energy and cost savings. They are available in ½-, ¾- and 1-in. port sizes. The range of the series 651, 652, and […]