The water vapor contained compressed air will condense out if the temperature of the air in plant piping falls below the compressed air dew point. If the pipes are below the freezing point of water, such as in an outdoor installation in winter, then ice forms. The ice will build up and block the flow […]
Air Preparation
Should I buy a bigger air compressor to supply my future growth?
A big question when buying an air compressor is “will it be big enough?” Having a larger compressor than you currently need reduces the possibility of pressure problems due to lack of capacity, but purchasing a compressor that is too large can significantly increase your operating costs—especially if you choose a fixed speed lubricated screw […]
Compressed air fail: Forgotten dryer setting
By Ron Marshall A food processing plant purchased an energy saving externally heated purge type dryer to save compressed air system energy. This dryer is designed to consume only 7.5% purge flow, compared to 15% for a standard heatless dryer, and was purchased with an onboard energy management system (EMS). The internal dewpoint dependent switching […]
Compressed Air Fail: Settings problem causes high unload hours
By Ron Marshall A paint manufacturer had a small compressed air system consisting of four lubricated screw compressors feeding general plant compressed air flows. As part of a compressed air assessment, the compressor operations were monitored and found that all four of the compressors were running during production but they were at reduced duty cycle. […]
Compressed Air Fail: Control problem due to high flow events
By Ron Marshall A sawmill installed a VSD compressor in their compressed air system to save energy and provide better pressure control. The site had two 50-hp fixed speed compressors and a new 75-hp VSD controlled compressor. The system was supposed to be set up so that the VSD compressor would provide the variable flow […]
Compressed Air Fail: Tale of two plants
By Ron Marshall A protein products processor has two plants, separated by a one hour drive, doing about the same thing. The first plant has a standard 60 hp fixed speed, load/unload compressor with dew point controlled heated air dryer, and a 600-gal receiver. A compressed air assessment was done and the baseline for this […]
Compressed air fail: Saving money on compressor purchase
By Ron Marshall A mine located in northern Canada has a compressed air system used to generate 150 psi compressed air for diesel engine starting duty. Due to the failure of the original compressor, a new compressor was purchased as a replacement. The previous compressor operated in load/unload mode with timed shutdown. This ensured the […]
Pneumatic design 101: Go with the flow
The benefits of pneumatic power can be realized by following some basic pneumatic design rules for specifying air preparation units, actuators and valves. Contributed by Chip McDaniel, Educational Specialist at AutomationDirect Compressed air use by industrial machines is a close second to the use of electricity in terms of cost, and well ahead of other […]
Compressed Air Fail: A poor dryer choice
A grain sorting facility purchased a new, larger compressor to renew their compressed air system—as well as to prepare for future load additions. The previous compressor was a 50-hp size with a 200-cfm desiccant air dryer with dew point control. To prepare for future needs, a new 75-hp compressor was purchased with a new larger […]
Atlas Copco expands desiccant dryer line with CD+ and CD
Atlas Copco has introduced the CD+ 25-260 and the CD 25-260, two new dryer ranges designed for flexible compressed air solutions. The heatless desiccant dryers increase efficiency and reliable operation, even in harsh conditions. The CD+ delivers the highest efficiency for applications that require a constant supply of dry compressed air. It offers minimal purge […]