Tom, a diligent plant engineer at a mid-sized manufacturing facility, faced persistent problems with his compressed air system powering his crucial production lines. Despite repeated attempts to fix various symptoms — frequent drops in pressure, excessive energy consumption, and sporadic equipment failures — the problems persisted, causing costly downtime and frustration on the factory floor. But his problems hit the top level of urgency once his manager found out how much money his system was wasting.
One day, while attending a local industry seminar, Tom learned about the Compressed Air Challenge and its series of training webinars designed specifically for professionals like himself. Intrigued by the possibility of a deeper understanding, Tom enrolled in both “Fundamentals” and “Advanced Management of Compressed Air Systems” courses, hoping to gain insights that could resolve his plant’s ongoing issues.
Throughout the training, Tom was introduced to a systematic approach to diagnosing and correcting inefficiencies within compressed air systems. He learned about the importance of conducting a comprehensive demand assessment, the benefits of proper system maintenance, and the critical role that careful adjustments to pressure settings could play in system stability. The sessions on identifying and repairing leaks, optimizing compressor controls, and the potential of using variable speed drives opened his eyes to several areas for improvement back at his plant.
Armed with new knowledge, and a robust set of diagnostic tools provided by the training, Tom conducted a thorough audit of his facility’s compressed air system. He discovered very many leaks that had gone undetected and identified inappropriate uses of compressed air for non-critical applications. Tom also realized that the compressors were set to operate at pressures far higher than necessary for the plant’s requirements.
Applying the strategies from his training, Tom implemented targeted repairs and adjusted the system to operate more efficiently. Within a few weeks, the plant saw a significant reduction in energy usage and a marked improvement in equipment reliability. Tom not only solved the immediate problems but also established ongoing practices for maintaining system efficiency, ensuring the plant operated smoothly and sustainably into the future. This had a happy ending.
This could be you! Take the training.
Certainly there is no compressed air system so well designed that it can’t be mis-adjusted to the point of poor operation and poorer efficiency. So exactly as the article states, knowledge and action can solve the problem.