During numerous application phone calls and discussion I have been asked, “Well how can I justify implementing all these nozzles?”  Well I have an answer that you can use even if you aren’t looking to start anything new and just want to know how much air you are currently using.   The answer to this is to “Test the waters” by installing a Digital Flow Meter anywhere you wish to know your air consumption.

The Digital Flow Meter will allow you to measure in real-time the air consumption of your system.  These can be installed on your main compressed air line to check the volume of compressed air the compressor is putting out, or even select a single machine and install it to see which device is using the most compressed air in your system.  If you have multiples of the same machine then install it one of the machines to get a good baseline reading for how your machines currently run, then implement new compressed air processes to allow you to see the benefits of the new process compared to the old. 

This also is an ideal installation and use of the Summing Remote Display which will allow you to monitor the air consumption up to 50 ft. away from the Digital Flow Meter.  The Summing Remote Display allows you to view the current usage from the DFM, sum the total usage for a 24 hour period of time, or a straight cumulative usage that will track up to 9,999 SCFM.  This would even permit a breakdown of per shift usage.  To see if one operator is using more compressed air than others to perform the same task. 

All in all if you are debating on whether or not to look into an engineered compressed air blow off operation then why not sample one entire machine and have sufficient data to determine the return on investment of the new system. 

If you would like to discuss the Digital Flow Meter, Summing Remote Display, or any compressed air application feel free to contact us. 

Brian Farno
Application Engineer
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com

The basic formula for savings per hour is this:
    [ X - Y] x Comp$ x T = Saved Air Value
     With:
          X – Existing Air Consumption
          Y – EXAIR Product Consumption
          Comp$ - Cost of Compressed Air per 1000 Standard Cubic Feet (SCF)
          T – Time Frame of 60 Minutes
          Saved Air – Air Savings in Dollars per Hour  

To determine your existing air consumption you should
     1. Measure your compressed air flow with a flow meter on the specific supply leg of your system.
     2. Provide details about your compressed air system using the EXAIR Efficiency Lab and we will        measure or estimate your current consumption.  

To determine the consumption of the EXAIR product(s), use the air consumption information provided in our catalog or website. If you would like assistance determining air consumption at a pressure other than 80 PSIG (standard pressure in the catalog or web), please contact us.  

If you don’t know your actual cost of compressed air per 1000 Standard Cubic Feet (SCF), a reasonable average to use is $0.25 per 1000 SCF.  

EXAMPLE: Drilled Pipe vs. Super Air Knife @ 80 PSIG
     [ X - Y] x Comp$ x T = Saved Air Value

     18″ drilled pipe w/ 1/16″ holes every 1/2″ (37 holes) = 140.6 SCFM (standard cubic feet per minute)
     18″ Super Air Knife = 52 SCFM 

     [140.6 - 52.2] x [0.25/1000] x 60
     88.4 x .00025 x 60
     .022 x 60
     = $1.22 saved per hour 

Not bad results for a $300.00 investment! You can see additional details about this example HERE. And for an automatic calculator which shows dollar savings and return on investment calculations CLICK HERE. 

Kirk Edwards
Application Engineer
kirkedwards@exair.com  

Over the years EXAIR has grown and added to our in-house compressed air system. Little by little the length of compressed air pipe has increased, the diameters have increased, the number of fittings have increased and the number of connections have increased. Simply adding a new pipe drop from the header or another tool to the compressed air system seems harmless.

Needless to say, if everything about the compressed air system was working fine, we paid little attention.

In the same way, over the years I have grown, little by little a pound here a pound there. I am still able to get the job done, keeping up with my kids (they are still young) and generally move around OK so there is really no issue. As long as I was doing alright, I paid little attention.

Then the doctor told me to lose weight, eat better, exercise etc… So I started counting my calories using a nifty app on an I Touch. It provides feedback about the number of calories in foods and has given me a target caloric intake per day in order to lose weight. What I found was I had no problem eating twice what this app recommended for someone my size and age. I was shocked, but the simple feedback set me down the right path.

Much is the same about gathering feedback from our compressed air system. Once  EXAIR installed some digital flow meters we were provided with good feedback about our air consumption habits. We first learned that when we stopped working, the compressed air system was still consuming air!? Realizing it was leaks in the system, we began to identify and fix them.

Flow meters can also help you identify the largest air consuming processes in the plant when they are installed at multiple branches of the system. They will also help to identify the air savings once the process has been optimized with efficient blow off products, leaks are fixed and pressure is reduced.

Flow meters can also keep general awareness of the compressed air consumption at the forefront. If air flow values change significantly from one day to the next it may point to a broken component or leaking valve etc…

It is the feedback provided by the flow mater which allows you to have a starting point to reduce air consumption, it also allows you to put a value on the air you have saved after you have put forth the efforts necessary. A flow meter keeps the subject of air consumption relative to the process on an ongoing basis and helps people understand the importance of keeping the system efficient.

That is also the case with the my feedback about calories – It helps keep me in line, know where I stand, and pay attention to an important subject which is easily overlooked.

Kirk Edwards
Application Engineer
kirkedwards@exair.com

In this age of energy savings, compressed air is a utility that is looked at with great scrutiny because it is expensive to produce. And to “look” at it correctly, you need to have the right tool. And EXAIR has that tool which is easy to install and use.

We have what we call the Digital Flow Meter which is available in two stock sizes for 1 inch and 2 inch Schedule 40 steel pipe. Other sizes are available by special order with approximately a 5 – 7 day lead time.

The Digital Flow Meter has a simple display that shows you an actual Standard Cubic Feet per Minute value that does not have to be corrected to give you meaningful data. The Digital Flow Meter uses a simple 18VDC, plug-in, power supply for its power. The way we package this meter is to be used as a stand-alone device, however it does have a pulse output and a milliamp output to allow for connection to external data gathering devices.

The above is a quick overview of the meter features. If you are in the market for something that can provide you with such feedback about your compressor system to track leakage, or maybe to help justify another improvement made downstream of the meter (like installation of an Air Knife or nozzles), then this is a quick and easy product to use.

Neal Raker
Application Engineer
nealraker@exair.com