Shutting down the supply of compressed air to an application while it is not running can reduce the consumption of compressed air. This is an easy remedy which can produce a significant savings.

Think about a place where you have a compressed air blow off with spaces between the parts or stoppages in conveyor travel. What about break times, do you continue to keep the air on when operators leave for a break?

Step number four in Six Steps to Optimization is:
1. Measure your air consumption
2. Locate and fix any compressed air leaks in the system
3. Upgrade your end use blow off applications with engineered products
4. Turn off the compressed air when not needed for production
5. Use intermediate storage of compressed air near the point of use
6. Control the pressure at the point of use to minimize consumption

A simple manual ball valve and a responsible operator can provide savings at every opportunity to shut down the air flow. But an automated solution is a no-brainer and can provide significant savings.

You can add a solenoid valve to your compressed air supply lines to aid in turning it off. An automated on/off solution can be found by using the EXAIR EFC (Electronic Flow Control). The EFC is made to accept 110V or 220V AC, and convert it to 24V DC to operate a sensor, timer and solenoid valve. Its multiple operating modes allow you delay on, delay off and delay on/off among others. The operating mode can then be set to the specific time necessary for a successful application.

The spaces between parts can be turned into money saved. Every time you reach the end of a batch run, the EFC can turn the air off. You can also add solenoid valves and run them from your machine controls. If the machine is off, or the conveyor has stopped – close the solenoid valve and save the air.

Take a look around the plant and see what you can find that could benefit from turning the air off; even if it is just for a moment it will help.

Kirk Edwards
Application Engineer
kirkedwards@exair.com