Sometimes, when words like increased efficiency and better for the environment get thrown around in production facilities, they can carry with them a negative aura that leaves operators and other staff disgruntled, because they also associate terms like this with more work in less time and often reduced workforce or, worse yet, some new method to do something that doesn’t work as well or carries with it a tremendous amount of change.
With the compressed air system in an industrial environment, reducing the environmental impact doesn’t have to mean impeding an operator’s ability to get their task done quickly and just as efficiently. What kind of tasks or steps can ultimately lead to lessening the environmental impact on your compressed air system?
The EXAIR Six Steps To Compressed Air Optimization all have pertinent steps within this process, none of which would lead to reducing the function of a point of use to where an operator cannot properly achieve the task at hand.
In addition to the Six Steps, things like routing drains for compressed air filters to a collection point, separating the runoff, and processing the discard through proper channels are ideal. Also, by optimizing the entire system, the energy demand provided for the compressor should be reduced as most facilities have up to 30% of the compressed air generated and is being wasted by artificial demand and leaks. Even being able to remove the strain of artificial demand from the leaks and waste can sometimes lead to total system pressure being reduced. If you can reduce the system set point by 2 psig, it can reduce energy consumption of the compressor by 1%.
All of these small saving steps build back into less energy consumed, which contributes to efficient operation of the facility and a sustainable future for the system.
If you would like to discuss any point of use or compressed air system issue you have, please reach out to an Application Engineer today.
Brian Farno, MBA – CCASS
National Business Development Manager
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF