Last week, we started with step one of the Six Steps to Optimizing Your Compressed Air System: measuring and understanding your usage. Once you know how much air is being consumed, the next step is clear—find and fix the leaks.

If you search for “compressed air leaks,” you’ll find no shortage of articles on the topic. One from the Department of Energy highlights just how costly leaks can be. For example, fixing only ten leaks in a single compressed air system saved one company $57,069. That’s a huge number—and it came from just ten leaks.

Every joint or connection in your system is a potential leak point. The size of the leak determines how much money (and efficiency) is lost. The most effective approach is to locate leaks systematically and eliminate them permanently.

There are several methods for leak detection, but the tool we recommend is the Ultrasonic Leak Detector (ULD). It can detect leaks up to 20 feet away and works even in noisy industrial environments. In fact, fixing just one leak the size of a 1/16” hole can pay for the ULD in a year—and that doesn’t account for the many other leaks you’ll uncover and repair.

If you’re using a Digital Flowmeter from step one, you’ll also be able to quantify the air you’ve saved once those leaks are sealed. The combination of measurement and action creates a powerful cycle of optimization.

That wraps up step two. Next week, we’ll continue with step three in the series. In the meantime, if you’d like to talk through leak detection or optimization strategies for your own system, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Brian Farno, MBA – CCASS Application Engineer

BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF