Compressed air is often the most expensive utility in an industrial facility. The energy required to generate compressed air makes it a significant operational cost. That is why EXAIR focuses on providing products that help reduce overall compressed air consumption and improve efficiency throughout your processes.
The simplest way to save compressed air is to turn it off when it is not needed. While that sounds straightforward, many operations cannot rely on manually opening and closing a valve. For example, if parts move along a conveyor and need to be cooled, dried, or blown off, there are usually gaps between parts. Running a blowoff continuously during those gaps results in wasted compressed air. Reducing that unnecessary usage can significantly lower the load on your air compressor.
EXAIR’s Electronic Flow Control, or EFC, provides an easy way to automate these savings. The system uses a photoelectric sensor to detect when a part is present. When no part is in place, the EFC closes a solenoid valve to stop the compressed air. When the next part arrives, the air turns back on automatically. This ensures air is supplied only when it is actually needed.
To demonstrate the impact an EFC can have, here is a real example. A manufacturer of car bumpers was using a Model 112060 60 inch Super Ion Air Knife at 40 PSIG to remove dust before painting. The dust was clinging to the bumpers due to a residual static charge. They traveled at roughly 10 feet per minute and had one foot of spacing between each part. Each bumper was under the air knife for 10 seconds, followed by 6 seconds with no part present. Because the operation ran three shifts, the system used compressed air for a total of 1,440 minutes per day.
A 60-inch Super Ion Air Knife consumes 102 SCFM at 40 PSIG. Without any control system, its total usage was:
102 scfm x 1,440 minutes = 146,880 SCF
After installing the EFC, the air turned off during the 6-second gap. This reduced airflow by 37.5 percent. The new daily consumption was:
146,880 SCF x .625 = 91,800 SCF
Using the common estimate that compressed air costs $0.25 per 1,000 SCF, the daily savings from reducing 55,080 SCF of use came to $13.77:
55,080 SCF x ($0.25/1,000 SCF) = $13.77
Because this facility operated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the yearly savings reached $5,012.28:
$13.77 x 7 days/week x 52 weeks/year = $5,012.28
These savings easily paid for the EFC in less than six months. After that point, the system continued saving money every day with no additional effort.
EXAIR has EFC models in stock for applications using up to 350 SCFM. For higher flow rates, models with dual solenoids are available as well. If any of your processes involve intermittent compressed air use, we would be happy to evaluate the application and help you determine how quickly an EFC could begin saving you money.
Tyler Daniel, CCASS
Application Engineer
E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com