This year EXAIR has introduced the new Wireless Digital Flowmeter. This meter is capable of monitoring compressed air consumption and transmitting the usage data to your PC wirelessly using ZigBee mesh networking protocol.
Each meter has a range of 100′ and allows for multiple meters to be installed on the same network, “piggybacking” off of one another. As long as the next meter is installed within 100′ of the first, you will only require one ZigBee gateway.
Take a look at my short video below that will walk you through the steps of installing the EXAIR Logger Software and the Device Discovery Software found on the website. Then, start logging your data!
A topic that we’ve talked about here on the EXAIR blog discusses the costs of compressed air and how to use it more efficiently. How can you determine the costs of your compressed air? The first step you’ll need to take is to quantify the flow. In order to do that you’ll need a measurement tool such as the EXAIR Digital Flowmeter.
EXAIR’s family of Digital Flowmeters
The Digital Flowmeter is available from stock for use on Schedule 40 pipe with sizes ranging from ½”-4” I.D. Sizes up to 6” for Schedule 40 and ¾”-4” for copper pipe are also available. With a digital readout display, it’s easy to accurately monitor your compressed air usage throughout the facility. Creating a baseline of your usage will allow you to understand your compressed air demand, identify costly leaks, and replace inefficient air products.
The Digital Flowmeter installs in minutes with help from a drill guide and locating fixture to assist in mounting the Digital Flowmeter to the pipe. Two flow sensing probes are inserted into the drilled holes in the pipe. The meter then seals to the pipe once tightened. There is no need to cut, weld, or do any calibration once it is installed. With blocking rings also available, installation can be permanent or temporary.
The newest addition to this product line is the Digital Flowmeter with wireless capability. Using a ZigBee® mesh network protocol, data is transmitted to an Ethernet connected gateway. This allows you to mount the Digital Flowmeter in areas that you may not be able to easily access and wirelessly monitor and graph the usage with the EXAIR Logger software. Take a peek at this video blog for a demonstration of the use of a wireless Digital Flowmeter software to compare an open pipe to an engineered Air Nozzle.
In addition to communicating wirelessly with the gateway, the Digital Flowmeters can “piggyback” off of each other to extend their range. Each meter has a range of 100’. Using multiple Digital Flowmeters within the same ZigBee® mesh network, data can be passed from meter to meter to extend the distance over which the meters can operate. These can be installed on each major leg of your compressed air system to continuously monitor usage throughout the facility.
If you’d rather go with a hard-wired data collection method, the Digital Flowmeter is also available with a USB Data Logger. Simply remove the Data Logger from the Digital Flowmeter and connect it to the USB port of your computer. The data can then be viewed directly in the accompanying software or exported into Microsoft Excel.
Digital Flowmeter w/ USB Data Logger installed
If you’d like to get a clear view of your compressed air usage, give us a call. An Application Engineer will be happy to work with you and get the proper Digital Flowmeters installed in your facility!
On November 2, 2017 at 2 PM EDT, EXAIR Corporation will be hosting a FREE webinar titled “Optimizing Your Compressed Air System In 6 Simple Steps”.
During this short presentation, we will explain the average cost of compressed air and why it’s important to evaluate the current system. Compressed air can be expensive to produce and in many cases the compressor is the largest energy user in a plant, accounting for up to 1/3 of the total energy operating costs. In industrial settings, compressed air is often referred to as a “fourth utility” next to water, gas and electric.
Next we will show how artificial demand, through operating pressure and leaks, can account for roughly 30% of the air being lost in a system, negatively affecting a company’s bottom line. We will provide examples on how to estimate the amount of leakage in a system and ways to track the demand from point-of-use devices, to help identify areas where improvements can be made.
To close, we will demonstrate how following six simple steps can save you money by reducing compressed air use, increasing safety and making your process more efficient.
As margins get tighter and cost of manufacturing climbs, industries are looking into other areas to be more economical. A big focus today is in the compressed air systems. Compressed air is considered to be the “forth” utility behind gas, water, and electricity. It is a necessary system to run pneumatic systems, but it is the least efficient of the utilities. For every $1.00 that is put into making compressed air, you only get roughly 5¢ of work from it. So, it is very important to use this utility as efficiently as possible.
One of the largest problems affecting compressed air systems is leaks. That quiet little hissing sound coming from the pipe lines is costing the company much money. A university study was conducted to find the percentage of air leaks in a typical manufacturing plant. In a poorly maintained system, they found on average that 30% of the compressor capacity is lost through air leaks. In relation to the amount of electricity required to make compressed air, for every ten power plants producing electricity, there is one power plant producing electricity just for air leaks. A majority of companies do not have a leak prevention program; so, many of these companies have poorly maintained systems. This creates a large amount of waste caused by simple air leaks. To put a dollar value on it, a leak that you cannot physically hear can cost you as much as $130/year. That is just for one inaudible leak in hundreds of feet of compressed air lines. For the leaks that you can hear, you can tell by the chart below the amount of money that can be wasted by the size of the hole. Unlike a hydraulic system, compressed air will not leave a tell-tale sign of a leak. You have to locate them by some other means.
**Note 1
Most leaks occur where you have threaded fittings, connections, hoses, and pneumatic components like valves, regulators, and drains. The Optimization products from EXAIR are designed to help optimize your complete compressed air system. The most effective way is to find and eliminate air leaks, and EXAIR has two products that can help do this. The Ultrasonic Leak Detectors can find the air leaks, and the Digital Flowmeters can monitor your system for air leaks. With both of these products included in a leak prevention program, you will be able to keep your compressed air system running optimally and reduce the wasted cost in air leaks and overusing the air compressor.
When a leak occurs, it emits an ultrasonic noise caused by turbulence. These ultrasonic noises can be at a frequency above that which is audible for human hearing. The EXAIR Ultrasonic Leak Detector can pick up these frequencies and make the leaks audible. With three sensitivity ranges and LED display, you can find very minute leaks in your compressed air system. It comes with two attachments; the parabola to locate leaks up to 20 feet away, and the tube attachment to define the exact location in the pipe line. Once you find a leak, it can be marked for fixing.
With the Digital Flowmeters, you can continuously monitor for waste. Air leaks can occur at any time within any section of your pneumatic area. You can do systematic checks by isolating sections with the Digital Flowmeter and watching for a flow reading. Another way to monitor your system would be to compare the results over time. With the Digital Flowmeters, we have a couple of options for recording the air flow data. We have the USB Datalogger for setting certain time increments to record the air flows. Once the information is recorded, you can connect the USB to your computer, and with the downloadable software, you can view the information and export it into an Excel spread sheet. We also offer a wireless capability option with the Digital Flowmeters. You can have multiple flow meters communicating through a gateway to monitor and record the flow information onto your computer system. If you find that the flow starts trending upward for the same process, then you know that you have a leak. It can also give you a preventive measure if your pneumatic system is starting to fail.
Compressed air leaks will rob you in performance, compressor life, and electrical cost. It is important to have a leak prevention program to check for leaks periodically as they can happen at any time. The EXAIR Ultrasonic Leak Detector and the Digital Flowmeters will help you accomplish this and optimize your compressed air system. Once you find and fix all your leaks, you can then focus on improving the efficiency of your blow-off devices with EXAIR products and save yourself even more money.
