Tag: best practices

“Under Pressure” Pressure Regulators!

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

I recently recommended to a customer to turn their air pressure down on their system as low as their process would allow. Meaning regulate the pressure so you have enough to complete the operations needed but find that happy medium where your compressor isn’t working as hard to build those high pressures for no reason!

Compressed air is an amazing tool to have, and when used properly it can be more efficient that other non-compressed air tools that run off electricity. However, it’s pretty common to see compressed air systems running at their max just because.

Pressure Regulators “dial in” performance to get the job done without using more air than necessary.

Lowering the air system pressure reduces the compressor power consumption by about 1% for every two psi of lower pressure. Lowering the pressure also makes any unregulated operations reduce consumption by almost 1% for every one psi of pressure reduction. Not to mention the extra savings if your compressor system can turn down the compressor power because of the reduced flow and possibly shut off compressors that are no longer needed!

The best pressure at which to set your system is the level where your production can operate efficiently and effectively without waste: There is no right pressure—it depends on your operations and tools. You may have 90 to 100 psig at the compressor, but at the production machine, where the actual work is being done, you could have only 65 to 70 psig. In some cases, it may be even lower due to pressure drops in undersized piping, filters, regulators. The goal is to lower compressor discharge pressure without affecting the the operations at the end of the line.

Having artificially high plant-pressure can help you deal with surges in compressed air demand that might occasionally cause low-pressure and affect production. The higher pressure acts to store reserve air in the various volumes made up of receivers, pipes and such in your system. However, the higher pressure costs more to produce and makes unregulated end uses consume more air, which is an expensive trade-off. Another option is to make sure you have line pressure regulators at each point of use. This will allow you to regulate the operation to the pressure needed being sure to save compressed air and keep the over all system running more efficient.

You can regulate those point of use lines with a number of EXAIRs Pressure Regulators!

EXAIR offers a range of Pressure Regulators capable of handling air flow of up to 700 SCFM.

If we can help size a regulator, or have any other questions on how EXAIR can help you save compressed air in your system please reach out to me or one of our other Application Engineers!

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer

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Find us on the Web 
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Twitter: @EXAIR_JS

Turn the Pressure Down, Save Operation Costs

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

I recently recommended to a customer to turn their air pressure down on their system as low as their process would allow. Meaning regulate the pressure so you have enough to complete the operations needed but find that happy medium where your compressor isn’t working as hard to build those high pressures for no reason!

Compressed air is an amazing tool to have, and when used properly it can be more efficient that other non compressed air tools that run off electricity. How ever its pretty common to see compressed air systems running at their max just because.

Lowering the air system pressure reduces the compressor power consumption by about 1% for every two psi of lower pressure. Lowering the pressure also makes any unregulated operations reduce consumption by almost 1% for every one psi of pressure reduction. Not to mention the extra savings if your compressor system can turn down the compressor power because of the reduced flow and possibly shut off compressors that are no longer needed!

The best pressure at which to set your system is the level where your production can operate efficiently and effectively without waste: There is no right pressure—it depends on your operations and tools. You may have 90 to 100 psig at the compressor, but at the production machine, where the actual work is being done, you could have only 65 to 70 psig. In some cases, it may be even lower due to pressure drops in undersized piping, filters, regulators. The goal is to lower compressor discharge pressure without affecting the the operations at the end of the line.

Having artificially high plant-pressure can help you deal with surges in compressed air demand that might occasionally cause low-pressure and affect production. The higher pressure acts to store reserve air in the various volumes made up of receivers, pipes and such in your system. However, the higher pressure costs more to produce and makes unregulated end uses consume more air, which is an expensive trade-off. Another option is to make sure you have line pressure regulators at each point of use. This will allow you to regulate the operation to the pressure needed being sure to save compressed air and keep the over all system running more efficient.

You can regulate those point of use lines with a number of EXAIRs Pressure Regulators!

EXAIR offers a range of Pressure Regulators capable of handling air flow of up to 700 SCFM.

If we can help size a regulator, or have any other questions on how EXAIR can help you save compressed air in your system please reach out to me or one of our other Application Engineers!

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer

Send me an Email
Find us on the Web 
Like us on Facebook
Twitter: @EXAIR_JS

Exploring Optimization: Standards And Certifications For Compressed Air Audits

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

EXAIR Corporation has devoted almost 37 years to manufacturing engineered products aimed at the most efficient, quietest, and safest use of compressed air.  Sometimes, a caller has recognized that an open pipe blow off, for example, is loud, wasteful, and unsafe, and just wants to install an engineered product that they know will be an improvement.  They may not be interested in precisely quantifying the savings…they’ll just notice that their lone air compressor runs less, and their electric bill isn’t as high anymore.

Others, however, may have a compressed air system that comprises multiple compressors, with advanced controls, and they may have specific operational goals in regard to how the individual compressors are loaded and controlled, or maybe even eliminating the need to run particular compressors all the time…or at all.

The skills & knowledge necessary to handle such a task are within the confines of discipline of mechanical engineering, but oftentimes, specialized training is needed to effectively conduct an audit in order to formulate an execute such an optimization plan.  If you’re interested in pursuing this training, or working with trained personnel, here’s a brief description of the training that’s available, and how you can find people that have been through it:

  • The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) publication “Guidance for ASME EA-4, Energy Assessment for Compressed Air Systems” details the requirements for performing an audit.  Since there are so many configurations of compressed air systems, it’s not a “step by step” procedure, but it IS handy for developing one, if you know how.  Speaking of which…
  • The Compressed Air & Gas Institute (CAGI) offers training & certification in two categories:
    • Certified Compressed Air System Specialists (CCASS) – these are qualified experts who have demonstrated competence (by means of a comprehensive examination) in skills and abilities relating to the design, service, sales, and installation of compressed air systems & equipment.
    • Certified Compressed Air System Assessors (CCASA) – in addition to CCASS certification, these individuals has passed another comprehensive examination, verifying their knowledge and skills as practitioners performing assessments (audits) of compressed air systems.

Both of these certifications comply with the ISO 17024 Conformity Assessment standard, which governs General Requirements for Bodies Operating Certification of Persons in any field of endeavor.  This means that, not only have certified personnel all passed the same tests regardless of where they are, but the tests they’ve passed meet stringent standards for examining knowledge level and competence in these fields.

Bottom line: if you want an in-depth, accurate evaluation of the efficiency of your compressed air system, experts are available.  The Compressed Air & Gas Institute even publishes directories so you can find them in your area.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
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Video Blog: Filter/Separator and Pressure Regulator Mounting and Coupling Kit Installation

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

Using EXAIR mounting and coupling kits you can assemble EXAIR Filters and Regulators into one plug and play assembly. Follow along with the video posted below to complete this task!

If you need a deeper understanding about how EXAIR’s products can be applied and help your process or product, feel free to contact us and we will do our best to give you a clear understanding of the benefits when using our engineered compressed air products. We can also explain proper implementation of accessory items such as compressed air filters and regulators.

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer

Send me an email
Find us on the Web 
Like us on Facebook
Twitter: @EXAIR_JS