Tag: save air

Never Think Your Idea Will Not Be Heard

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

The above title proved very true in a work experience of my father’s. After working in the mill for several years, he drew up a new piece of process equipment which would eventually turn in to something that they put in place on the production line.   This was all done from his idea that he was able to place on a scrap piece of paper as a drawing.   While he wasn’t the decision maker in the process, he was the person who saw what kind of impact this device could have and knew the people he had to get the information to.

That brings me to the topic of this blog, don’t ever think an idea is too small to warrant a reward.  This can ring true throughout any type of application, including compressed air.  There have been instances where a maintenance worker, or even a new operator, have called in to speak to me here asking what can they do to lower the noise in the work area when they are using the hand held blow gun the company supplies.   After talking to them about what they are trying to achieve with the blow gun and how much air they are currently using, we generally find that they can save a good amount of compressed air, lower the noise level, and become OSHA compliant, all by changing this one simple tool.   Once they have all the benefits that their company will see from implementing our engineered solution, they can then propose this to the decision makers.

For the most part, companies will at the very least entertain ideas like this.  When you back that idea up with some relevant data on how much money the company will save, or the fact that is will make the work environment safer and more enjoyable, then you will more than likely get a little more attention.  The main point is to ensure that you are getting that information to the correct person and that you have the correct information.   That is one of the many reasons that EXAIR has a full team of Application Engineers who can help you identify how much air you might be using, what products will fit the need, and what kind of benefits your company will see.   On top of all the information that we have available for free, we even offer the chance to get compensation for sharing application data with us.

EXAIR Efficiency Lab
EXAIR’s Efficiency Lab will test your product for force, flow, and noise.

That’s right, we will compensate you for sharing your cost savings, sound level reductions or application improvements, with us.  This is all possible through our Case Study program.  All you have to do to find out more is contact any Application Engineer.  We simply need some photographs of the application and some quantitative data for the benefits you have gained.  Don’t know what your current device is using, take advantage of our EXAIR Efficiency Lab, that will give us a good amount of information we need to then, help you solve a problem as well as produce a Case Study.

If you would like to discuss your compressed air systems or how we can help you, please contact us.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer Manager
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

 

Pressure Profile: Where to Measure Your Air Pressure

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment
Generic Layout drawing of compressed air piping system.

In order to fully understand how efficient your compressed air system may be, you will need to generate a system pressure profile at some point.   This is a list or diagram of what pressures you have in your compressed air system at specific locations, as well as the pressure required by all the demand devices on your compressed air system.

One of the reasons for the pressure profile is that you may have an application that is far away from the compressor but also highly dependent on a specific operating pressure.   You may also find an application that, due to pressure losses within the system, causes an artificially high pressure demand.

The list below gives the critical points for measuring your compressed air system profile.

  1. At the air compressor discharge. (If using multiple compressors, measure at each.)
  2. If dryers of any type are being used after the compressor measure downstream from the dryer.
  3. Downstream of each filter. (If a particulate filter and oil removal filter are being used it is best to measure downstream of each individual device.   This is to tell when you have more than a 5 psig pressure drop or a clogged filter.)
  4. After each intermediate storage device, such as receiver tanks.
  5. At the point just before the main line from your compressor room branches off to distribution.
  6. The furthest point of each header line you have installed.
  7. On both sides of every filter/regulator units that are at high pressure point of use applications.

To give you an idea of why it is so important to measure these locations, take a look at the blogs we have posted on pressure drop. (Link Here)  As you can tell by the list of blogs that comes up, pressure drop through piping can really cause a lot of wasted energy in your compressed air system.   If you can get a good base line measurement by utilizing a pressure profile then you can start the process to optimizing your compressed air system.

6 steps
The EXAIR Six Steps To Optimizing Your Compressed Air System.

 

If you would like to discuss this or any of the other 6 steps to compressed air optimization, feel free to contact us.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

Don’t Waste Your Money (or Compressed Air)

Published on by exaircorpLeave a comment

This week I worked with a customer trying to separate a 135” wide paper sheet from a fabric used for commercial paper towel machines. They were using 45 spray nozzles, spaced 3” apart on a manifold, to blow off the sheet which then would fall into a chute below. The nozzles were doing the job but they were growing more concerned with their compressed air expense for this process.

Competitor Nozzle
45 pcs. of this nozzle were replaced with EXAIR’s Super Air Knife to save $87,000 annually!

The current nozzle setup was also causing another issue – there were “empty voids or gaps” in the airflow between the nozzles, which resulted in creases in the fabric. They were considering adding more nozzles and spacing them 2” apart but that was only going to increase their compressed air expense, so I asked them to consider our Super Air Knife. They were intrigued but were concerned that they would consume more compressed air, you’ll see below that the Super Air Knife uses less air and eliminates the creasing problem because the Super Air Knife provides a continuous airflow from end to end.

After reviewing the specs, I determined that each nozzle was consuming 29.6 SCFM @ 90 PSIG of compressed air, meaning they were consuming 1,332 SCFM for the process (29.6 SCFM x 45 nozzles).

I recommended using (2) 48” and (1) 42” Aluminum Super Air Knives, coupled together, to provide a 138” laminar sheet of airflow. I chose these In Stock – Ready to Ship lengths, so the customer wouldn’t have to order a special length even though that lead time would have only been 3 days. The Super Air Knife only consumes 2.9 SCFM @ 80 PSI (per inch of knife), and provides a laminar sheet of uniform airflow with a 40:1 air amplification rate, which would not only perform in the application, but also provide the needed compressed air savings.

SAK
What a great replacement for multiple nozzle manifolds! How SAK works

Using the above air consumption for our Super Air Knife, 2.9 SCFM @ 80 PSI (per inch of knife or 2.9 SCFM x 138”), I calculated the Super Air Knife consuming 400.2 SCFM @ 80 PSIG.

Since their process is a 24 hour operation, Monday – Friday, every week of the year, I calculated the following (* Using $ 0.25 per 1000 SCF used):

  • 45 nozzles x 29.6 SCFM = 1,332 SCFM @ 90 PSIG
  • 1332 SCFM (current) – 400.2 SCFM (EXAIR proposed) = 931.8 SCFM saved
  • 931.8 SCFM x 60 minutes x $ 0.25 / 1000 SCF = $ 13.98 saved per hour
  • $ 13.98 per hour x 24 hours = $ 335.52 saved per working day
  • $ 335.52/day x 5 days = $ 1,677.60 saved per week
  • $ 1,677.60 week x 52 weeks = $ 87,235.20 in yearly savings

After reviewing this savings with the customer, they mentioned they were glad they called because they were looking at increasing their air compressor size or purchasing another auxiliary unit. Now, they were not only going to save money on their current process, but they were eliminating the need to spend major funding on another compressor – not to mention the saved compressed air being available for future growth and processes.

At EXAIR, we commit to providing our customers with solutions to optimizing their current compressed air system.

Please contact an Application Engineer for optimizing your system today.

Justin Nicholl
Application Engineer
justinnicholl@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_JN

 

EXAIR Receives Honorable Mention in Green Manufacturer Product Innovation Award

Published on by Kirk EdwardsLeave a comment

EXAIR’s model 1126, 1″ Flat Super Air Nozzle received an honorable mention from Green Manufacturer magazine for the 2013 Product Innovation Awards. This competition was open to technology developers and manufacturers who have introduced new products designed to ensure environmental sustainability between January 1, 2012 and April 1, 2013. Green Manufacturer magazine includes a diverse range of products from biological building materials to welding tools, each with a unique set of qualifications and applications.

The competition focuses on the greenness of the product and how sustainably it is manufactured, as well as the ecopractices of the company. The claims were verified through judging which relied on third party testing and certification, reports to published databases, provision of specific metrics/quantitative information, and customer testimonials with quantitative data.

IMG_3206
The award with the 1″ Flat Super Air Nozzles and shims

Our engineered air nozzles, when compared to open blow off or traditional commercial nozzle designs, reduce compressed air consumption and the associated costs of producing compressed air. The lower compressed air volume required from EXAIR’s engineered air nozzles results in less electricity to generate the compressed air. Engineered air nozzles also reduce noise pollution better than traditional solutions and reduce noise exposure levels for personnel.

The model #1126, 1″ Flat Super Air Nozzle is available in a zinc/aluminum alloy suitable for most environments or 316 stainless steel when a higher level of corrosion resistance is necessary. The zinc/aluminum alloy used for this nozzle generally requires less energy
than similar materials to transform into finished products, release no pollutants and no toxic residues during the work cycle, and are fully recyclable at the end of their useful lives.

EXAIR’s whole line of Flat Super Air Nozzles also utilize an internal shim which restricts large amounts of compressed use. The design entrains additional surrounding air in order to provide added volume and force for each application.

EXAIR also takes responsibility for our own processes and manufacturing facility by adhering to our own sustainability plan. This plan helps us reduce waste, recycle more material, reduce energy consumption, reduce water consumption, and keep our employees informed and responsible.

Thanks to Green Manufacturer magazine for recognizing our efforts to keep energy consumption low and sustainability high.

Kirk Edwards
Application Engineer
kirkedwards@exair.com