Plant Services - February 2008 - (Page 52)

A number of manufacturer’s reps, independent auditors and energy services companies oﬀer compressed air auditing services that provide valuable beneﬁts to compressed air system operators. Generally, you might purchase audit services for one of two reasons. First, a speciﬁc problem in your compressed air system that needs attention. It might be low pressure somewhere in the plant, moisture in the lines or inadequate overall capacity. e second reason is a desire to reduce operating costs. In either case, you should take a number of easy, low-cost actions before the audit begins. ese actions might mitigate the problem and preclude the need for costly outside help. If you want to reduce compressed air costs, performing these ﬁve tasks will allow auditors to perform a higher-level system analysis. As air auditors, we ﬁnd that all too often, we psid. is plays havoc with your system and severely limits the air pressure available for air users. Don’t let the pressure problem you’re having on the plant ﬂoor come from dirty ﬁ lters in the compressor room. Change ﬁ lters once a year at a minimum. In many facilities, ﬁ lters must be changed more frequently. To ensure you have the opportunity to change ﬁ lters before the pressure drop across them skyrockets, install diﬀerential pressure gauges on the ﬁ lters if you don’t already have them. ese gauges are available as add-ons to nearly every ﬁ lter. Frequently, plant personnel deal with low-pressure problems by increasing the compressor’s output pressure. Remember, for every 2 psig increase in output pressure, energy consumption increases by 1%. e pressure problem might be “solved,” but the underlying issues remain. When ﬁlters are clogged, the pressure drop across them skyrockets as the ﬁlter element reaches the end of its service life. spend our time and our client’s money solving problems that only get the air system to a minimum level of operational eﬃciency. We can’t work on really getting a system working at optimum eﬃciency until these issues are addressed. What follows is advice from auditors. Attention to these ﬁve points can signiﬁcantly improve the quality of our auditing or let you avoid calling us in altogether. 2. Locate leaks 1. Focus on lters ese are a critical but often overlooked component of a compressed air system. Frequently, they’re not replaced at appropriate intervals. When ﬁ lters are clogged, the pressure drop across them skyrockets as the ﬁ lter element reaches the end of its service life. Filters generally operate with a pressure drop between 1 psid and 5 psid. However, as they reach the end of their service life, the pressure drop can exceed 15 52 Every compressed air system has leaks. Often, a prime reason for calling in an auditor is to perform a leak survey. However, even if the survey is part of the audit, make an eﬀort to repair leaks because auditors don’t get an accurate picture of how the system operates if it has large leaks. Leaks aﬀect pressure and ﬂow in the entire system. During a recent audit, the owner complained of pressure problems at a large group of critical air users. Upon investigation, we found a ¼-inch leak on a ﬁ lter/regulator/lubricator (FRL) servicing the group of equipment. Simply ﬁ xing one hole solved the pressure problems and increased the pressure available to the other air users. Pay special attention to quick-disconnects and other hose ﬁttings, the most common place for leaks. Fortunately, they’re also the easiest leaks to repair, often requiring no more than tightening a hose clamp or replacing a quick-disconnect. Inspect and repair connections and quick-disconnects before any air audit. 3. Fix the FRLs FRLs are a critical part of every compressed air system. ey protect and lubricate end-use equipment while miniF .PLANTSERVICES. http://www.plantservices.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Plant Services - February 2008

Plant Services - February 2008 Contents From the Editor Letters The PS Files Up and Running Crisis Corner What Works Asset Manager: Why Six Sigma? Technology Toolbox: Ensuring a Calm Response Cover Story: Best Practices Awards Lubricants: A Slick Success Story Motors: Reliable Torque Compressors: Before You Call for Help Web Hunter: Exploiting Intellectual Capital In the Trenches Product Picks Classifieds Fast Facts Energy Expert: Energy, Climate and Food

Plant Services - February 2008

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