Compressed Air Best Practices - January 2008 - (Page 16)

| 01/08 Focus Industry ENERGY MANAGEMENT | C h the Mont Audit of d Air ompresse Overview A major m mining corporation in Peru operates one of the world’s largest copper smelter and refinery fa facilities in the world. Located at sea level on the Pacific Ocean, the facility is located well south of Lima, Peru. The smelter facility melts down raw ore and forms it into copper ingots, wh are 4' by 4' in size with a thickness of 12 inches. The copper ingots are sent by which railcar to the neighboring refinery where they are further refined and shaped into 4' x 4' plates ¼'' inch t thick. They are then shipped to customers all over the world. The smelt facility has had ongoing problems with their compressed air system. The problems smelter are una unacceptably high (and increasing) energy costs, poor air quality and unstable operating pressu pressures. The energy costs of the compressed air system have risen 62% since 2003. Ener Energy costs now totaled $1,359,000 per year. The facility is looking for ways to reverse this trend and drive down energy costs. The sm smelter operation also has continual problems with the presence of moisture and solid partic particulates in the compressed air system. They are unable to achieve their objective to have ISO Grade 1.4.1 Air Quality for the facility. The facility has many sophisticated pneumatic G logic circuits, which malfunction when air quality deteriorates. To address this problem, the circ facility has co contracted to purchase clean compressed air from their local utility to supply the most sensitive pne pneumatic circuits. The yearly cost is $60,000 for this clean, compressed air. The air pressure is a very unstable. The facility requires a constant 100 psig pressure but continually also faces daily pr pressure variations between 77 psig and 100 psig. There are significant losses in air pressure afte the compressor discharge and solutions are required. after The air compressors and air purification equipment installed are in various stages of disarray. Two of the five air compressors are inoperable. The facility is frustrated because five new desiccant air dryers, purchased just last year, are overloaded and require overhauls. The facility is faced with the decision to repair or install new equipment. The question is what will the ROI be on the project. Complicating matters further is the fact that there are four different departments simultaneously trying to fix the compressed air system: Maintenance, Operations, Projects and Controls. The other departments do not believe that Maintenance can provide a steady, clean and reliable supply of Instrument Quality compressed air. s gy Saving Ener in Peru Smith By David January Audit of the Month Where: Peru Industry: Copper Smelter Audit Type: Compressed Air System Supply-Side Current yearly kW costs: $1,359,117 Proposed yearly kW costs: $758,832 Current yearly costs for Rental Instrument Air: $60,000 Current yearly maintenance cost on Air Dryers: $29,880 Proposed Project Capital Requirements: $384,083 ROI Break-Even: 9.5 months 5-Year Savings Projection: $2,925,975 The turn-down controls made this centrifugal oil-free compressor consume 70% of full-load electrical capacity while operating at 40% load — 24 hours per day. 16 www.airbestpractices.com http://www.airbestpractices.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Compressed Air Best Practices - January 2008

Compressed Air Best Practices - January 2008 Contents Focus Industry Features Compressed Air Industry Articles From the Editor Real World Best Practices: Selecting A VSD Rotary Compressor Audit of the Month: Energy Savings in Peru The Low-Hanging Fruit in Pneumatic Systems Mikropor America, Inc. Wireless Sensor Networks: Improve Efficiency in Compressed Air Systems Special Report: The Chicago Pneumatic Compressor Launch in North America The Importance of Measuring Vacuum The Comp-Air Service Co. Special Report: The 2007 NAACD Wall Street Watch Advertiser Index Job Market

Compressed Air Best Practices - January 2008

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