Compressed Air Best Practices - March 2008 - (Page 37)

Compressed Air Industry FOOD PROCESSING | 03/08 | Can you describe your “High-Value Customization” process? Sure. We help our customers with their specific problems through our High-Value Customization process. Our application engineers will listen to a customer (either in person or on the phone) who will commonly describe a unique filtration problem with demands beyond the range of our standard products. The customer will often simply say that liquid is continually getting past the filter and forcing him to continually rebuild his vacuum pump (for example). We go through a process which identifies why this is happening and then recommend a customized solution such as an LRS (liquid removal system) or STS (see through knock-out system with ball float). We are able to mix and match parts from our standard product lines (special connections options, dual elements, special elements, stainless steel elements, stainless steel housing, 90˚ inlet pipe, to name a few options). This allows us to create a specialty filter, which matches the unique requirements of the application. Vacuum, blower and air compressor OEM’s often request special sizes or unique features, which we can accommodate. Our resellers regularly call in with problematic applications and unique filtration requirements and we help them deliver solutions to their customers. We call this process “High-Value Customization,” and it is driving the rapid growth of our specialty-filtration product category. CO2 O kW Air Compressor Intake Air Filters Increase Efficiencies A compressor intake air filter should be installed in, or have air brought to it from, a clean, cool location. The better the filtration at the compressor inlet, the lower the maintenance at the compressor. However, the pressure drop across the intake air filter should be kept to a minimum (by size and by maintenance) to prevent a throttling effect and a reduction in compressor capacity. A pressure differential gauge is one of the best tools to monitor the condition of the inlet filter. As a general rule, the pressure drop across a new and clean inlet filter should be less than five inches of water. As a compressor intake air filter becomes dirty, the pressure drop across it increases, reducing the pressure at the air end inlet and increasing the compression ratios. The cost of this loss of air can be much greater than the cost of a replacement inlet filter, even over a short period of time. For a 200 horsepower (hp) compressor operating two shifts, five days a week (4,160 hours per year) with a $0.05/kilowatt hour (kWh) electricity rate, a dirty intake filter can decrease compressor efficiency by 1%–3%, which can translate into higher compressed air energy costs of between $327 and $980 per year. The challenge presented to Solberg was chocolate shavings were clogging the system and it was difficult to gauge when to service the filter element. The ST Series Filter housing with a fine filtration element removed the shavings from the system and the see-through housing allowed for easy visual inspection and easy access to the filter element. What is the importance of intake air filtration? Quality intake filter designs minimize pressure differential, which in turn reduces power consumption. Our filter element designs maximize the filtration surface area in order to minimize the pressure loss at the intake to the pump. For air compressor intake filters, the pressure differential will be between 1–3 inches of water. For Filter/Silencer combinations with noise attenuation tubes, pressure loss will range between 3–5 inches of water. The recommended change out is at 15–20 inches of water (.5–.7 psig). One psig is equivalent to 27.7 inches of water. www.airbestpractices.com 37 http://www.airbestpractices.com

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

Compressed Air Best Practices - March 2008 Contents From the Editor Utility-Air News The Compressed Air Audit of the Month: Saving Energy with Blowers in Canada Do You Provide World-Class Service? Managing Rotary Screw Air Compressors at Midwest Bakery The Difference Between Acfm and Scfm for Proper Vacuum Sizing Best Practices — Multi-Module Process Air Dryers The Vacuum Formation Process in Building Compressed Air Filter Elements Solberg Manufacturing Real World Best Practices: Measuring Pressure Dewpoint in a Compressed Air System Resources for Energy Engineers: Training Calendar & Product Picks Wall Street Watch Advertiser Index Job Market

Compressed Air Best Practices - March 2008

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