Compressed Air Best Practices - June 2008 - (Page 14)

| 06–07/08 Focus Industry PHARMACEUTICALS | COMPRESSED AIR AUDIT OF THE MONTH A Pharmaceutical Compressed Air System Audit The Solution to Moisture Problems in Pneumatic Cylinders There is a very effective solution to this problem — the installation of quick-exhaust valves directly onto the cylinders. These will allow for the cylinder to fully exhaust on every cycle, thereby eliminating condensation buildup and save the cylinders. Along with saving the cylinders in the plant, there is no need to keep the drains of the FRLs opened in the plant. Leaving the drains opened is actually creating a larger pressure drop throughout the plant and wasting 36 cfm of compressed air. CO2 O kW Quick Exhaust Valves solved the problems with moisture Moisture had cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost production. Understanding what is happening with the pneumatic cylinders was the key to solving this problem. The facility had been considering installing desiccant air dryers. This would have been a significant capital expense and would not have solved the problem. We were able to identify the adiabatic expansion occurring between the cylinder and the valve. The solution deployed of quick-exhaust valve was a minor expense and achieved with little effort. D. Demand-Side Audit Aside from solving the downstream moisture problem, our audit reviewed pneumatic circuitry in the facility and also included a compressed air leak audit. Below is a brief summary of some of the opportunities discovered and solved. The end result was that air demand was reduced by 186 cfm. This reduced the plant compressed air demand from an average of 307 cfm to an average of 121 cfm. The Five Label-Aire Machines We took note of five Label-Aire machines in the factory. These units were constantly being pressurized even when not being used. We conducted a point-of-use test on these machines and found that each machine consumed an average of 4.2 cfm even when not in use. We only sampled a fragment of time so we are not sure what percentage of the time the machines are idled, but plant personnel tell us that it is a significant percentage of time. The solution here is to keep the Label-Aire machines from consuming air when idled. This is easily achieved by the installation of two-positioned solenoid valves. The solenoid of these valves will effectively actuate this application only when the product is present. The solenoid of these twopositioned valves can be actuated via several applications such as relay sensors and electronic signals. The table below shows the savings opportunity. Table 2: Label-Aire Machines Air Consumption Costs when Idle PERCENT IDLE ONE MACHINE THREE MACHINES FIVE MACHINES 40% 60% 80% $359.00 $539.00 $718.00 $1,078.00 $1,617.00 $2,156.00 $1,796.00 $2,695.00 $3,593.00 14 www.airbestpractices.com http://www.airbestpractices.com

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Compressed Air Best Practices - June 2008 Contents From the Editor Utility-Air News A Pharmaceutical Compressed Air System Audit Talking Dew Point Puerto Rico, Pharmaceuticals and Airequipo Inc. Oil-Free Rotary and Oil-Free Centrifugal Compressor Comparison SMC: Managing Energy and Dew Point in Pneumatic Systems Utility Grade Compressed Air Systems Training Calendar & Product Picks Wall Street Watch Advertiser Index Job Market

Compressed Air Best Practices - June 2008

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