Compressed Air Best Practices - June 2008 - (Page 41)

Compressed Air Industry PHARMACEUTICALS | 06–07/08 | demand. Based on age, lack of standardization, limited controls, inadequate storage, fragmented distribution, high maintenance and operating cost, the company concluded the cost-effective option was to install a new system. The new system consists of five 300 hp two-stage, air-cooled, rotary compressors for base load; two 200 hp VFD compressors for trim load; and a 30,000-gallon storage tank. These seven compressors feed three 4,000 cfm pre-filters, three dual-circuit refrigerated dryers, three after filters, automated pressure-flow controller and finally feeds into the distribution system. The supply side components are controlled and optimized by a Web-based automated rate-of-change control system. The original compressed air system performance was 3.5 cfm/kW. The utility grade system average is 5.5 cfm/kW, equating to an efficiency improvement of 57%. The system saves 1,079 kW of demand and 9.2 million kilowatthours (kWh) of electricity annually. The system produced consistent air pressure, +/- 0.3 psi, delivered throughout the distribution system. The new system met or exceeded all expectations. The graph below shows the load following characteristic of the new system. The total annual savings for the new system were: p p p p p Electricity Heat Recovery Water Savings Parts/Inventory Maintenance $541,000 $81,000 $60,000 $100,000 $120,000 The total cost for the system was $1,850,000 ($300,000 funded by Wisconsin Focus on Energy grants). A savings of $802,000 per year resulted in a total system payback of less than 2 years. Summary Companies are constantly searching for ways to cut cost in order to stay competitive in a world market. A major opportunity that is often overlooked is their compressed air system. A utility grade compressed air system provides reliable 24/7 operations, improved air quality, constant pressure and reduced maintenance cost while optimizing energy efficiency regardless of production demand. A utility grade compressed air system has the potential to reduce overall costs by upwards of 50% when compared to the typical compressed air system. About the Authors Jerry Eaton, LaMonte Wilder and Richard Feustel are founding principals of Masters’ Academy with over 75 years of experience in energy engineering and facility management. They have designed, engineered, installed and commissioned over 165 major projects for Fortune 500 companies, nationally and internationally. Masters Academy, LLC, located in Oakfield, Wisconsin specializes in consulting, training and project management. The authors can be reached at www.mastersacademy.biz or 800-390-4366. In addition, flow meters were installed in each plant and connected to an energy management system allowing the facilities group to monitor, trend and allocate cost to each department based on their actual compressed air usage. The new system also included heat recovery units on all seven new compressors. The recovered heat displaces 135,000 therms of natural gas that the company would otherwise have to purchase for space heating — enough gas to heat 150 homes. Implementing an aggressive air leak detection program, the company eliminated 1,057 cfm in non-use air loss (leaks). www .aii rbe stp rac tic es.com ai b t p racti tices com 41 http://www.mastersacademy.biz http://www.airbestpractices.com

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

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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