Compressed Air Best Practices-August 2008

| 08/08 Focus Industry COMPRESSED AIR AUDITS | Know Your Introduction BY RON MARSHALL, CET, CIM, MANITOBA HYDRO RON MARSHAL CET CIM, MANITOBA HYDRO MARSHALL, CET CIM MANITOB HYDR ARSHALL ET, ANITOBA DRO SYSTEM Background Manitoba Hydro, a power utility located in the Province of Manitoba, Canada, first started exploring the issue of compressed air efficiency in the early 90’s when key personnel attended a seminar given by Scot Foss, one of the top compressed air professionals in the world, and one of the catalysts in the emerging compressed air efficiency efforts at the time. Manitoba Hydro’s efforts in this area, under the leadership of Rob Armstrong, embraced the “system approach” and recognized that awareness of the costs of compressed air is one of the keys to influencing system improvements. One of the main benefits of this improvement, and the one that most interested Manitoba Hydro as a power utility, was increased energy efficiency. About the same time, Manitoba Hydro launched a number of industrial energy efficiency incentive programs, one of which is called Performance Optimization. This program, which focuses on stimulating improvements to electrically powered processes and motor driven equipment, fit perfectly with the idea of compressed air efficiency. This program makes both system experts and financial resources available to interested customers to help study their systems and, if appropriate, help pay some of the capital costs required for system improvements. Since the start of the program, there have been compressed air scoping studies and/or full plant air audits performed at over 570 facilities, many resulting in successful compressed air efficiency projects. As the editor of the Compressed Air Best Practices™ magazine rightfully observed in his May 2008 editorial feature, there is a fundamental and problematic issue common to the compressed air industry. It is the simple need to better measure what is going on in industrial compressed air systems. As Manitoba Hydro’s “Industrial Compressed Air Guy” I have reviewed and analyzed data from hundreds of air systems, from the very smallest systems in “Joe’s Body Shop” to the very largest sites using multiple huge centrifugal compressors capable of producing 30,000 cfm each. I can tell you that most compressed air system users have no idea how much air their system is producing, what the energy intensity of their system is or how much it costs to produce the air. These users are almost always surprised when we show them the real picture. There is a real need for better measurement strategies for air systems. It is mind boggling to think of how much money is wasted to keep inefficient air systems running, all because the users can’t see the real picture for themselves. If they did, many would quickly implement correction strategies before their bosses found out. This article tells of some of our experiences with compressed air system monitoring. Figure 1 — Shows the amp response to pressure fluctuations in a typical two compressor modulating screw compressor installation. This system has very poor pressure regulation and low efficiency. 20 www.airbestpractices.com http://www.airbestpractices.com

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

Compressed Air Best Practices- August 2008 Contents From the Editor Utility-Air News The August Audit of the Month: A Vacuum System Audit Energized for Savings at Seattle City Light and Tacoma Power Know Your System CASE: Compressed Air Supply Efficiency Ecos Air: Managing Incentive Programs Kaeser Compressors: Loyalty, Energy and Growth Building Relationships at Cummins-Wagner McIntire is Moving Forward The 2008 A.I.C.D. Conference & Exhibition Tuthill Vacuum and Blower Systems Resources for Energy Engineers: Training Calendar & Product Picks Wall Street Watch Advertiser Index Job Market

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