8 Ways to Optimize your Compressed Air System

Shut it Off.
Drop your energy bill by 20% by shutting down your compress air system when you are not running production. put in a small compressor for the equipment that must have air all the time.

Fix Your Leaks.
A  1/4″ air leak at 100 psi will cost you more than $2,500 a year. Older systems can have leaks of up to 25%.  Approximately 80 percent of air leaks are not audible.

• An air leak you can feel can be costing you $800.00 / year.
• An Air leak you can hear can be costing you as much as $1,400.00 / year.
• A one Horse Power air tool can cost $2,330.00 to operate for a year. A one HP electric tool typically costs $390.00 / year.
• Drop from 100 PSI to 80 PSI and at $0.10 per kWh you can save $6,000.00 / year.
• 7 HP of Electric Energy in will generate only 1 HP of useful air power out.

Check Condensate Drains. 
Replace timed drains with zero-loss drains.

Review Piping. 
Increasing the size of a supply pipe from two to three inches can reduce pressure drop up to 50 percent. Shorten the distance air has to travel to further reduce pressure drops by up to 40 percent. The more flow through a pipe the greater the pressure drop will be. If the flow is doubled, the pressure drop will increase four times. Air distribution piping should be large enough in diameter to minimize pressure drop. It is easy to put in a flow meter to check this.

Change Filters on a Schedule.
Inspect and replace filters routinely. Not just in the compressor room, there are several air-line and point-of-use filters  just as important to maintain as the compressor and compressor room filters.

Proper Maintenance.
A compressor runs more efficiently when properly maintained. If your compressor goes down because of poor maintenance shame on you.

Recover Heat. 
Compressing air gives off heat, as 90 percent of that heat can be recovered for use in your operation. You can direct warm air into a workspace, warehouse, or loading dock.

Eliminate Poor Uses of Compressed Air.
Poor uses of compressed air include any application that can be done more  efficiently by another method. Use an air pump instead of compressed air for tank sparging. Use electric tools instead of air tools where possible. Battery powered tools have come along way and will reduced your electric bill.