How much are you paying for leaks in your compressed air system?

Did you know that air leaks account for the biggest source of wasted energy in new and old compressed air systems? They often occur in places that are difficult to see or inspect. Fixing a small leak/hole that is around just 2mm in size could save you as much as £1,000 a month on your energy bill. Together with a local HPC Authorised Distributor, HPC Compressors recently helped a manufacturing, design, and packaging solution company in the Southwest of England with this issue. The company had a combination of old belt-driven screw compressors operating at 10 bar(g) totalling around 500kw. An in-depth site audit and air demand survey was carried out, which identified that the distribution piping was disorganised and leaking. The survey also identified that the compressed air generation pressure was higher than required for point of use application, which was probably set to compensate for leaks, pressure drops, and lack of compressor control. A recommended redesign using modern distribution piping was proposed. Using HPC Energy Simulation Software and the customer’s compressor operating data, we were able to simulate the customer’s existing annual air consumption of over 1,500,000kW hrs with an electricity cost of £369,000 per year. Using the same software, HPC then simulated various improved compressor options, whereby the best energy performance compressors were selected to meet the customer’s air demand profile. Our local HPC Authorised Distributor then supplied and installed a combination of both fixed and variable speed direct drive air cooled compressors with an HPC SAM intelligent computer compressor controller. It operates at a reduced system pressure of 8 bar to reduce wasted and unnecessary energy consumption.   With their team of compressed air system installers, the HPC Authorised Distributor replaced and upgraded the distribution pipework using aluminium extruded piping to reduce both wasted energy pressure drops and air leaks. Overall, the customer’s energy consumption dropped by an annual energy consumption of 336,000 kWh directly saving them £82,656. With the cost of energy continuing to increase, this is an even greater benefit to the customer. We pride ourselves on ensuring the maximum energy saving can be made across the whole system by focusing on the complete compressed air system. Using the HPC SAM intelligent controller, the customer can upload and monitor complete system energy and data. As their production requirements and air demand change, we ensure set parameters can also be changed, and the best solutions are considered to minimise compressed air energy consumption. Ask about our onsite surveys to help you find achievable savings. If you are looking for an efficient compressed air solution for your operation, HPC KAESER offers a range of products, including blowers and rotary screw compressors. All HPC KAESER machines, are supported by experienced and knowledgeable engineers and a nationwide network of authorised distribution partners. Contact us to find out more.

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