Technology

There is usually a deep feeling of pride welling up inside the designers and installers after completing the installation of a new compressed air system, especially if it starts up and works perfectly. But what happens after a few years, are things as perfect as at the start? This is a question with an answer that very few people know for their system. This article describes some interesting experiences with a food products company at two plants where compressed air assessments of optimized systems done a few years after the system upgrades showed problems.

We manufacture and market a full line of low- and medium-pressure piston and screw air compressors, as well as air dryers, air tanks and accessories. Ozen Air Technology is a subsidiary of Ozen Kompresor based in Konya, Turkey. Our company has been manufacturing air compressors and related equipment for more than 50 years. In 2018, we expanded into North and South America with an operation in Charlotte, North Carolina, which is exciting for us given the opportunity we see.  

While many businesses strive to plan, install and maintain a compressed air system that fulfils the company’s specific needs, I’ve found that implementing compressed air best practices not only accomplishes specific goals, but also results in time-tested advantages that aid in the overall business and production goals of the organization.

The Best Practices EXPO & Conference held from October 13-16, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee, saw a significant increase in attendance growing by 15 percent to 850 attendees from 20 countries. End user (factory personnel) attendance grew by 60 percent! The EXPO was also truly international showcasing 115 exhibitors from 16 countries and EXPO attendance was free for qualified industry personnel. This SHOW REPORT EXTRA Part 2 complements our 2019 Best Practices EXPO & Conference Show Report and the Show Extra Part 1 Report. 

Like any system, to properly manage compressed air equipment some measurements have to be taken. Typically, some sort of data logging equipment is installed to measure various pressures, amps or power, flow, and sometimes temperatures and dewpoints. Placing this equipment on a system is like putting an electrocardiograph machine on a human heart, the heartbeat of the compressed air system in a plant can be analyzed to determine if everything is normal or if there is a problem, all without interrupting the system. 

This story begins in Coburg, Germany in the year 1919. Coburg was first mentioned in a monastic document dated 1056, but to speed forward almost nine centuries, Coburg would join the Upper Franconia Region of Bavaria in 1920 where it remains today. Back here in 1919, the United States passed the 19th Amendment allowing women the right to vote and Pancho Villa was attacking Juarez, Mexico. So it was in 1919 that in Coburg a gentleman named Carl Kaeser Senior would open a small workshop producing parts for the early automotive industry, along with gear wheels and special machines for the glass industry.

High accuracy of multiple measured parameters is critical for the development of a trusted compressed air system baseline audit. The same is true for follow-on performance validation after system improvements have been implemented. The use of data acquisition systems using Modbus-interfaced transducers can aid auditors in achieving a thorough and highly accurate system performance assessment.

It was early summer, the air compressors were above the production floor on a mezzanine, and temperatures were heating up both outdoors and indoors. The compressed air system was comprised of three 500-horsepower centrifugal air compressors, and one 350-horsepower variable speed drive oil-free rotary screw air compressor.

The Best Practices EXPO & Conference held from October 13-16, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee, saw a significant increase in attendance growing by 15% to 850 attendees from 20 countries. End user (factory personnel) attendance grew by 60%! The EXPO was also truly international showcasing 115 exhibitors from 16 countries and EXPO attendance was free for qualified industry personnel. This SHOW REPORT EXTRA complements our 2019 Best Practices EXPO & Conference Show Report.

The event brought together technology experts, systems assessment professionals, and manufacturing leaders – all of whom shared best practices and ideas manufacturing plants can use to save energy, improve sustainability initiatives and increase the overall reliability and quality of on-site utilities.