Technology

There is always something new to learn about compressed air systems – particularly in regards to compressed air dryer installations. As I discussed in Part 1 of this series, you can make compressed air dryer installations more reliable by understanding the consequences of any modifications you make to the system.  As a continuation of those ideas, Part II explores more ways to make a dryer installation more reliable. Discussions include: the difference between operating a desiccant dryer in a fixed cycle opposed to demand mode, what happens when you operate a heated desiccant dryer with the cooling air turned off, and how to deal with the unintended consequences of dedicating a desiccant dryer to a compressor. 

Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine and the Compressed Air and Gas Institute have been cooperating on educating readers on the design, features, and benefits of centrifugal compressor systems. As part of this series, Compressed Air Best Practices® (CABP) Magazine recently caught up with the Compressed Air and Gas Institute (CAGI). During our discussion, we reviewed some of the things readers should consider when installing a centrifugal compressor system.

Air-operated double diaphragm (AODD) pumps are common to many manufacturing facilities. As estimated by veteran compressed air auditor Hank van Ormer of Air Power USA, approximately 85 to 90 percent of plants in the United States have AODD pumps. They are used for all kinds of liquid transfer applications, like those found in chemical manufacturing, wastewater removal, and pumping viscous food products.

One of the statements made in the Compressed Air Challenge’s Fundamentals of Compressed Air Systems seminar is that improvements can always be made to every compressed air system, including new ones. The statement definitely applies to a Canadian pork processing facility built a few years ago. This article is based on a compressed air audit performed two years into the life of a brand new plant. The audit found numerous problems and made recommendations that helped reduce plant compressed air operating costs by 60 percent. 

A modern dairy without compressed air is nowadays no longer imaginable, and it is used primarily for driving control units and machinery. Approximately 60 percent of the compressed air generated is used for packaging lines. However, compressed air is one of the most expensive energy sources in dairies. Even in carefully maintained compressed air systems, about 20 percent of the generated energy is lost through leaks. In particular, vacuum leakages in separators result in high energy losses. A small leak can cost up to several thousands of Euros a year.

Critical applications — such as semiconductor manufacturing, food processing and automobile spray finishing — require high quality, clean compressed air. Otherwise, those manufacturing facilities are doomed to costly rework, product recalls and a tarnished reputation.

“In semiconductor manufacturing, a small particle can ruin one of the die on a multi-die semiconductor wafer,” explained Dan Ryan, Engineering Manager, Parker Hannifin Corporation – Gas Separation and Filtration Division. “Even when it comes to things like painting automobiles, a few small, invisible particulates, depending on the makeup of them, can actually cause a visible flaw in the paint job.”

Compressed air is used in more than 70 percent of all manufacturing activities, ranging from highly critical applications that may impact product quality to general “shop” uses. When compressed air is used in the production of pharmaceuticals, food, beverages, medical devices, and other products, there seems to be confusion on what testing needs to be performed.

Proper air preparation significantly increases the process and production reliability of machines. Particles, water and oils in compressed air reduce the service life and functionality of components and systems. They also impair productivity and energy efficiency. In this article, a variety of air filtration and air treatment products are outlined and discussed, along with ancillary equipment like drains. Additionally, the article provides an overview of the compressed air purity classes defined by ISO 8573-1:2010.

In compressed air systems, every adjustment or system modification has consequences, so, before making changes, it’s important to understand how those changes will affect each piece of equipment.  For example, simple things — such as lowering the compressor’s pressure set point, or failing to maintain the compressor’s aftercooler — can result in moisture contamination occurring out in the system. Why? Because the effects of these actions reduce the air dryer’s capacity. In this article, I address some ideas that can make your system more reliable.

We are in the midst of the fourth industrial revolution, or, as it is known in Germany, Industry 4.0. In broad terms, the concept describes manufacturing facilities where all of the machines — including the air compressors, along with their corresponding sensors and air treatment equipment — communicate with each other autonomously, recording performance metrics to a local controller, a wireless network, and an external database. These communicative abilities are enabled by the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), in which intelligent, networked devices link everything back to a main data hub.