Industrial Utility Efficiency

Vacuum/Blowers

The Business Case for Air Compressor Rentals and Air-Over-the-Fence

By Matt Piedmonte, Vice President and General Manager, Americas, Aerzen Rental Solutions

There is no single right approach to putting the necessary volume and pressure of air in the pipe to meet production needs. There is a place for purchasing assets, there is a place for renting assets and there is a place for an AOF contract. Just as the business models around these assets change, so do the needs of an industrial plant. This article aims to explore these options and explore some of the pros and cons associated with different methods. 

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The Ins and Outs of Vacuum Generators

"Dr. Vacuum" with "Dan Bott"

There is an enormous population of vacuum generators being used successfully by industry. Applications range from pick & place to vapor extraction to bulk material handling and the number of installations is growing. Before proceeding with an installation utilizing these devices, there are two general issues to consider: efficiency and appropriateness.
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Profile Dekker Vacuum

Compressed Air Best Practices interviewed Rick Dekker (President & CEO) of Dekker Vacuum Technologies.

The roots of our company start with my father, Jan Dekker, who was heavily involved with oil-sealed liquid ring vacuum systems used in the gold mines of South Africa. This was in the mid-1970’s when gold prices were going up. Vacuum systems (in the mines) were optimized by improving vacuum levels using oil instead of water and by adding vacuum boosters.
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Savings at the Steel Mill

By Chuck Gerbe, Total Equipment Company

This major mill complex upgraded their compressed air system and thereby eliminated \$500,000 in annual rental compressor costs, reduced annual cooling-water costs by \$500,000, and reduced electrical energy costs by \$135,000 per year.
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Inappropriate-Use Assessment Saves 1,881 scfm

By Hank Van Ormer, Air Power USA

This factory currently spends \$735,757 annually on the electricity required to operate the compressed air system at its plant. The group of projects recommended in the system assessment will reduce these energy costs by an estimated \$364,211 (49% of current use). Estimated costs for completing the recommended projects total \$435,800. This figure represents a simple payback period of 14.4 months.
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Printing Facility Vacuum System Upgrades

By Compressed Air Best Practices

Most printing facilities use vacuum for one process or another.  I recently spoke with Jesse Krivolavek, (a vacuum system efficiency specialist with IVS, Inc.) about his recent adventures in the world of printing.
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An Automotive System Assessment

By Bill Scales P.E., Scales Industrial Technologies

This stamping plant is a 2.5 million-square-foot facility with over two thousand employees.  At the time of the assessment, the plant was processing approximately 1,600 tons of steel per day into automotive vehicle components and parts such as body parts.
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Chrysler Finds Vacuum Savings of $400,000 per Plant

By Josef Karbassi, PIAB

A recent comparative vacuum technology study performed by Dr. Kingman Yee, as part of a Chrysler Summer Intern Professors Program, found that air consumption could be reduced by 98% when equipping a robot’s end-of-arm tooling with COAX® technology and a Vacustat™ check valve.
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Boiler Soot-Blowing in Power Plants

By Hank Van Ormer, Air Power USA

Utilities have been cleaning their boilers for many years using either steam or high-pressure air.  In the past, when air was used, due to the size of the boilers and the reasonable quality of fuel used, a relatively small amount of cleaning was required.
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Explosion-Proof Vacuum Systems for Combustible Dust

By Paul R. Miller, Vice President and General Manager, Nilfisk CFM

In February of 2008, a sugar plant near Savannah, Georgia suffered the ultimate tragedy. Fouteen employees were killed and 40 injured when finely ground motes of sugar dust ignited, setting off a violent blast. If the fatalities and a tarnished reputation weren’t enough, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) then fined the company more than 8 million dollars in workplace violations related to combustible dust.
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