Industrial Utility Efficiency

Air Compressors

Best Practices 2024 EXPO & Conference Show Report

By Troy Dreier, Senior Editor, and Brooke Jones, Digital Content Editor, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine 

From October 29-31, 2024, professionals who operate, maintain and design industrial compressed air, vacuum, blower, nitrogen generation, process cooling and HVAC systems gathered at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, GA, for the 6th annual Best Practices 2024 EXPO & Conference. The event featured two tracks of conference presentations and panels.

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Preparing Reciprocating Air Compressors for Winter

By the Compressed Air & Gas Institute

Freezing temperatures can have negative effects on your reciprocating air compressor, dryer, and many accessories. One of the best practices to adopt is keeping a detailed maintenance log. At the end of each season, take note of the condition your equipment is in, and address it promptly using the manufacturer’s instructions to keep it operating smoothly and efficiently.
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Promote Sustainability with an Optimal Air Compressor Lubricant

By Klüber Lubrication

When facilities look to improving sustainability, they tend to focus first on traditional energy utilities – natural gas, heating oil, electricity and water. As facilities achieve greater sustainability through efficiencies that reduce utility energy waste and minimize the plant’s carbon footprint, they begin to focus on other energy sources, including compressed air, to enhance sustainability efforts.
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The Gentex Journey to Reliable Energy Conservation - 3 Levels of Compressed Air Systems

By John Bilsky, Facilities Maintenance, Gentex Corporation

The information contained in this article, will help the operator to assess his/her systems, and identify where these systems fall within a three-level category. There are many ways, and opportunities to make a compressed air system produce reliable and good quality air. The three levels discussed here could also be characterized as a “continuous improvement plan” which can be achieved over the course of time, and with the occasional investment of money.
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HAUG Oxygen Compressors for Efficient Gold Extraction

By Paul Frank, Technical Proposal Manager, Sauer Compressors USA

Logistics and supply problems are widespread on the African continent. Lack of infrastructure as well as capacity and efficiency deficiencies can affect supply chains and make them more expensive. Gold mines, which are often located in secluded areas, therefore seek to provide their entire infrastructure themselves. Even the oxygen required for efficient gold extraction by cyanide leaching is therefore not delivered but generated on site.
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Sullivan-Palatek’s Passion Drives Continued Success

By Mike Grennier, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine

Sullivan-Palatek’s products include electric air compressors from a five horsepower (hp) unit that delivers 22 scfm at 125 psi up to a 450-hp machine rated to provide 1,770 scfm at 125 psi. It also manufactures Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) air compressors from 15 to 450 hp, which can deliver anywhere from 43 to 1,910 scfm at pressures ranging from 100 and 125 psi.
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Milk Plant Deploys the Second Stage of Energy Savings

By John Molnar, P.E., Rogers Machinery Company

Yearly energy reduction quotas drive utilities, plant, and energy managers to continue to reduce energy consumption in all areas. A frequent question asked is, “Where can we find more energy savings once we have a VFD compressor and we have fixed all our leaks?”
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Achieving “Technically Oil-Free” Compressed Air

By David Swartz, Gulf Coast Regional Sales Manager, Sauer Compressors USA

In this article we will discuss how to achieve actual oil-free air from your air compressor, no matter what type of air compressor it is. Air compressors of all designs turn mechanical power into pneumatic power by successively concentrating air across compression stages. A rotary screw air compressor, for example, utilizes rotating helical screws to drive air forward, increasing its pressure by reducing the volume of space the air mass takes up. Mechanical compression of this nature takes quite the force and energy to accomplish, which equates to heat generation and physical wear inside of the compressor. 
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Reciprocating Air Compressor Maintenance

By the Compressed Air & Gas Institute

Reciprocating/piston air compressors have many moving parts and regular maintenance is an essential practice.  This ensures all compressor components function at peak efficiency as well as for preventing wear that can ultimately lead to premature failure. The following tips can serve as a guide for safe, reliable, and economical reciprocating compressor operation and maintenance.
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Air Compressor Lubricant Tracing for Quality

By Michael Parker, SA Performance

Batch tracing is a critical process for any business that is interested in quality management. The importance of this process goes well beyond the manufacturing stages of a product. As it relates to air compressor lubricants, the ability to trace a product throughout its useful life, has a direct impact on the distribution and servicing organizations that use these products in the field. Service contractors, distributors, resellers, and even online wholesalers all have a responsibility to both protect themselves from liability, as well as their customers, by ensuring that traceability systems are in place and maintained down to the end user.
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Reciprocating Air Compressors Ideal for Intermittent Duty Cycle Applications

By the Compressed Air & Gas Institute

Reciprocating air compressors are designed for variable up and down duty cycle applications as the full power of the compressor is available when needed. When demand stops, a reciprocating compressor shuts off automatically to reduce consumption of power. In selected cases where the high demand for air is short term, a tank mounted system provides air flow bursts that exceed the capacity of the compressor by using stored up compressed air from the tank.
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