Industrial Utility Efficiency

Technology

ASHRAE 90.1 Brings New Requirements to Compressed Air System Design

By Troy Dreier, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine

Word is beginning to filter out about the 2022 changes to the ASHRAE 90.1 energy efficiency standard, and the changes it promises to bring to how compressed air systems are specified, commissioned and maintained. More specifically, the industry is learning about section 10.4.6 of 90.1, which is the first time the standard has included a section on compressed air. 

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Magnetic Bearings: An Attractive Force for Energy-efficiency

By Mark Hinckley, Director Strategic Projects, SKF Strategic Industries

With sustainability and energy-efficiency targets tougher than ever, magnetic bearings are drawing the attention of engineers in many industries, offering a whole range of advantages from increased performance to extended lifespan.
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Advanced Automation Lowers Labor Cost and Improves Performance at the Las Palmas, California, Waste Water Treatment Plant

By Nate Ventress, Process Automation Specialist, Western Region, Festo

Recently the capacity of the Las Palmas, California, waste water treatment operations were expanded by combining two plants and making one centralized filtration center. The new center expanded the flow capacity from 162,000 Gallons per Day (GPD) combined to 288,000 GPD when the manually controlled reclaimed water operations were updated to a state-of-the-art automated system. Reclaimed water from the plant irrigates local community green spaces. The new automated system ensures lower labor costs, consistent quality, and peak efficiency in the process of reclaiming waste water for irrigation.
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Q&A: APG-Neuros and Turbo Blower Technology

By Rod Smith, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine

Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine interviewed Mr. Omar Hammoud, the CEO and President of APG-Neuros. APG-Neuros was founded in 2006 in Quebec as a result of seeing an opportunity for innovation in the North American blower market. Our mission is to distribute, manufacture, provide aftermarket support and continued development of high-efficiency turbo blowers and complete Aeration Systems for the municipal and industrial markets in North America and Europe.
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Evaluating Different Blower Technologies on a Wire-to-Air Basis

By Andrew Balberg, Business Development Manager–Low Pressure, Atlas Copco

In the absence of official third party specifications on energy efficiency, it is difficult to evaluate and compare blower technologies fairly and effectively. The lack of readily available evaluation tools leads to misinformation and unfair comparisons between technologies. Further, the performance verification process is difficult to prove.
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Air Compressor Heat Recovery

By Dr.-Ing. Uwe Kaiser, Research & Development Manager, BOGE Compressors

When compressed air is generated, heat is inevitably produced as a by-product. Anyone looking to enhance efficiency can use this heat and increase the efficiency of compressors to about 95 percent as a result. To achieve this, there are easy-fit heat exchangers which can be fitted to existing air compressor stations. This investment often pays for itself within less than a year.  
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Air System Pressure Influences Compressor Power - Part 2: The Influence of System Pressure on Centrifugal Compressors

This is the second article in a three-part compressed air series by Mark Krisa, Director – Global Services Solutions, Ingersoll Rand

It is common to see energy assessment specialists treat centrifugal compressors like positive displacement compressors when attempting to reduce compressed air system energy consumption. Unfortunately, centrifugal compressors are normally much larger, and miscalculations can easily represent hundreds of thousands of dollars in overestimated energy savings. These errors are not malicious; they result from oversimplified best practices perpetuated by individuals with limited centrifugal compressor knowledge. This type of knowledge is not readily available and most energy assessment specialists do not have access to engineering teams responsible for the technical development and design of centrifugal compressors.
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Innovative Dual Pressure Control Improves Efficiency

By Ron Marshall for the Compressed Air Challenge®

Grand Manufacturing, a small community owned Canadian agricultural products manufacturer, has upgraded their compressed air system as a result of a production expansion, yet increased the compressed air energy efficiency 61% by consolidating their system and implementing an innovative dual pressure control strategy.
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Load-Sharing Centrifugal Compressor Control Saves Energy

By James G. McAuley P.E.

This article reviews portions of an audit report commissioned to survey the condition of a compressed air system in a factory located in the U.S. The objective of this study is to determine the current operating conditions and make recommendations for improvement based upon application of industry recognized best practices. Due to article space limitations, this article will focus on portions of the over-all audit report provided to the factory.
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Air System Pressure Influences Compressor Power - Part 1: System Pressure’s Influence On Rotary Screw Air Compressors

By Mark Krisa, Director – Global Services Solutions, Ingersoll Rand

Energy conservation measures (ECMs) associated with compressed air have received a significant amount of attention over the years, mostly due to a reasonably short financial return compared with other energy-consuming equipment. Over time, many of the recommended corrective actions to reduce compressed air energy consumption were simplified so much that they did not lead to positive results. One of the most common compressed air ECMs is reducing system pressure, and it leverages the best practice calculation —.5 percent power per psi — outlined in the Department of Energy’s Compressed Air Challenge. This article highlights more common issues associated with estimating energy conservation resulting from changing system pressure.
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Air Compressors

Why a Centrifugal Air Compressor May Be the Better Choice
When selecting an air compressor for your manufacturing operation, the common choice is the
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Air Treatment/N2

Selecting a Reliable and Efficient Nitrogen Generation System
PSA nitrogen generators are fed compressed air which goes to two vessels alternately. One vessel
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Blowers

Fayetteville Wastewater Treatment Plant Lowers Operational Costs, Increases Efficiencies
The plant upgrades, in combination with a progressive management strategy, allows the plant to
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Compressor Controls

Hitting the Gas on Efficient Compressed Air Delivery at Hitachi Astemo
Hitachi Astemo’s efficiency gains will turn into significant cost savings. In this article we
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Instrumentation

Improve Process Efficiency and Reduce Energy Use with Compressed Air Monitoring
Without compressed air monitoring, up to 30% of the compressed air generated goes to waste. This
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Pneumatics

Improving the Efficiency of Pumping Systems through Pump System Optimization
The U.S. Department of Energy’s 2002 Motor Market Assessment established that pumping systems offer
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Vacuum

Advanced Vacuum Generation Reduces Maintenance
Industrial ceramics have been produced in Hermsdorf, near Jena, since 1890. In the past, high-
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Cooling Systems

The AIM Act’s Impact on HFC Gases
The AIM (American Innovation and Manufacturing) Act was finalized by the US government at the end
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