Technology

Safe Compressed Air Drying Systems for Class I, Division 1 Environments

By Jess Elley, Product Marketing Manager, Suburban Manufacturing Group – Tsunami Compressed Air Solutions

Learn how engineers can safely remove moisture from compressed air systems in hazardous environments by eliminating ignition risks through pneumatic controls. This article explores design considerations, performance characteristics and reliability factors for regenerative desiccant dryers operating in Class I, Division 1 locations.

Read Full Story

Reducing the Global Warming Potential of Refrigerated Compressed Air Dryers

By Roderick Smith, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine

Long gone are the days when cost and performance could be the only concern for companies manufacturing refrigerated compressed air dryers using refrigerant compressors. In 2019, accelerated governmental (Europe) regulations and a global concern for sustainability have brought new considerations to the table. What is the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of the refrigerants used in dryers and what is their environmental impact?

[ Read Full Story ]

Filling the Gap for Air Compressor Service Technicians

By Mike Grennier, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine

As demand for compressed air use continues to grow, the future looks bright for distributors who design, sell, install and service compressed air systems. But perhaps only one thing stands in the way of continued growth and profitability for the vast majority of distributors throughout the United States: the shortage of experienced air compressor service technicians.

[ Read Full Story ]

Reducing Brewing Costs with Onsite Nitrogen Generation

By Nathaniel Holliday, Randy Peccia, Jennifer Fiorello, Parker Hannifin

Brewing is normally broken down into four stages-malting, mashing, boiling and fermenting. The complex chemical processes begin with a few simple ingredients - hops, grain, yeast and water. Recently there have been technological advancements to safeguard that these steps are attained accurately, efficiently and with cost-savings. One particular improvement is the use of nitrogen during the brewing process. The addition of an onsite nitrogen generator allows brewers to reduce their nitrogen costs, eliminate downtime, and reduce safety risks related to bulk gas cylinder delivery and changeouts.

[ Read Full Story ]

Lifting the Fog Surrounding Heat of Compression Dryers

By Hank van Ormer, Van Ormer Consulting

Introduced in the 1960s and operated successfully worldwide, the Heat of Compression (HOC) Desiccant Dryer has been a viable and successful compressed air drying technology for over 50 years. In our ongoing series on missed-demand opportunities, we’ll discuss basic operating parameters of HOC dryers and shed light on common misperceptions associated with the technology.

[ Read Full Story ]

Pneumatics Boost Productivity of Doroti Pack Thermoforming Machine

By Daniel Math, Aventics

For more than 20 years, Hungarian-based Doroti Pack Ltd. has specialized in the production and servicing of state-of-the-art packaging machines. Their focus is on developing, manufacturing, producing and selling premium-quality packaging equipment, including their line of DorPack thermoforming machines which are often used for food products such as fresh meat, fish, dairy products, bakery ware, confectionery and ready-cooked foods. Dorati Pack chose to incorporate Aventics pneumatic components in latest thermoforming machine for optimal productivity and machine longevity.

[ Read Full Story ]

Lessons Learned: Saving Energy Costs with Heated Blower Desiccant Dryers

By Ron Marshall, Marshall Compressed Air Consulting

Experienced auditors become wary when they see desiccant dryers installed in customers’ plants. These dryers are required when a plant needs instrument-quality compressed air, or when compressed air piping is exposed to freezing temperatures. However, while desiccant dryers can gain this level of quality, the energy cost of stepping up from a dewpoint of 35°F to a level of -40°F increases quite considerably. To attempt to reduce the energy costs of drying to these low levels, heated blower desiccant styles may be used. This article describes three common desiccant dryer types, as well as some experiences, good and bad, with heated blower types.

[ Read Full Story ]

Profile: Coaire Corporation and Oil-Less Scroll Air Compressors

By Mike Grennier, Compressed Air Best Practices^® Magazine

Compressed Air Best Practices® interviewed Sang Woo Lee, CEO of Coaire Corporation. I had enough experience with compressors used in refrigeration to see there was a lot of area for growth, particularly with scroll technology given that its an oil-less air compressor in addition to its efficiencies, noise level and ability to offer customers longevity. I also liked that Coaire has a long history of innovative air compressor technology. In 1968, it became the first Korean company to develop and manufacture a reciprocating air compressor. Later, it became the first Korean manufacturer of rotary screw air compressors, which occurred after it established ties with SRM to develop unique airend technology.

[ Read Full Story ]

Leveraging Data Acquisition to Drive Actionable Intelligence

By Sparks Dynamics

In most industrial plants, data is everywhere. It resides in flow through pipes, pressure in tanks, vibration on rotating equipment, temperatures in heat exchangers, and electrical energy power consumption in motors. If we can acquire this data and make sense out of the patterns we can take actions to make our plants more efficient and reliable.

[ Read Full Story ]

1888 Mills Saves $140,000 in Energy Savings and Maintenance Costs

By Ian Barnard, Ingersoll Rand® Compression Technologies and Services

After getting its start manufacturing cost-effective products to the healthcare industry, 40 years later, 1888 Mills has become the fourth largest towel manufacturer in the world, and the largest towel manufacturer in the U.S. With facilities in the United States, Pakistan and Bangladesh, 1888 Mills’ towels are used in almost every corner of the world. 1888 Mills is recognized as a leader in innovation in the textile industry and produces 176,000 pounds of towels per week.

[ Read Full Story ]

Controls Upgrade in 10 Plants Saves $977,093 Annually in Energy Costs

By Stephen Parry, Bay Controls

To address a mandate for cutting operations energy usage at facilities by 25 percent without major capital expenditures, a major manufacturing company set its sights on better control of its compressed air systems. The project, implemented at 10 manufacturing plants over the course of three years, saves the company \$977,093 annually in energy costs – and was completed with zero out-of-pocket costs.

[ Read Full Story ]