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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Tier 1 Automotive Plant Saves $218,000 in Energy Costs

By Hank Van Ormer, Air Power USA

A Tier 1 automotive plant was spending \$364,259 annually on electricity to operate their compressed air system. This figure was expected to increase as electric rates were forecasted to rise from their current average of 7.16 cents per kWh. Our firm, Air Power USA, conducted a full supply and demand-side compressed air system assessment. The set of projects recommended by the assessment, would reduce these energy costs by \$218,670 or 60%.

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VSD Compressor Control

By Ron Marshall for the Compressed Air Challenge©, Edits by Bill Scales

“Compressed air systems with multiple compressors operating to supply demand requirements present unique challenges in compressed air system control schemes.”

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How to Avoid the Most Common Bus/Coach Kneeling Failures

By Paxton Augustine, Product Marketing Manager, Parker Hannifin Corporation

Kneeling modules are quickly becoming the centerpiece of accessible vehicle equipment. This trend began with passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1991. Prior to the ADA, about 40% of all transportation vehicles were accessible to persons with disabilities.

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The “Dirty Thirty” – Discovering Pressure Differential at the Far End

By Ron Marshall for the Compressed Air Challenge®

Much attention and expense is often directed towards optimizing compressor control, clean-up equipment, system pressure / flow control and main system piping in an attempt to maintain adequate and stable pressure at the end use. Often forgotten are the components of the distribution system between the main system header and the end use.

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Oil-free Booster Compressors Aid Pharmaceutical Packaging

By Robert James and Matt Logan, Hycomp, Inc.

In the realm of pharmaceutical production and packaging, the two most important factors with compressed air are reliability and quality. In pharmaceutical plants, our customers have emphasized this reoccurring theme over and over to paint the clear picture that reliable and high-quality air are king.

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A Pharmaceutical Compressed Air System Audit

By SMC USA

This West Coast pharmaceutical facility has a very clean and organized compressed air system. All equipments is in good working order in the compressor room. The compressor room itself is very clean and well ventilated. The management requested a compressed air system audit for two reasons:

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Talking Dewpoint

Compressed Air Best Practices® discussed dewpoint with Steve Jiroutek (Application Engineer) of Vaisala Inc.

Dewpoint is defined as the temperature to which a gas (e.g. air) must be cooled, at constant pressure, for water vapor to begin to condense to liquid water. In other words, when the dewpoint temperature has been reached, the gas is fully saturated with water vapor.

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Chillers Provide Temperature Regulation For Fine Wine

By John Medeiros, MTA USA

Temperature control of the musts during the fermentation process is required for the production of high quality wines. Alcoholic fermentation is the chemical reaction in which yeast is used to transform the natural sugars of the fruit into alcohol. The heat generated by this exothermic reaction has to be managed. If must temperatures are allowed to reach the 85°F to 105°F range the reaction will be stopped. This results in high sugar content and an unstable product that requires the addition of sulphur dioxide (SO2) to allow it to be stored without spoiling. In general, optimal fermentation temperatures are 65°F - 68°F for white wines and 77°F for red wines.

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Real-World $mart Sequencer® Controls

By Rod Smith, Compressed Air Best Practices®

The \$mart Sequencer® is an air compressor control system designed to reduce a plant’s energy costs by continuously monitoring system demand and automatically selecting the most energy efficient combination of available air compressors.

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Compressed Air Controls

Excerpted and submitted by Ron Marshall and Bill Scales for the Compressed Air Challenge®

Compressed air system controls match the compressed air supply with system demand and are one of the most important determinants of overall system energy efficiency. This article discusses both individual compressor control and overall system control of plants with multiple compressors. Proper control is essential to efficient system operation and high performance.

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