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USGUIDE3 - DesigningYourCompAirSys tcm67 12601 PDF
USGUIDE3 - DesigningYourCompAirSys tcm67 12601 PDF
Y
our compressed air system is a pattern. It is especially important to note
critical plant utility. To function the peaks and valleys in demand and
properly and cost effectively, it their duration.
must be carefully designed to fill the Electronic data loggers offer an
Air Flow Measurement
special needs of your applications. Six effective means to track compressor
Kaesers air flow measurement system
uses mass flow meters to record the actu- basic elementsdemand, compressed activity over time. While they dont direct-
al amount of compressed air being used air quality, supply, storage, distribution, ly measure as many system parameters
at any given time. Flow meters can be and control/managementmust be as flow meters, they provide substantial
inserted into compressed air piping evaluated and factored into final layout information to make an accurate assess-
without interrupting system production, ment of system dynamics.
considerations to give you optimum
and output standard signals to a recording
results at maximum efficiency. All six For smaller, less complex systems,
device that collects the data for review.
Your local Kaeser representative can elements must work together for the the ratio between loaded and unloaded
establish an accurate air demand profile system to reach top performance levels. compressor running time (on-line/off-line
and start improving system efficiency with or start/stop times) can indicate average
a few simple steps. What Is Your Compressed demand over a long period of time.
Air Demand? When establishing compressed air
Determining the true demand in your demand for a new system, you must
compressed air system can be difficult consider operating pressure require-
but is a critical first step. Air demand ments and the duty cycle of individual
often fluctuates significantly; however, if equipment.
actual flow demand at any given time is Equipment using compressed air is
known, storage and distribution systems rated by the manufacturer for optimum
can be designed to meet demand performance at a certain pressure and
without installing additional air flow. To design a compressed air
compressors. system that delivers uniform pressure, it
The most accurate method of is necessary to ensure that all tools and
establishing demand over time in an equipment work efficiently within a
existing system is to monitor the air flow narrow pressure range. If this cannot be
using a flow meter ( see chart, pg. 3). done, you have the option of operating
Flow meters can be installed at various the entire system at the higher pressure
points in the system, but are typically and regulating pressure down as
Air Demand Analysis
installed in the main headers. Recorded required, adding a booster compressor
Kaesers exclusive Air Demand Analysis
(ADA) provides a complete picture of a data, such as air flow and pressure, can to increase pressure for a particular
compressed air systems operation and be evaluated to determine the flow application, or installing two independent
performance. Highly accurate sensors and
data loggers record flow, power consump-
tion and pressure during normal operating
conditions. Once the information is chart-
ed and analyzed, Kaeser engineers make
recommendations for optimizing the
system.
This is a typical flow chart reading which can be used to determine actual demand and flow pattern in
existing systems. Flow and pressure are inversely related, as can be seen at Points 1 and 2. Pressure
drops below the desired low pressure set points of 100 psig to 90 psig at Point 3 because the system Quality SOLIDS
cannot deliver the needed flow at Point 4. This can be remedied by adding compressor capacity to Classes Maximum Particle Size
supply the needed flow (hatched area), or more efficiently, by adding adequate storage capacity, or (microns)
eliminating the peak demand. 0 as specified
1 0.1
2 1
3 5
4 15
Establishing Flow Demand In New Systems 5 40
6
Pneumatic Paint Spraygun Paint Spraygun Blowgun Screwdriver
Equipment @ 1.5mm flat jet @ 3mm flat jet @ 2mm
Quality MOISTURE
Air Demand 5 scfm 12 scfm 8 scfm 14 scfm
Classes Dew Point
Working Pressure 40 psig 90 psig 90 psig 90 psig
C F
Number 2 1 1 1
Utilization Factor 50% 25% 10% 20% 0 as specified
Effective Air 2 x 5 x 0.5= 12 x 0.25 8 x 0.1= 14 x 0.2= 1 -70 -94
Demand 5 scfm 3 scfm 0.8 scfm 2.8 scfm 2 -40 -40
Total Demand: 5 scfm + 3 scfm + .8 scfm + 2.8 scfm = 11.60 scfm 3 -20 -4
The following should be added to Total Demand: for leakages +10% = 1.16 scfm 4 3 38
for errors +15% = 1.74 scfm 5 7 45
as a reserve +20% = 2.32 scfm
6 10 50
Total Delivery: = 16.82 scfm
Average flow demand in new systems can be determined by examining operating pressure Quality OIL
requirements, compressed air requirements, and the duty cycle of existing equipment. Classes Liquid and Gas
The total required air delivery in this example is 16.82 scfm (11.6 scfm + 1.16 scfm + mg/m3 ppmw/w
1.74 scfm + 2.32 scfm). Since the optimum duty cycle of a screw compressor is 100% 0 as specified
(although this may vary for other compressor types), the required screw compressor must 1 0.01 0.008
have a free air delivery of at least 16.82 scfm at a gauge pressure of 110 psig to account for
2 0.1 0.08
pressure differential in the compressor controls and other pressure losses.
3 1 0.8
4 5 4
5 25 21
air systems working at different ing leakage at the point of use. Your 6
pressures. existing compressed air demand will
Leakage and artificial demand often also include artificial demand caused by
represent a significant portion of your excess system pressure that does not
overall demand. All systems have leaks. increase productivity. Artificial demand
Leakage can be measured in several can be reduced significantly by installing
ways while no pneumatic equipment is a regulator at the point of use or a flow
running: measuring the loaded running controller at the beginning of the
time of a compressor, timing the distribution network.
pressure drop of the receiver tank while
all compressors are stopped, or measur-
Multiple compressor systems offer several advantages over single Figure 1 shows the optimized response to fluctuating demand. Five
compressor systems. Among these are the ability to adjust to compressors are operated by a computer-based air system controller
variations in shift demand, and to apply computer-based air system which selects the minimum number of compressors needed to satisfy
management, providing proper flow and pressure with the highest demand. This set-up offers significant operating cost savings as com-
overall efficiency. pared to a single compressor installation (Figure 2), while also
increasing system reliability by providing back-up in case of malfunc-
tion or compressor maintenance requirements.
where compressed air is needed. A net- minimize the drop in pressure across
work of pipelines is used to supply the system components
different locations with compressed air. eliminate leaks.
The flow of compressed air in pipelines, Friction loss is higher in longer pipes
however, creates friction and results in and in pipes with a smaller diameter. An
pressure drop. Pressure drop in the effective way to reduce pressure drop is
pipelines should, ideally, be no more to use a loop system that provides two-
than 1 to 2 psi. way flow at any point in the system, cut-
The following steps can be taken to ting the flow in each pipe path in half
reduce pressure drop: and reducing compressed air velocity.
reduce the distance the air must be Even more important than pressure
transported drop caused by friction, however, is that
reduce the friction through the pipes resulting from the system components
by increasing pipe size and themselves. This drop typically ranges
eliminating unnecessary elbows, from 5 to 25 psid and can be controlled,
valves, and other flow restrictions through careful equipment selection and
reduce the flow rate of air through the proper maintenance.
system
select smooth bore piping
Pressure Drop
1 Main Pipe work 1.0 psi Typical Initial Pressure
2 Distribution Pipe work 0.5 psi Drops
2
3 Connecting Lines 0.5 psi Initial Replace at:
3 3
Separator 1 psid N/A
4 Regulator Lubricator 5 to 8 psi
and hose 4 4 Filter 1 psid 10 psid
Refrigerator air 2 to 6 psid *
Max 15 psi dryer
1 Desiccant air 2 to 5 psid *
dryer
*Some dryers have built-in filtration sys-
Pressure drop results tems. These filter elements must be
from the friction replaced when the pressure differential
produced by the flow of reaches 10 psid, or earlier to save energy.
compressed air in
pipelines and from the
Limiting pressure drop caused by system
system components
components is crucial for the efficiency of
Consumer pressure 85 psi themselves.
the whole system. Evaluate initial pressure
Compressor controls 10 psi drop carefully when selecting equipment
Pressure at compressor 110 psi and maintenance intervals.
Conversion Formulas
Corporate Headquarters: Multiply by To Obtain
Kaeser Compressors, Inc.
Volume: cubic feet/minute 0.472 liter/second
P.O. Box 946
gallons 0.134 cubic feet
Fredericksburg, VA 22404 liters/minute 0.2642 gallons/minute
(800) 777-7873 cubic meters 35.315 cubic feet
Fax: (540) 898-5520
Pressure: inches mercury 0.4912 psi
www.kaeser.com inches water 25.4 mm water
psi 27.68 inches water
bar 14.504 psi