Compressed Air V - Efficient Management and Utilization

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Compressed Air V - Efficient Management and Utilization
Slide 1: Compressed Air V - Efficient Management & Utilization

Welcome to Compressed Air V: Efficient Management & Utilization. This is the fifth installment in a series of
courses offered by Energy University on the topic of compressed air systems. If you have not already done
so, it is recommended that you participate in the other Compressed Air courses before taking this course.
Compressed air imagery credit: Atlas Copco
Slide 2: Welcome
For best viewing results, we recommend that you maximize your browser window now. The screen controls
allow you to navigate through the eLearning experience. Using your browser controls may disrupt the
normal play of the course. Click ATTACHMENTS to download important supplemental information for this
course. Click the Notes tab to read a transcript of the narration.
Slide 3: Objectives
At the completion of this course, you will be able to:
Identify the supply and demand sides of a compressed air system
Estimate the annual operating cost of an air compressor
Summarize the effect of losses due to filter pressure drops
Slide 4: Introduction
In parts I through IV of this series on compressed air, we looked at the supply side of the system.
The supply side includes all the components prior to and including the primary receiver, and the pressure /
flow controller if present. Those components include one or more air compressors, and various aftercoolers,
traps, drains, filters and dryers for achieving the required quality of air.
In this class we will look at the demand side. This includes components after the primary receiver, and the
pressure / flow controller including the distribution and storage components, and end use equipment.
A properly managed supply-side results in clean dry stable air being delivered at the appropriate pressure in
a cost effective manner.
A properly sized transmission system economically minimizes pressure loss due to the flow of compressed
air out to end uses.
A properly managed demand-side minimizes wasted air and uses compressed air for appropriate
applications.
Achieving and maintaining peak compressed air system performance requires addressing the supply
components, transmission system, and demand sides and how they interact.
Slide 5: Transmission System

The air distribution system on the demand side is intended to deliver air to the point of use with minimal
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pressure loss. It is often an extended network of main lines, branch lines, valves and air hoses.
The length of the network should be kept to a minimum to reduce pressure drop. The piping should have a
large enough diameter that pressure drop is economically minimized. Piping should slope to allow for
drainage of condensate and include traps for its removal. Some piping may be followed by tracer lines. These
are steam pipes or electric lines that follow the compressed air lines that are exposed outdoors. The heat
from the tracer line prevents condensation or freezing within the air line.

Steam line imagery credit: Spirax Sarco
Slide 6: Transmission System

A typical compressed air system includes distribution piping serving different departments or buildings.
Small but critical loads needing special drying or filtration can be served efficiently off the main loop. An
example is the instrument air system. This saves the added expense to dry and filter the whole plant air
system for this small load.
Many plants contain applications with intermittent demands for high volumes of air. This can cause pressure
fluctuations and may starve some points of use, which can adversely affect the quality of final products. A
secondary receiver tank may be installed on the demand side to help manage demand peaks. If the high
demand periods are fairly short, the secondary receiver can store enough air to meet that demand, and then
it can be refilled without the need to add more compressor capacity. An inlet check valve will stop stored air
from flowing back into the system, and ensure that the boost of air is available when needed.
When low-pressure flow is required, consider using dedicated low-pressure blowers such as in the Chemical
Cleaning Department. This saves electricity by using low pressure blowers instead of using expensive plant
air.
When significant high-pressure flow is required, consider using dedicated high-pressure compressors and
dryers such as in the Metal Drawing Department. This saves electricity by using small high-pressure
compressors instead of running the plant air system at a pressure higher than needed.
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Slide 7: Metering
In most plants, electric, pressure, and airflow metering can be very valuable to determine system
performance. It is not unusual to find significant performance problems in a system that has not been
managed properly, and even possible to see hidden problems in those systems that have been maintained.
Metering equipment and analysis will highlight any problem issues in a clear understandable format and help
define potential cost savings compared to an efficient system. In a recent pharmaceutical plant assessment
of three 150 kW compressors, each of the air compressors were metered using a system that Schneider
Electric installed the prior year. Nine months of data provided enough information for models to show savings
potential exceeding 35% if operated according to best practices. With a moderate piping addition, and minor
adjustments to compressors, dryers, and controls, the system was tuned for the full predicted 35% energy
savings, more than $300,000 per year savings, and a simple payback of less than a year. This also equaled a
13% reduction in total plant electric use.
Slide 8: Cost of Compressed Air

Over the life of a compressed air system, energy accounts for 80% of the Total Cost of Ownership compared
to just 9% for the initial cost of capital. Don’t simply purchase the lowest cost equipment, evaluate efficiency
options to reduce costs and select system components for lowest life-cycle cost.
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Slide 9: Annual Cost of Operation

To calculate the annual operating cost of a compressor, you need to collect the following data.
First you need the power at the compressor shaft [kWshaft] If the compressors are rated in horsepower,
convert that value to kW. Usually 1 horsepower is given as 0.746 kW but for these purposes you can
multiply by 0.75 and round to the nearest 10 kW (e.g., if you have a 200 hp compressor, use 150 kW).
Note that most motors are designed with a service factor which allows them to be operated for short periods
above the nameplate rated power. The service factor is often 1.15, so a motor producing 100 kW can be
operated up to 115 kW, and a motor making 100 HP can be operated up to 115 HP. Compressor
manufacturers frequently take advantage of this, so at full load a compressor may operate at above the
motor’s nameplate rated power up to the service factor. Hence at full load the actual power is frequently
higher than the motor nameplate, so check equipment specifications rather than nameplate.

Next you need the operating hours, which is the number of hours per year that the equipment is energized.
You also need the unit cost per kWh of electricity.

Then you need to determine operating level, and the percent time that the equipment is running at this
operating level.
Shaft imagery credit: Spirax Sarco

If the equipment runs at the full load operating level for 25% of the time, and at the semi-loaded operating
level for 75% of the time, you will need to do this calculation twice – once for each load condition - and add the
results.
For each operating level you will need to determine the percent of full-load kW used at that level. See
published datasheets if available from the Compressed Air and Gas Institute (CAGI) or a similar organization
in your region. Otherwise use the manufacturer’s part-load specifications.
Finally, you need the motor efficiency at this operating level.

The data collected is inserted into this formula.
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And the result is the annual operating cost of the compressor.
Let’s look at an example. Imagine an air compressor with these characteristics.
20% of the time it runs fully loaded (level A). 60% of the time it is at part-load (level B) consuming 80% of full
load power and 20% of the time it is at part-load (level C) consuming 60% of full load power. At each load
level there is a different motor efficiency.
Here is our equation again, now with efficiency moved to the end at the right.
Inserting the relevant data gives us the first part of the cost of running the compressor.
Slide 13: Try It!

Try this calculation for the second two parts of the cost and calculate the total. You can download the "Annual
Operating Cost Worksheet" attachment for a reminder of the formula and data. Click Play when you are ready
to continue.

Your answers should look like this.
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If you have an end use and know its flow, or you find a leak and estimate its flow, it is useful to put this into cost
terms so everyone understands its economic value or loss. You can do this by determining the cost of one
CMH per year, or one CFM per year. Then, for example, you can take the unit cost of air and multiply it times
the leakage rate to determine the annual loss of leaks
First, determine the amount of air produced by the compressor. If it is used fully-loaded, the amount of air
produced is the full-load rating of the compressor. If it is partly loaded it will be the reduced flow at that load.

With this data you can calculate the cost to produce one CMH per Year (cubic meter per hour per year) or one
CFM per year (cubic foot per minute per year) by dividing the annual cost of operation of the compressor by
the calculated rate of air production at given loading.
In this case the system produces approx 1,850 CMH on average, or 1,090 CFM. Here we can see what that
gives as a compressed air cost.

In practice, a compressed air consultant may evaluate several air compressors as part of a system.
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In this case the consultant will:
Collect data about your cost of energy per kWh

Estimate the hours per year that the compressors operate
From this, the cost of each kW of compressor power per year can be calculated
List each compressor
And for each one list the average electrical demand while operating, instead of making separate
calculations for various load levels
They may assume near rated compressor efficiency, which is typically 9 to 12 kW per 100 CMH or 16
to 20 kW per 100 CFM, or, the consultant may be able to use actual meter readings to determine
system performance if meters have been installed.
Based on this data they will calculate the estimated air flow production using an equation like this.
The total kW demand from the set of compressors is divided by the rated power required to produce
100 CMH, or 100 CFM if US units are being used. We can draw this division like this so that you can
see that the terms cancel out to give the airflow in 100s of CMH.
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To get the airflow in CMH you would simply multiply by 100. The result is recorded in the spreadsheet.
If projects are proposed to downsize equipment, more calculations may be performed to determine the
savings from both demand reduction and energy consumption.
Slide 18: Cost of Air Drying

Another significant expense is the cost of air drying. Example costs for various dryer technologies were
provided in the class on Supply Side Components. A consultant could refer to tables or manufacturer data.
The analyst would determine the drying technology employed and the power required per CFM. Using the
calculated airflow the power demands for drying air can be calculated.
Finally, the surveyor can calculate the cost to dry one CMH per Year or one CFM per Year by dividing the
annual cost of drying by the rate of air production at normal loading.
Slide 19: Cost of Air Drying

Other miscellaneous electric loads can be added to the analysis if they exist.
The total gives the energy cost of air production each year and hence the average cost per CFM per year.
Slide 20: Filtration

Part of the energy used to compress the air will be lost due to filtration. We can estimate the energy lost
using pressure drop across filters.
To overcome the pressure drop we can assume a typical compressor will consume 1% more power for each
140 millibar or two psig of discharge pressure increase at normal pressures.
In the compressor room, we typically see 140 to 200 millibar pressure drop, about 2 to 3 psig or more for
filters when new. Therefore, expect 1% to 2% compressor energy to serve filter pressure drop for new filters.
Filters can be cost effectively purchased and installed when the pressure drop increases by 400 to 550
millibar or 6-8 psi compared to the pressure drop when new.
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Slide 21: Filtration

This loss will increase over time so it is important to monitor pressure drop on differential pressure gauges
installed across filters to help determine the optimal time to change them. As the differential pressure
increases, the perecent of power consumed by the compressor to service this pressure drop will go up.
The cost of new filters can be compared to this additional power cost. The filters can be changed when the
power savings justify the new filter cost within the required time period established by the owner.
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The cost to filter one CFM per year or one CMH per Year is calculated by dividing the annual cost of filtration
by the rate of air production at normal loading.
Slide 22: Breakdown

This chart shows an approximate breakdown of cost for air production, drying, and filtering on the supply-side
of a compressed air system when brand new and in steady efficient operation. As the system deviates from
design load or requires maintenance, the percentages will change and then the cost of compressed air
increases dramatically.
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Cost of Compressed Air in New System,

Percent of Total Electric Cost
Compressor Drying Plus Loss Filter Loss
6% 3%
91%
Slide 23: 4 Categories of System Demand

Typically system demand can be divided into four categories:
Actual production needs
Leaks
Inappropriate uses, and
Artificial demand
We will look at leaks and inappropriate uses in the next course: Compressed Air VI: Seven Steps to Better
Efficiency. But for now, let’s talk about artificial demand.
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Typical Components of Demand

Artificial Demand
Leaks
Production
Inappropriate
Uses
Slide 24: Artificial Demand

Artificial demand is defined as excess volume of air consumed by unregulated end uses as a result of
supplying higher pressure than necessary for the point-of-use applications.
Equipment fed through a pressure/flow controller or through regulators will only use air at the regulated
pressure.
Equipment connected to part of the distribution system that does not have specific pressure or flow control
will use air at whatever pressure prevails at the time.
If the pressure is higher than required, all leak flows increase, and all unregulated equipment will use more air
than it really needs to do its job. This excess flow is called artificial demand for compressed air.
Unregulated use can be as high as 30 to 50 percent of air demand.
Air demand chart credit: Atlas Copco
Slide 25: Effects of Waste

There is a large financial penalty for higher than needed pressure. A rule of thumb for systems operating
around 7 bar g or 100 psig is that increasing the pressure by 140 millibar or 2 psi will increase the energy
consumption of the compressor by about 1% at full output flow.
There is a second effect, that of the artificial demand, and that every air leak will also be worse at high
pressure. That will increase energy consumption by another 0.6% to 1% because of the additional air being
wasted. In a system where 30 – 50% of the use is unregulated the combined effect can be a total increase in
energy consumption of about 1.6% to 2% for every increase in discharge pressure by 0.14 bars or 2 psi for
a system near 7 bar g or 100 psig.
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Slide 26: Additional Information

Click attachments to download the document “Helpful Advice” which offers some additional information about
the management and utilization of compressed air.
Slide 27: Summary

Let’s summarize what we have learned today:
The supply side includes all the components prior to and including the primary receiver, and the pressure /
flow controller if present, such as the compressor, dryers and filters. It should result in clean dry stable air
being delivered at the appropriate pressure in a cost effective manner.
The transmission and distribution system includes components after the primary receiver, and pressure / flow
controller including the distribution and storage components.
The demand-side includes end use equipment. Uses on the demand side should minimize wasted air and
use compressed air only for appropriate applications at the lowest pressure that is practical.
Metering is very valuable to determine system performance and manage the system.
We saw a simple calculation to estimate the annual operating cost of an air compressor.
Energy is around 80% of the total cost of ownership of an air compressor.
New, clean filters typically cause a pressure drop that consumes 1 to 2% of compressor energy. The
pressure drop should be monitored over time to determine the optimal time to change filters.
The compressor discharge pressure should be set as low as possible while still meeting the end use
requirements. Reducing the pressure by 140 millibar or 2 psi saves approx 1% of energy consumed by the
compressor.
Artificial demand is excess air loss through unregulated leaks, end-use consumers as a result of supplying
higher pressure than necessary for the point-of-use applications.
Slide 28: Thank You!

Thank you for participating in this course.

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Compressed Air V - Efficient Management and Utilization

Slide 1: Compressed Air V - Efficient Management & Utilization

Compressed air imagery credit: Atlas Copco

Slide 5: Transmission System

Compressed air imagery credit: Atlas Copco

Slide 6: Transmission System

Compressed air imagery credit: Atlas Copco

Slide 8: Cost of Compressed Air

Slide 9: Annual Cost of Operation

Compressed air imagery credit: Atlas Copco

Slide 10: Annual Cost of Operation

You also need the unit cost per kWh of electricity.

Shaft imagery credit: Spirax Sarco

Slide 11: Annual Cost of Operation

Finally, you need the motor efficiency at this operating level.

Compressed air imagery credit: Atlas Copco

Slide 12: Annual Cost of Operation

And the result is the annual operating cost of the compressor.

Let’s look at an example. Imagine an air compressor with these characteristics.

Slide 13: Try It!

Slide 14: Annual Cost of Operation

Slide 15: Cost of Compressed Air

Compressed air imagery credit: Atlas Copco

Slide 16: Cost of Compressed Air

Slide 17: Cost of Compressed Air

In this case the consultant will:

Collect data about your cost of energy per kWh

Slide 18: Cost of Air Drying

Slide 19: Cost of Air Drying

Slide 20: Filtration

Compressed air imagery credit: Atlas Copco

Slide 21: Filtration

Slide 22: Breakdown

Cost of Compressed Air in New System,

Slide 23: 4 Categories of System Demand

Typical Components of Demand

Slide 24: Artificial Demand

Air demand chart credit: Atlas Copco

Slide 25: Effects of Waste

Compressed air imagery credit: Atlas Copco

Slide 26: Additional Information

Slide 27: Summary

Energy is around 80% of the total cost of ownership of an air compressor.

Slide 28: Thank You!

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