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<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nAs margins get tighter and the cost of manufacturing climbs, industries are looking for ways to be more economical.\u00a0 A big focus is on the compressed air system.\u00a0 Compressed air is considered to be the \u201cfourth utility\u201d behind gas, water, and electricity.\u00a0 Air compressors are necessary to run pneumatic systems, but they are the least efficient of the utilities.\u00a0 For every $1.00 that is put into making compressed air, you only get roughly 5\u00a2 of work from it.\u00a0 So, it is very important to use this utility as efficiently as possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of the biggest problems affecting compressed air systems is leaks.\u00a0 That quiet sound coming from the pipelines is costing your company a lot of money.\u00a0 A study was conducted by a university to determine the percentage of air leaks in a typical manufacturing plant.\u00a0 In a poorly maintained system, they found that 30% of the compressor\u2019s capacity is lost through air leaks on average.\u00a0 Just to let you know, the majority of companies do not have a leak prevention program, so they will fall into the \u201cpoorly maintained\u201d category. \u00a0The chart below shows the amount of money that can be wasted by the size of the hole for larger leaks. Unlike a hydraulic system, compressed air is clean, so leaks will not be visible at the source.\u00a0 You have to find them by other means.\u00a0 There are four main methods to test your system for leaks.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nUltrasonic Leak Detector<\/strong>:\u00a0 When you have small air leaks, the turbulent flow will emit an ultrasonic sound.\u00a0 This method is the most direct way to find leaks in your system.\u00a0 With the EXAIR Ultrasonic Leak Detector<\/a>, it can pick up these high frequencies in the range of 20 kHz to 100 kHz, above human hearing.\u00a0 This device makes the inaudible leaks audible.\u00a0 Some other features of the model 9207 are a sensitivity adjustment button, a signal strength display, and a headphone volume button.\u00a0 It has two attachments; the parabola attachment to locate leaks up to 20 feet (6.1 meters) away, and the tube attachment to define the exact location of the leaks.\u00a0<\/p>\n Digital Flowmeters<\/strong>:\u00a0 With Digital Flowmeters<\/a>, you can continuously watch for waste. \u00a0Air leaks can occur at any time within any section of your pneumatic system. \u00a0You can do systematic checks by isolating sections with the Digital Flowmeter and watching for a flow reading. \u00a0Another way to monitor your system would be to compare the results over time. \u00a0With the Digital Flowmeters, we have a couple of options for recording the air flow data. \u00a0We have a USB Datalogger<\/a> for setting certain time increments to record the air flows. \u00a0Once the information is recorded, you can connect the USB to your computer, and with the downloadable software, you can view the information and export it into an Excel spreadsheet. \u00a0Once the information starts trending upward for the same process, you can focus your attention on finding the leak. \u00a0It can also serve as a preventive measure if a pneumatic system is starting to fail.<\/p>\n Pressure difference<\/strong>:\u00a0 There are some equations that can be helpful in determining how severe the leaks are in the system.\u00a0 One method would be to look at a pressure gauge.\u00a0 For this method to work, you will have to estimate the total system volume, comprising secondary air receiver, piping, and air mains. After the compressor runs for a while to build to an operating pressure (P1).\u00a0 Then, you have to block the system off and measure the time.\u00a0 When it reaches a stopping point at pressure (P2), mark that time.\u00a0 Use Equation 1 to measure the leakage rate, Q in CFM.\u00a0 If the flow is more 10%<\/p>\n Equation 1:<\/p>\n Q = (V x (P1-P2)\/T x 14.7) x 1.25<\/p>\n V = Volume (Ft3<\/sup>)<\/p>\n P1- Starting pressure (psig)<\/p>\n P2 = Ending pressure (psig)<\/p>\n T = Time (Minutes)<\/p>\n Compressor cycling time<\/strong>:\u00a0 First start by shutting off all the points of use of compressed air products so that there\u2019s no demand on the system. Then, start the compressor and record the average time it takes for the compressor to cycle on\/off. The compressor will load and unload as the air leaks, causing a pressure drop from air escaping. The percentage of total leakage can be calculated by Equation 2.\u00a0 The leakage rate will be given as a percentage of total compressor capacity lost. This value should be less than 10% for a well-maintained system.<\/p>\n Equation 2:<\/p>\n Leakage % = [(T) \/ (T + t)] * 100<\/p>\n Where:<\/p>\n T = loaded time (seconds)<\/p>\n t = unloaded time (seconds)<\/p>\n Compressed air leaks will rob you of performance, compressor life, and electrical cost.\u00a0 It is important to have a leak prevention program to check for leaks periodically, as they can happen at any time.\u00a0 I added some tips and tricks to help determine the severity of the leaks in your system.\u00a0 The EXAIR Digital Flowmeters<\/a> and Ultrasonic Leak Detector<\/a> will help you accomplish this and optimize your compressed air system.\u00a0 If you need more information, you can contact an Application Engineer<\/a> at EXAIR.\u00a0 Once you find and fix all your leaks, you can then focus on improving the efficiency of your blow-off devices with EXAIR products.\u00a0 It will save you even more money.\u00a0<\/p>\n John Ball Photo: Soap bubbles and pencils by Carola68<\/a>.\u00a0 Pixabay license<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/a>
Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
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