Industrial Utility Efficiency

Energy Management

New DOE Air Compressor Regulations

By Bruce McFee, President, Sullivan-Palatek

The U.S. Department of Energy has initiated the efficiency regulation of oil-flooded rotary air compressors. This has the potential to cause a big change for the air compressor industry, as models from 35-1,250 cfm with pressures ranging from 75-200 psi (5.2-13.8 bar) will need to meet a minimum isentropic efficiency. 

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The Role of Electric Motors and Drives in Industrial Decarbonization

By Bevan Christiansen, Global Segment Manager, ABB

Decarbonizing industry is a complex global challenge that requires innovation, collaboration and technological advancements. No single solution will transform industries, but a combination of strategies – including the adoption of energy-efficient motors and drives – will reduce industrial emissions and energy consumption. 
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New ABB Super Premium Motors Bring Energy Efficiency Gains

By Troy Dreier, Senior Editor, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine

SP4 motors provide the high efficiency and reliability required for air compressors which operate under demanding and variable-load conditions. The reduced energy losses and cooler operating temperatures mean a lower total cost of ownership for manufacturers. Additionally, the NEMA Super Premium efficiency level ensures compliance with stringent energy regulations, making this a future-proof investment.
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Compressed Air Scoping Tool Teaches Energy Efficiency Best Practices

By Alex Botts, R&D Associate, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Department of Energy’s Better Plants program created the Compressed Air Scoping Tool with the most up-to-date best practices in the industry. It can be used as a nonbiased, one-stop shop for best practice recommendations. The Excel-based tool is designed to be an initial step in understanding the operation of a compressed air system, a baselining tool enabling users to comprehend various aspects of a facility’s system from the production of compressed air to its application by end users. 
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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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How to Implement Aseptic Technique in Microbiological Compressed Air Testing

By Trace Analytics

In modern and industrial work settings, people spend more than 90% of their time in enclosed spaces, such as warehouses, office buildings and factories. In most indoor environments, the air contains a variety of chemical and microbial particles, commonly defined as indoor pollutants, which can severely affect human health and product quality (1). Industries like food and beverage, medical devices and pharmaceutical manufacturers rely on their scheduled compliance testing to confirm the presence or absence of issues in workflow pipelines that are detrimental to the daily output and safety of the product.
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The ANSI/ISA Instrument Air Standard and Adsorption Type Dryers

By Deepak Vetal, National Sales Manager, Blowers and Low-Pressure Compressors, Atlas Copco Compressors, LLC.

ANSI /ISA–7.0.0–1996 is the globally-recognized quality standard for instrument air as defined by the Instrument Society of America. In this article, we’ll go through the Standard’s four elements of instrument air quality for use in pneumatic instruments.
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CSA C837-16 Compressed Air Efficiency Standard

By Ron Marshall, Marshall Compressed Air Consulting

 

After almost three and a half years of development work the Canadian Standards Association C837-16 document “Monitoring and Energy Performance of Compressed Air Systems” has finally been published and is available for download.  The work in writing the document was done by a CSA Technical Subcommittee made up of personnel from power utilities and government organizations, compressed air manufacturers and end users from both USA and Canada, with the committee activities facilitated and coordinated by the CSA Group (see list of committee members).
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ASME EA-4-2010 - Energy Assessment for Compressed Air Systems. What’s it all about?

By Joe Ghislain for the Compressed Air Challenge®

Over the years, analyzing compressed air system operation and efficiency has gone under various names and taken many different shapes and forms. You may know these as; Assessments, Audits, Studies, and Surveys, but in all cases the compressed systems are analyzed using techniques, such as metering and measuring, to assess the system’s performance and identify opportunities for improvement. The problem is that the results of these activities have varied widely; leaving the end-user to try and determine what is usable, credible and implementable. This has led to a lot of “no actions“, resulting in assessments, audits, studies, and surveys being put on the shelf to collect dust.
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ISO Energy Management Standards

By Wayne Perry, Technical Director, Kaeser Compressors

Most readers of this magazine are familiar with the ISO 9000 and 14000 families of standards.  The 9000 family pertains to quality management systems and the 14000 family deals with environmental management.
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Standards for Compressed Air System Assessments

By Wayne Perry, Technical Director, Kaeser Compressors

Compressors in today’s market must meet a variety of standards written by a wide range of organizations throughout the world.   Until recently, most standards were written to deal with safety, both mechanical and electrical, and performance of the individual components of a compressed air system.
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