Industrial Utility Efficiency

Industries

The current cost to operate the compressed air system is \$139,100 annually, and the proposed measures will reduce it by \$50,700 annually. The proposed cost to complete the measures is $47,600 providing a simple payback of 11 months. The cost included in the Action Plan includes engineering, project assistance, services to maintain the gains, and a 10% contingency.  

A View From Europe. Challenge Convention: Compressor Management Systems Applied in the Automotive Industry

“First there are the old conventions. The majority of compressor houses still employ fixed speed compressors and a cascaded pressure switch control system. This arrangement will be familiar to many, but it is outdated and inefficient, and needs to be changed. There is a comfort factor with familiar technology, which is exacerbated by constant time pressure due to other day-today responsibilities and a lack of information and good advice on what can be achieved.”

 

New EPA 6H Paint Standard Drives Hydrovane Compressed Air Upgrade. Compact Kars Converts to Waterborne Paints.

The new paint specification, for Mercedes Benz Collison Repair Centers like Compact Kars, is for waterborne paints. “The new waterborne paints contain only two (2) pounds of volatile organic compounds (VOC) compared to 5.65 pounds per gallon of VOC’s present in solvent-based paints,” according to Mr. Elder. “For this reason, Mercedes Benz is asking all certified facilities to convert to waterborne paints.”

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

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%.

Saving Energy in Automotive Assembly

This automotive assembly facility has tremendous peaks and valleys in compressed air demand. Our audit using flow meters and pressure transducers with calibrated gauges has proven this. Our Phase 1 audit recommends the use of storage tanks and flow meters to reduce air consumption while stabilizing pressure.

How to Avoid the Most Common Bus/Coach Kneeling Failures

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.

Industrial Sandblasting – Where Does All the Air Go?

“Sandblasting” is one of the oldest and most used methods of metal treatment. Various abrasive materials may be loaded manually or by a vacuum system pulling the “grit” from a storage tank. A control valve then operates with the compressed air (bypassing the vacuum pump), being forced into the tank pressurizing the receiver. When the high pressure compressed air goes out the discharge line, it pulls the appropriate amount of grit with it to effectively impinge against the targeted metal surface.

A View From India: Pneumatic Conveying of Bulk Materials

In thermal power stations, nuclear plants, and chemical and industrial plants, different types of bulk materials are used. The materials exist in different forms including lump, powder, granules, chips, and pallets. These bulk materials, in their different forms, require efficient and reliable material handling systems.

Dealing with High-Volume Intermittent Demands

In many industrial plants there are one or more applications with intermittent demands of relatively high volume. One example is the use of dense phase transport systems to convey the cement. Dense phase systems can cause severe dynamic pressure fluctuations affecting quality of the end product in a plant.

Chillers Provide Temperature Regulation For Fine Wine

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.

Auto

Given that compressed air leak management programs are meant to save energy, reduce CO2 emissions,

Bulk

When the design capabilities of an installed compressed air system didn’t align with real-world

Food

There were two situations brought to our attention. The first was that production at times was

Medical

The air is delivered through a distribution piping system that ends with a medical air outlet

Metals

Vane motors can run at much higher speeds (2000 rpm and up), but piston motors tend to turn much

Paper

Detecting Compressed Air Leaks Can Lead to Reduced Energy Waste, Boosted Productivity, and

Pharmaceutical

This article is intended to show the relationships between risks and specifications, opportunities

Plastics

Logoplaste, based in Cascais, Portugal, introduced its embedded wall-to-wall manufacturing model to

Power

A newly constructed ethanol plant experienced control gap issues shortly after comissioning. 

Printing

The Trinity Mirror Group print works on Oldham is one of the UK’s largest newspaper printers. The

Transit

In the absence of the control system, the air compressors were loading and unloading according to

Wastewater

When selecting a mixing technology, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and their consultant