Who Cares About Compressed Air?? Compressed Air Equipment Suppliers? Production Floor Personnel Downtime Product Quality Cost of Air Maintenance Uptime Complaints Management All of the above Your Utility Company!
Why do we care about the energy costs of compressed air systems? COMPRESSED AIR IS FREE, RIGHT??? 3
Energy Savings Potential from Compressed Air System Improvements Conservative Estimate Of Energy Savings 90 Billion kwh in U.S. consumed by compressed air systems annually x $.06 per kwh national average energy rate $5.4 Billion annual electrical costs x 15% - 60% average savings $810 M - $3.2 B in potential savings in U.S. markets According to the U.S. Department of Energy: 90 billion KWh of electricity is consumed annually by compressed air systems. According to industry experts there are savings opportunities from 15% to 60%!!! 4
Compressed air, considered industry s fourth utility, is often a significant cost of production 10% of all electricity consumed in the US is by compressed air systems 1 16% of all motor system energy consumed in the US is by compressed air systems 1 A typical compressed air system wastes 50% of the air produced providing a tremendous opportunity to reduce production costs Leaks 25% Artificial Demand 15% Poor Practices 10% Production 50% More Air is not the Answer! 1. Data from the U.S. Department of Energy 5
Why does this Opportunity exist? Most plants do not understand their compressed air system and do not know: What their compressed air really costs? What pressure they really run at? What pressure they need? How much cfm they really need? How much cfm they waste? What their real compressed air system efficiency is? 6
Your Real Opportunity Reduce the cost of supplying compressed air by 25% to 50% Stabilize air pressure throughout the plant to within 2 psi. Eliminate compressed air complaints (call backs) Increase plant productivity by reducing rejects, rework, scrap and set-up time Increase compressed air system reliability Decrease or eliminate compressed air caused downtime Optimize installed capital costs 7
What does your Compressed Air Cost??? Why does it Matter? 8
LIFE CYCLE COST COMPARISION PERIOD - 10 YEARS STANDARD COMPRESSORS 10% 2% 11% Initial Purchase Approximately 75% of your compressed air systems life cycle cost is Energy! Installation Maintenance Operating ( Energy ) 77% Why is Xcel Energy sponsoring this Forum?? 9
Quick Quiz Do you know what your compressed air costs? Really? Take a guess and write it down!!!!!
COST OF COMPRESSED AIR: 200 HP $0.10/kWh 100 HP compressor at $0.05/kWh. Costs $140,000/year $35,000/year to run(8,760 hours) This is electrical cost of compressor only! Add in : HVAC, Maintenance, Depreciation, Cooling Water, Air Drying, etc. 4
Quick Estimate of Compressed Air Energy Costs For your facility total all the online, running Compressor HP Determine how many 24 hour days your compressor runs Example if you run 5 days a week two shifts that would equal 5 days x 52 weeks x 2/3 (two shifts) = 173 Days A very quick Rule of Thumb for energy cost near $0.05/kwh $1 / HP / day So if this facility had 200 HP online 200 HP x 173 days x $1 = $34,600 12
Quick Calculation of Your Compressed Air Energy Costs Use the Previous Rule of Thumb and Calculate your Cost $1 / HP / day Annualize your days of compressor run time Note many plants may not run 24/7 production, however it is very common that they do not or can not turn off compressors on the off shifts so effectively many compressors run 24/7 How Close was your Guess? 13
Quick Estimate of Compressed Air Energy Costs The previous example is a very rough method for estimating your costs. It ignores several factors which could add significantly to your actual costs It does not account for maintenance, water, HVAC, dryers or other additional costs The real key is Know Your Cost of Compressed Air! 14
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Simple - Low Cost Steps to Improve Your Compressed Air System Work with a local Compressed Air Partner and establish a compressed air improvement program Compressed Air Audit Establish Long Term Goals Reduce Leaks Leak Audit Ongoing Leak Management Program Reduce your Demand Confirm good End Use Practices Lower your Pressure Establish Minimum Pressure Stabilize your Plant Pressure Improve Efficiency and Reliability by investing the time to understand your Compressed Air System requirements
An Air Audit is Information! What is an Air Audit? It is that simple! Sullair Corporation Confidential 17
An Air Audit is Information! It is that simple! Sullair Corporation Confidential 18
What is an Air Audit? A detailed report that provides the information necessary to make sound decisions on implementing air system improvements based on facts It is a review of the entire system from supply side - to distribution - to point of use It uses data logging to document system performance Logs multiple characteristics (pressure, power, dew point, etc.) simultaneously over several days Logging interval must be fast enough to address system dynamics Provides objective analysis with documentation Clearly identifies opportunities for improvements and provides specific unbiased recommendations 19
Four Fundamental Goals of an Air Audit that lead to Tangible Results Goals Establish a Baseline Increase Reliability Improve Air Quality Confirm Good End Use Practices Results Gain Efficiency, Productivity and ROI 20
Establish a Baseline Single Most important step to start improving your system Most Plants do not know Compressed Air costs Compressed Air Usage (CFM) (Peak, Minimum and Average) Compressed Air Quality Requirements Contaminant Level Required Pressure Moisture Content Key Air Users Installed Equipment Inventory Key operational parameters 21
Why have a Compressed Air Audit performed at your plant? Information allows for better decisions! Solve compressed air problems Help size an expansion, compressor, etc. Increase energy efficiency Solve plant floor production problems Improve productivity/reduce waste Efficiency, Productivity, Cost Savings 22
What is your opportunity? Sullair Corporation Michigan City, IN Plant 1 - Existing Electrical Cost $37,875 Savings of $24,000 or 61% Upgrade and payback of less than 1.5 years Plant 2 - Existing Electrical Cost $21,750 Savings of $11,000 or 50% Upgrade and payback of less than 2.0 years Overall Annual Savings $35,000 or 59%
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Leaks Can use up to 50% or more of the systems capacity An average plant wastes 20% to 30% of the air produced in leaks Where do the leaks tend to be? Assessing Leak rate Ear Test General Condition Empirical leak test - non production run test Leaks are expensive! 25
How Do You Find Leaks? A $100/year leak can not be felt or heard A $500/year leak can be felt but cannot be heard An $800/year leak can be felt and heard 65 With $0.06/kWh electricity
Common Leak Locations Pipe joints Couplings, hoses fittings FRL s 64 Drains
Leak Flow Rates and Cost Upstream Leak Diameter (Inches) Pressure 1/8 1/4 3/8 1/2 (PSIG) Leak Rate (CFM of Free Air) 80 15.4 61.7 139 247 90 17.1 68.2 154 273 100 At 10 18.7 a kwh a 1/4 75 leak costs 168$12,400 299 year at 100 psig - ouch!!!! That is ANNUAL COST OF AIR LEAKS Cost of Energy higher = 0.05 0.10 $ than per kwh the cost Compressor of the Efficiency compressor = 4 CFM per BHP Upstream Leak Diameter (Inches) Pressure 1/8 required to 1/4 produce it!!! 3/8 1/2 (PSIG) Leak Rate (CFM of Free Air) 80 $ 2,558.23 1,279.12 $ 10,232.93 5,116.46 $ 23,024.09 11,512.04 $ 40,931.71 20,465.86 90 $ 2,828.37 1,414.19 $ 11,313.49 5,656.75 $ 25,455.36 12,727.68 $ 45,253.96 22,626.98 100 $ 3,098.51 1,549.26 $ 12,394.05 6,197.03 $ 27,886.62 13,943.31 $ 49,576.22 24,788.11 Cost assumes 5 a kwh and 4 cfm/bhp 28
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Confirm Good End Use Practices Some consider compressed air a necessary evil others consider it free. Neither is correct. Compressed air is a tool like any other. It can easily be applied or misapplied - like using a hammer to drive nails or screws - it can do both jobs - one efficiently with good results one poorly with mixed results. Good uses of compressed air abound - cylinders for lifting, pneumatic controls, nozzles for cleaning or chip removal, hand tools, hazardous areas, etc. Poor practices also dominate - employee cooling, air sweeping, over application of air motors and pumps, etc. While compressed air is not always necessary and is never free it can be just the right tool for the job. 30
Compressed Air Versus Other Energy Sources The overall efficiency of a typical compressed air system can be as low as 5-10 percent Approximate annual energy costs for a 1 hp air motor versus a 1 hp electric motor, 7 day per week, 3 shift operation, $0.06/kWh $ 500 (electric) Annual Cost of a 1 HP Motor $ 3,000 (compressed air) $3,500 $3,000 17 $2,500 $2,000 $1,500 $1,000 $500 $- Compressed Air Electric
Common Point of Use Review Air Motors, Air Operated Pumps, Venturi Vacuum Pumps, etc. To create one horsepower of work with an air motor, pump, etc. it typically takes 5-10 compressor horsepower or more Evaluate your uses - list them and determine if an electric motor can do the job - with equal performance Converting to electric motors saves 80% 32
Potentially Inappropriate Uses Open Blowing Open Blowoffs Personnel Cooling General Cleanup - Air Sweeping Machining - Chip Removal Cleaning - Lubricant Removal Investigate Engineered Nozzles Use Coanda or Venturi effect to use a little compressed air and entrain ambient air to get the same resultant forces Typically use 1/2 to 1/8 the amount of air as opposed to open blowoffs Often concentrate the force to make it more effective Available as Nozzles, Air Knives, Tubes, Amplifiers and custom configurations Savings are typically in the 50-80% Range 33
Engineered Nozzle Savings Upstream Open Tubing Blow Off Typical Engineered Nozzle Pressure 1/8 1/4 3/8 1/8 1/4 3/8 (PSIG) Flow Rate (CFM of Free Air) Leak Rate (CFM of Free Air) 80 15.4 61.7 139 10.0 17.0 18 90 17.1 68.2 154 11.1 18.8 19.9 100 18.7 75 168 12.1 20.6 21.8 That s per Nozzle! With a nozzle cost of ANNUAL less COST than OF OPEN BLOW $50!!!!! OFFS Cost of Energy = 0.05 $ per kwh Upstream Open Tubing Blow Off Typical Engineered Nozzle Pressure 1/8 1/4 3/8 1/8 1/4 3/8 (PSIG) Cost of Air Consumed Cost of Air Consumed 80 $ 1,279 $ 5,116 $ 11,512 $ 829 $ 1,409 $ 1,492 90 $ 1,414 $ 5,657 $ 12,728 $ 917 $ 1,558 $ 1,650 100 $ 1,549 $ 6,197 $ 13,943 $ 1,004 $ 1,707 $ 1,808 Savings range from $450 to $12,135 Annually! 34
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What about Pressure? Do you know what pressure your plant needs to operate? Do you know what pressure is delivered to your plant floor on average? Do you know your critical users and critical pressures? Do you know the squeaky wheels? Do you know why pressure is important? 36
Aluminum Casting Plant 1 k052997.log: Plant Supply Pressure (Main storage) psig Min Max Avg 54.89 psig 97.93 psig 81.61 psig 5/18/97 5/19/97 5/20/97 5/21/97 5/22/97 5/23/97 5/24/97 5/25/97 5/26/97 5/27/97 5/28/97
Pressure is the Key Measurable If you have enough pressure you have enough flow If you have more pressure than you need you are creating more air than you need - over pressure is expensive Savings Key 1 - Cost of Compression For every 2 psig you are able to reduce the compressor set points you save 1% of the total energy cost It costs 5% more energy to compress air to 110 psig than to compress it to 100 psig Savings Key 2 - Artificial Demand An air user that receives air at 100 psig will use 8% less air than a user that receives compressed air at 110 psig 38
Two ways to reduce air usage Reducing orifice size (i.e. leaks, etc.) reduces flow rate Reducing pressure reduces flow rate (Artificial Demand) 100 PSIG 80 PSIG 100 SCFM 5/16 orifice 100 PSIG 80 SCFM 5/16 orifice 80 PSIG 80 SCFM 9/32 orifice 66 SCFM 9/32 orifice Artificial demand causes leaks and productive air users to wastes energy!
But Lowering Pressure is not that easy! Look for pressure drops a 10 psid drop or more across the CRS (dryers and filters) is common - change filters Look for piping issues - a poorly piped feed to one machine may cause 5 psi of drop Look for feeders using hose Hose lengths should be no more than necessary to allow movement for the task at hand. Hoses should never be used as feeders for permanent installations - except for vibration isolation Look for abandoned equipment in line flow meters. inline filters, old dryers, etc. 40
Pressure Drop? 77
Pressure Drop? 77
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Where do I start? What do I do? 1) Start simple! Take an inventory of your equipment 2) Baseline your system! Understand your production requirements and how compressed air affects them Have someone in your organization become a Compressed Air Champion 3) Find a compressed air solutions provider! Work as a team to improve the system Find a partner you understand and trust! 44
Understand Your Supply Side! First Inventory Equipment Compressor Type(s) Manufacturer(s) Model(s) Compressor Ratings HP (Driver) Flow Pressure Other Equipment Dryer(s) Filters(s) Storage Tanks Flow Controllers/Sequencers Understand the Room Multiple rooms? Trace the Piping Follow the flow Does it Make Sense? Can you follow it easily Proper Sizing How does it Control? Does the operator understand What is normal conditions? What are set points? Does it sound right? Observe Pressures Set Points Pressure drops 45
Understand your Demand Side Review the plant floor application of compressed air Understand why and where the compressed air is being used Focus on large users Look and Listen for problems and key users Work with the plant floor personnel to identify production issues Production bottlenecks Compressed Air Downtime and Quality issues Safety Issues Work with the plant to create an end use list of all key air users List them by critical or non- critical application Have them provide pressure, volume and air quality requirements List compressed air connection size and location 46
Capturing Real Savings Document your system! Think Long range - a little capital investment can save big Select a vendor/partner for compressed air to help identify bigger opportunities Budget for more extensive studies/ air audits and larger saving opportunities. Remember the Bottom Line - Energy Savings are not all you gain - Productivity! 47
End of Presentation Questions and Answers