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"Energy Savings in Compressed Air" is the most useful book everproduced on the subject of compressors and compressed air systems.

The material covers how to determine the actual cost of your compressed airand exactly where to find opportunities to save energy and make improvements. Inaddition, you will find detailed equipment comparisons and all the technicaldata required to manage an air system.

This book can be used as a training tool and as a reference guide for solvingproblems in the future. It is recommended reading for everyone involved with acompressed air system.

You can find information in every section of this book that will lead toimmediate savings. The following testimonials illustrate this point.

Improved Condensation Management

"I have used several ideas from the book to improve our airsystem."

"We run four 200 HP reciprocating compressors in non lube air service.These compressors have a manual ball type valve under each cylinder that isdesigned to drain the condensation from the heads."

"The required draining intervals will fluctuate during the year becauseof changes in the temperature and humidity. We rely on our maintenance people todrain the valves during each shift."

"If we don’t keep the valves drained, condensation can quickly back upinto the cylinder and destroy the valves and rings. This happens everyyear."

"The book gave me the facts on the different types of condensationdrains. Also, it gave me the information that I needed to convince management totry automatic (zero air loss) condensation traps in this application."

"This solved our problem and eliminated the potential for human error inkeeping the water out of the cylinders. This project has saved us $20,000 a yearin parts and labor for unscheduled repair work and for compressor rental expenseto keep the plant supplied with air."

R. Brockinton

Note: Mr. Brockinton works in the Maintenance Department of a consumer goodsmanufacturing plant.

Knowledge Is Power

"I build and service groundwater remediation systems for anenvironmental consulting firm. The heart of the system is an air compressor andI wanted to learn more about choosing and installing the proper compressor, airdryer, and
filters."

"I got a lot of conflicting information from compressor manufacturers thatreally confused and basically drove me up the wall! I have built two systems inthe last 8 months and have made many modifications from manufacturerssuggestions and some of them were a waste of time and money."

"I bought the book and read through it before meeting with a systemsengineer from a major compressor company at a problem site. I know he would havefilled me with useless information, but I had learned a lot about air compressor
systems from your book and I stayed one step ahead of him. I even asked somequestions he could not answer."

"The end result is that they may have to replace a faulty compressor underwarranty instead of making more modifications to the system. I call this book myair compressor Bible!"

"I probably saved about $1,200.00 to $1,500.00. The manufacturer insisted Iadd another receiver tank to the system and from the knowledge I gained fromyour book, I only made some adjustments to the pressure switch and the systemruns fine. This amount may seem trivial, but the entire compressor part of thesystem only cost about $6,000.00 so the percent of savings is excellent andkeeps
everyone happy!"

R. Close

Note: Mr. Close is a Senior Operations Technician for an Environmental Company.

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Anyone that gets involved with compressors or with a compressed air systemshould have a copy of this book.

This book is filled with practical tips and ideas that can save you moneyeach year in energy consumption and maintenance expense. The following is anexample of the useful information you will find in the book.

Examine the System

Let’s take a journey through your compressed air system. Other than theobvious leaks, what should we be looking for? Pressure loss in piping is onefactor often overlooked - we just assume it is acceptable.

Measuring pressure loss at full production load is all-important. In a systemthat is laid out well, the interconnecting piping between the air supply and thedistribution piping should exhibit no pressure drop. Let’s review some of themore common piping errors you might find.

A tee connection can have a feed line of compressed air trying to break intoa flowing stream of air. This type of connection is common and the turbulencecaused by the 90 degree entry often amounts to a pressure drop of 2 or 3 psi. Ina 100-hp example, you spend $800 to $1,200 every year to produce the pressurethat is lost here.

Using a 30 or 45 degree angle entry instead of a tee eliminates this pressureloss. The tee connection has 15 times the loss of the directional entry. Theextra installed cost of the directional entry is negligible.

Using 90 degree elbows instead of long-radius elbows is another source ofpressure drop. Standard elbows cause 25 percent more turbulence than long orswept-ells. Again, the cost difference is negligible during the initialinstallation.

The term "dead head" refers to flows causing extreme turbulence bycoming together at opposite ends of a tee connection. In the example shown, thepressure loss was almost 10 psi.

Replacing the dead head with a long ell and 30 degree directional entryreduces the loss to 0 psi. This represents 300 hp worth of air - about $1,200per psig or $12,000 annual power cost to produce the 10 psi wasted at the deadhead.

A common piping aliment

"My grinders need 98 psig to run right. Therefore, the air system has arequired minimum of 98 psig."

When you hear this kind of argument, start looking for what the operator isreally telling you: "When the system header pressure falls below 98 psig,the grinders don’t work well!"

Production personnel rarely know the actual pressure at the tool and probablydon’t know how much air the tool uses. If you investigate the original sizingcriteria, it probably goes like this: "Half-inch hose is too heavy, use 3/8inch hose. Use two 3/8 inch "standard" quick disconnects because theyhave the lowest cost."

This is the scenario we found on a recent air system energy audit. The restof the plant could run on 80-psig air but the system was held up at 98 psigbecause the grinding area, representing 20 percent or less of total demand,required it.

Testing under load revealed that the actual inlet pressure to the tool was 63psig while the header pressure stayed at 98 psig. In other words, we had 35 psigof pressure drop through the 3/8 inch hose and quick disconnects. Further testsindicated that the optimum inlet pressure for these particular tools was 75psig.

We changed the standard 3/8 inch "standard" quick disconnects, witha combined pressure loss of 23 psi per station, to industrial quick disconnects,with a combined pressure loss of 5 psi per station, at a cost of $5.00 perstation.

We replaced 70 percent of the 3/8 inch hose with one inch pipe running to thebase of the station at a cost of $30 per station. We installed a regulator todeliver 75 psig full flow to the grinders with 80 psig in the feed to eliminateartificial demand. The header pressure was reduced to a controlled 85 psig.

Results after 18 months:

• Tool repair cost for the grinders decreased.
• Production throughput increased by 30 percent (including grinders).
• Overall inlet horsepower was reduced by 100 hp with an annual electric power cost reduction of almost $26,000.

The total cost to implement these changes was $1,362 - not a bad return! Whatdid we do here?

We started with the process. What pressure do you really need at the tool?How much air do we need? How can we get it to the tool in a consistent andeconomical way?

The trick is to measure the tool or work station inlet pressure, both at restand under load, while simultaneously measuring the header pressure. If theheader pressure remains steady and the process inlet pressure falls, then weknow the restriction is in the feed from the header to the process.

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This book is published by the author, Hank Van Ormer, who also wrote themajority of the articles. Mr. Van Ormer has been associated with the CompressedAir and Gas Business and its allied industries for almost 40 years.

While attending Gettysburg College he worked summers in the research anddevelopment department of a rotary and reciprocating compressor manufacturer.After graduation in 1959, he began full time work with them and handled variousareas of Industrial and Construction Equipment product development, marketingand sales. Over the years, he has worked with several leading manufacturers insimilar areas with particular emphasis on rotary and centrifugal compressors.

In 1986, Mr. Van Ormer started his own independent consultant company, AirPower USA, Inc. which specializes in Air Compressors, Compressed Air Equipmentand Compressed Air Systems for the industrial and construction markets. Mr. VanOrmer has developed several accredited training courses for continuing educationand complete curriculum or technical colleges. Air Power USA offers completeplant surveys and problem solving analysis of compressed air systems includingenergy management studies.

The last several years, Mr. Van Ormer has been very active in the Departmentof Energy "Compressed Air Challenge Program". As a charter member ofthe Compressed Air Efficiency council, he worked with the basic programdevelopment and was a member of the Training Committee. In December of 1998, Mr.Van Ormer was selected as one of "Twelve Core Trainers" fromapplicants all over the United States.

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The information in "Energy Savings in Compressed Air" can save youthousands of dollars each year and help you get more from your air system.

The book is $85.00 US each with Free Shipping on all orders in the UnitedStates and Canada. If you are outside the United States and Canada, the book is$125.00 US each.

This 235 page book was assembled to help everyone involved with a compressedair system. There are charts, graphs and photos on almost every page toillustrate the subject matter. It is a hardcover book with 8-1/2" x11" size pages.

Order today and start benefiting from the most complete book ever written oncompressors and compressed air systems! You can place an order by using a creditcard on this web site or by sending a check or company purchase order. Thefollowing explains each option.

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We appreciate your order because book sales help us cover the cost of ourfree services.

We know that you will be pleased with the savings ideas and valuable resourceinformation contained in the book. If for any reason you are not satisfied, wewill refund your money if the book is returned within 30 days in saleablecondition.

Send us an e-mail to book@compressorwise.comif you have any questions or comments about the book.

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