Maintenance matters

Taking a strategic approach to maintenance plans can help businesses lower costs, improve operational efficiencies, reduce downtime, and improve productivity levels, all while delivering assured peace of mind for owners and operators.

Preparation is key

First, when considering buying a new compressor or choosing to upgrade an existing system, it’s important to have an energy audit carried out as a matter of course. With industry averages suggesting that energy costs represent more than 80 per cent of a compressor’s whole life costs, data-logging equipment can help pinpoint inefficiencies, manage equipment performance, and identify any compressed air leaks.

The results will show the exact pressure and volume flow of the entire system, ensuring that properly sized compressors are installed. This allows system efficiency to be optimised, reducing energy consumption, and ensuring the reliability of the overall system. Advanced integrated compressor control systems support continuous data logging, so if the system profile changes, the compressors can be adjusted too, helping to ensure that maximum efficiency is always achieved.
Before undertaking an energy audit, a reputable supplier should first carry out a pre-assessment survey, looking at a range of variables that will impact compressed air usage. These include installed compressor data; the flow, dew point, pressure and temperature required; the time required to perform a leak survey; shift patterns; cost of electricity on site; and any obvious signs of leaks.

A typical report from CompAir, for example, will include an overview of the compressed air system, a power and flow report, temperature data, an air leakage survey, a report on any pipework issues, potential energy saving opportunities and then a proposal of how to implement these suggestions.

An energy audit on existing systems will often pick up pipework leakages, which are generally cited as one of the biggest factors in compressed air energy wastage, potentially accounting for as much as 35 per cent of total air consumption. There are many reasons for leaks in a compressed air system, from shut-off valves to manual condensate valves being left open, as well as leaking hoses, couplings, pipes, flanges, and pipe joints. Such oversights and deterioration over time can result in some large additional costs; the Carbon Trust found that just one 3mm leak could cost a company over £700 a year in wasted energy.

A flow meter can help tackle this problem in the long run. Offering a reliable means of evaluating compressed air generation and downstream inefficiency costs, a flow meter will usually pay for itself within a short timeframe too, with finding and repairing one 3mm leak potentially saving enough money to cover the cost of purchasing one.

Every part plays its part

Once a system is established, it’s vital that genuine spare parts and lubricants are used. Non-genuine spare parts and lubricants are typically cheaper than a manufacturer’s original parts and, when decision makers are trying to cut down on costs, it can be tempting to opt for these. Nevertheless, it is widely accepted that using non-genuine alternatives can be detrimental to a compressed air system’s overall performance. Furthermore, by replacing parts such as filters, valves, seals, and oil with a non-genuine alternative, there is no guarantee that the manufacturer’s warranty will be upheld.

Genuine parts will have been manufactured to meet the same standards as the compressor that they are intended for. They will have passed the manufacturer’s stringent testing standards, in a quality-controlled environment, to help make sure a system continues to operate reliably. The same is true of genuine lubricants; these are formulated with additives to help improve a compressor’s performance and optimised to work with all the system’s component parts. This ensures the correct lubrication, cooling and anti-wear qualities are maintained. Non-genuine lubricants can potentially place extra demands on the filter element, resulting in dust and other particles coming into contact with internal compressor components.

Maintaining performance

It should go without saying that investing in a full-service maintenance contract with a proven and trusted compressed air supplier, who can ensure regular maintenance and servicing is carried out to the highest standards. A regular service schedule is also key, outlining when owners and operators need to make critical checks and replacements to parts, which must be made to keep an installation running at peak efficiency levels. These will either be based round running hours or periods of time and will cover everything from checking a system’s fault indicator, lights, and alarms, to checking oil levels and condensate dischargers.
It’s worth noting that there are many benefits to be gained from working with a single supplier for all an organisation’s industrial air needs, too. Should a site not only have a compressed air system but potentially vacuum pumps and blowers too, then this means all the equipment can be checked in a single visit. This minimises any disruption to a business’ operations, while also helping to reduce administration time and cost.

Staying one step ahead

Industry 4.0 and the IoT are, without doubt, the greatest opportunities available today to help organisations work smarter. Industry 4.0 and data analytics can help operators to understand how efficiently a compressor is running, and whether any improvements can be made. These insights will not only help highlight any potential issues now, but also enable operators to forecast any potential future problems, based on deteriorating machine performance. Predictive maintenance models based on real-time data can be established to help reduce energy consumption, improve process efficiencies, and limit any risks.

Data insights also allow operators to always stay in control of their compressed air installation. The system provides historic, real-time, predictive, and cognitive analytics, so users can rectify potential issues before they arise.

This can help provide tangible benefits to a business’ bottom line too, with real-time monitoring, alarms, and warnings to reduce the risk of downtime. Remote sites can easily be monitored via cloud-based platforms, and compressor performance can be optimised with machine parameters and trend analysis over time.

Gary Spence is service operations leader – Europe for compression technologies and services at CompAir