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Edward Lowton
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Energy, maintenance, health & safety: Today's key issues
07 August 2013
Welcome to the 2013/14 edition of AirUser – Your Guide to Air Powered Systems. The seventeenth edition of the guide has an eye-catching new cover, but inside the formula remains the same – a mix of informative features from some of the acknowledged experts within the compressed air field, complemented by a wide range of manufacturer and supplier profiles and an extensive directory of distributors, manufacturers and suppliers.
We are very grateful to all those who have contributed articles for AirUser and, in particular to Chris Dee and Greg Bordiak at BCAS (British Compressed Air Society) for their topical features that add so much to this guide.
This year contributions from BCAS include an article from Greg Bordiak that addresses a topic of great importance to compressor manufacturers and, indeed most other manufacturers – energy efficiency. In particular, Greg comments on ISO 11011 Compressed air - Energy efficiency: Assessment.
Energy efficiency is also the theme of an article by Mark Whitmore of Boge Compressors. He explains that the issue of heat recovery in compressed air circles is not always tackled head-on, yet that by using the heat produced when compressed air is generated it is possible to increase the efficiency of compressors to about 95%.
Even today, with the emphasis so much on streamlining and cost-cutting, not all businesses are aware of the impact that their compressors can have on their energy bills and carbon emissions, according to Andy Jones of Mattei. In his article, he continues the energy theme with an article on the importance of correctly sizing equipment.
In a second article for AirUser, Andy Jones provides some background to the BCAS Compressors & Vacuum committee and gives details of a new working group for low pressure applications and blower technology.
While the economic climate remains challenging for many, it may be tempting to shop around for the cheapest spare parts. However, after reading two salutary articles on maintenance, you may want to reconsider. We are reminded by Sean Fairest of Atlas Copco of some of the possible pitfalls of using non-OEM supplied parts and alternative service providers. Colin Mander of Gardner Denver also looks at how using non-genuine spare parts can be detrimental to the performance of air compressors and outlines the costly problem a company encountered as a result.
In other articles, Chris Norris at Beko Technologies tackles the issue of bacteria and condensate. Not the most glamorous of topics, as the company readily acknowledges, but efficient condensate management is essential to ensure equipment efficiency and to ensure that legal obligations are met. Also focusing on contaminants, an article by Ben Rickards at Norgren puts the spotlight on water issues, while Senja Leivo at Vaisala Oyj identifies four key questions to consider when selecting a dew point sensor and transmitter.
With a plethora of regulations covering health and safety and compressed air systems, an article on the subject from Greg Bordiak at BCAS may prove a useful read. Health and safety is just one of the many topics on which BCAS provides information and advice to its members. Training is another and in an article for AirUser Chris Dee details some of the training courses the Society offers. In a separate article, he outlines further the benefits of belonging to a trade association and explains how, working with Referenceline, BCAS developed an on-line customer satisfaction programme known as the AirSAFE register. To find out more about Referenceline, Georgina Bisby, AirUser's group editor, spoke to its MD, Mark Dealtry, about the challenges of running such a scheme, and how it is helping to raise standards within the compressed air industry.
The AirUser team hope you find the articles in this year's guide of interest and that it will prove a useful reference tool – both for sourcing equipment and services and for advice on helping you to run your compressed air systems as safely, reliably and energy efficiently as possible.
If you have any comments on AirUser or have topics you would like to see in next year's guide, please get in touch.
Val Kealey
Editor
AirUser
vkealey@western-bp.co.uk