Compressed air & pneumatic systems
Utilities
In a plant with many pneumatic actuators, energy and maintenance costs were rising due to leakage losses and unprofiled compressor control.
About the case
Context:
Several production zones with differing air quality requirements; instrument air and general compressed air were intermixed. Objective: reduce specific consumption (kWh/Nm³), limit downtime and achieve air quality in accordance with ISO 8573-1.
Approach:
We carried out 24/7 logging, determined base and peak demand and quantified leakage losses. The compressor station was given a staging strategy (base/peak), a buffer vessel and heat recovery. The network was built as a ring main with section valves; pressure drop < 0.1 bar. Drying and filtration were differentiated by class per point of use. Controls, alarms and interlocks (dew point monitoring, dryer bypass) were laid down in the FRS and IO lists, and we wrote the specifications with measurement/acceptance criteria and RAM requirements.
Result:
Constant pressure and air quality, lower specific consumption thanks to pressure optimisation and leak reduction, and fewer unplanned stops thanks to segmentation and diagnostics. Compression heat covers part of the heating demand.