"Newsletter Articles" Archive

By Compressed Air Best Practices

A four thousand, five hundred and fifty pound (4550 lbs.) race car is running at 170 mph and facing wind resistance of 150 mph. The car then enters a curve creating a three-degree “yaw” (the change in angle from the direction the car is headed and the airstream). The car struggles to maintain speed as the yaw changes and the dynamic downforce load on the car changes. Suddenly, the driver-less car comes to a stop on the stainless-steel track. The rolling-road track is supported by a cushion of compressed air.

To read the entire article click here.

Here is a thermal image before / after shot of K21 and K23 starter contactors. Please note… amp draw was fine. Thermal Image uncovered a problem with L2 at 158F and 175F. Further inspection of the contactors showed contacts inside the starter were severely burnt. Thanks to the thermal camera this problem was taken care of before a more serious issue took place (Fire, burnt up wiring, burnt up unit due to contactors welding closed… preventing shutdown of unit, etc.). A big difference in temps with new contactors!

If you need help getting to the true root cause of your compressed air equipment failures please call 866-468-9814.

Trey Donze
Plant Services Article

When a world leader in adhesive manufacturing wanted to reduce its monthly nitrogen costs without having to make an upfront capital investment, it contacted Air Technologies (www.aircompressors.com), a leader in providing compressed air and nitrogen as a utility service.

The manufacturer uses nitrogen to blanket the production tanks, keeping oxygen from reacting with the product. Nitrogen also is used in the packaging process to keep the product from hardening in the package. The facility is fed from a nitrogen pipeline running along the back of the property. The nitrogen enters the building at a pressure of 115 psig with a purity of 99.99%. The gas is then regulated down to a maximum pressure of 55 psig, with the majority of the users requiring 40 psig.

To download the entire article please click here. If you want more information about how this Nitrogen system may help you please click here.

We agree that there are many more than ten problems in compressed air systems. Over the many years that we have been solving these problems we have developed this top ten list of the more costly ones. These are problems, that when fixed, will put money back into your pocket—usually with a short payback period. Since your compressed air system is one of the most costly energy users in your plant it only makes good sense that you take care of problems when they arise.

The number 7 problem is air systems that use air when not needed. You need to find these areas and stop the bleeding. Number 4 is compressor systems with water problems and manually opened drains. Manually set drains are potentially huge users of air that can easily get out of control, even to the point of needing additional air compressors to maintain plant pressure.

Inefficiencies in compressed air systems can be significant. Energy savings from system improvements can range from 20 to 50 percent, in some cases even more. For many facilities this is equivalent to thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of dollars of potential annual savings, depending on use. A properly managed compressed air system can save energy, reduce maintenance, decrease downtime, increase production throughput, and improve product quality.

We can help you save energy dollars through your compressed air system. To schedule a free evaluation performed by an experienced compressed air systems engineer please click here. To download this top ten problem list click here.

In today’s economic climate, many manufacturing operations, perhaps yours, have been downsized. However, the size of most air compressors has stayed the same, so chances are you’re paying more for compressed air than you need to. You can find out with an MBox study from Air Technologies.

An MBox study is a week long 24/7 profile of your production air requirements and cost. During the audit you operate normally and our MBox data loggers record the activity of your compressors. You receive a detailed report with your compressor scope of supply, data pages (including power and air consumption, load cycles, running hours, etc.), profile graphs and charts, and an executive summary.

What Does an MBox Study Do For You?

• Records hard data based on actual measurements of your air compressor in use.
• Shows exactly where you can make improvements in your compressed air system to reduce operating costs.
• Plots simulations using your data to show benefits of upgrading to new technology.
• Projects payback periods to justify a cost-saving capital investment.
• Provides professional audit/profile reports.
• If your compressed air system is running efficiently, we’ll tell you.
• If you can run your compressed air system more efficiently, we’ll show you how.
• If fixing problems or upgrading to more efficient technology will pay for itself, we’ll back it up with data and propose a solution.

For more information please click here.

Here is a thermal image before / after shot of K21 and K23 starter contactors. Please note… amp draw was fine. Thermal Image uncovered a problem with L2 at 158F and 175F. Further inspection of the contactors showed contacts inside the starter were severely burnt. Thanks to the thermal camera this problem was taken care of before a more serious issue took place (Fire, burnt up wiring, burnt up unit due to contactors welding closed…preventing shutdown of unit, etc.). A big difference in temps with new contactors!

If you need help getting to the true root cause of your compressed air equipment failures please call 866-468-9814.

Free ENERGY SAVINGS Brochure! Includes 12 solid ideas on saving energy dollars through your compressed air system. It also includes an air loss costs chart and power costs. In many industrial facilities, air compressors use more electricity than any other type of equipment. Inefficiencies in compressed air systems can therefore be significant. Energy savings from system improvements can range from 20 to 50 percent or more of electricity consumption. For many facilities this is equivalent to thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of dollars of potential annual savings, depending on use. A properly managed compressed air system can save energy, reduce maintenance, decrease downtime, increase production throughput, and improve product quality.

We can help you save energy dollars through your compressed air system. To schedule a free evaluation performed by an experienced compressed air systems engineer please click here. For a free Energy Savings brochure click here.

DirectAIR^® is buying compressed air as a worry free utility. With DirectAIR^®, Air Technologies^® installs a complete state-of-the-art compressed air facility in our own building at your site. We will own, operate and maintain this facility for an agreed time period and supply a steady stream of high quality compressed air, GUARANTEED!

We can even buy back existing industrial compressed air equipment so that you can recover the plant space for more productive uses. Eliminate the time you and your personnel spend on compressed air issues so you can focus on what you do best—your product.

For more information please visit www.directair.com.

CDI has developed a new design of thermal mass flowmeter that is less expensive and easier to install than conventional designs. The flow meter is particularly suited to compressed-air auditing and branch-line metering in compressed-air distribution systems. Thermal-dispersion mass-flow technology gives the meter sensitivity to low leakage flows, while its innovative mounting design makes it easy to install.

The low cost of the meter makes it ideal for installation at points throughout an air distribution system to track valuable compressed air and assess system operation.  For pricing and more information please click here.

This is a thermal image of a fused disconnect switch that was taken by one of our service technicians. The customer called us in for emergency service due to the compressor shutting down on motor overload. It was quickly determined that the customer had a fuse blown and it was immediately replaced. Upon start up and after performing a complete inspection of the compressor and the electrical supply… the true “Root Cause” of the problem was found at the fused disconnect. The disconnect switch had faulty lugs on L3 causing extremely high temperatures on the L3 fuse and wiring causing a premature failure of the fuse. This, in turn, caused a single phase condition for the compressor which caused the compressor safety device (motor overload) to shut the unit down. The customer was very pleased to know that they did not have a problem with the compressor and that we were able to show them the true root cause of the failure.

If you need help getting to the true “Root Cause” of your compressed air equipment failures please call 866-468-9814.