for reducing costs through improved air preparation tips for reducing costs through improved air...

10 tips

for reducing costs through improved air preparation

Handy hints forreducing machineand energy costs

2 10 tips for reducing costs through improved air preparation

Improved efficiency and reduced energy costs

10 tips for reducing costs through improved air preparation 3

Efficient use of compressed airis an area where manymanufacturing operations canmake considerable savings.

It doesn't have to be difficult,paying attention to a few simpleguidelines in the design andmaintenance of pneumatic airpreparation systems cangenerate significant savings.

This guide book containsspecific tips on how to reduceyour use of compressed air andreduce your energy bill.


10 tips for reducing compressed air consumption Page

1. Reduce air pressure output from the compressor 5

2. Use pressure boosters where required 6

3. Correctly size air preparation units 7

4. Monitor or inspect filter elements 8

5. Install flow meters 9

6. Check the flow rates of fine filters 10

7. Avoid tight bends and constrictions 11

8. Use easy to read pressure gauges 12

9. Avoid water in the system 13

10. Consider using differentiated actuator pressures or single acting cylinders 14

Extra – Festo Services 15


Consider reducing supplypressure to the whole machineor introduce pressure zones;each with their own regulator tominimise air consumption andenergy usage. e.g. taking an airpressure setting from 6.5 bar to4.5 bar reduces energy usageby 30%.

1. Reduce air pressure output from the compressor

Gang mounted regulatorsreduce assembly costs andkeep piping neat and easy fordiagnostics and maintenance.


If a higher pressure is requiredfor low frequency operations orin only a small part of amachine, use pressure boostersfeeding a local reservoir. Thehardware costs are quicklyrecovered.

2. Use pressure boosters where required

Stainless steel pressure vesselsare safe and maintenance freeyet smooth the output to copewith fluctuating demand.


Pay attention to the flow ratesquoted for air preparation units,over sized filter bowls will notfunction optimally and won’tremove contaminants from thedownstream system. They relyupon inducing a swirl actionupon the air flow and theoptimal function is onlyachieved when the velocity ofthe air flow meets the designcriteria.

3. Correctly size air preparation units

Don’t undersize – but don’toversize, it wastes money andimpairs performance.


Monitor filter elements andchange them before they loseefficiency and effectiveness.Clogged filter elements reducethe flow rate through the airpreparation unit and fail toremove particulates. Up to 50% of flow can be lost.Contamination gauges or flowmeters should be fitted,particularly for fine and microfilter elements.

4. Monitor or inspect filter elements

Stocking and replacing filterelements – a low cost, simplemaintenance task that can paylarge dividends in filterperformance and pressure drop.


Flow meters allow you tomonitor air consumption andchanges with the machine onand off, track trends and takeremedial action. Flow metersare able to detect leaks farmore sensitively then pressuresensors. Even small leaks fromloose fittings or a poorly seatedfilter drain will be detected andquickly pay back the investmentcost.

5. Install flow meters

Totalising flow meters flag upleaks and can keep track oftotal air consumption. Trendscan be monitored enablingvaluable preventativemaintenance.


Whilst the headline flow rate ofthe major elements of an airpreparation set can meet theapplication requirements, payparticular attention to fine andmicro filter units. To match thegrid size of other units the flowrate is frequently compromised.This can lead to a need to runthe whole systems at a higherpressure to get the flow ratedesired and increase energyuse.

6. Check the flow rates of fine filters

Configurable assemblies withmatched performance can bedelivered fully assembledreducing build time and costs.


Consider smooth flow paths atall times. Tight, 90° elbowfittings introduce turbulenceand restrictions to air flow. Theycan drop air flow by up to 30%severely reducing the efficiencyof systems.

7. Avoid tight bends and constrictions

Selection of the optimum fittingenables laminar flow withoutturbulence and back pressure.

Reducing flow rate


Gauges with preset operatingzones enable fast setting andchecking of operating pressureswithout relying upon skilledtechnicians. With only a quickglance operators can check allis well and see that over pressure is as undesirable as under pressure.

8. Use easy to read pressure gauges

The optimum operatingpressure can be easilydisplayed within a green zone.Pressure regulators areadjusted to set the needlewithin this range.


9. Avoid water in the system

Float systems vent the extractautomatically when the levelreaches the pre-set limit.

Condensate drains mountedwithin or below filter unitsprevent the carry over ofextracted liquid into thedownstream air flow. Theyrange in cost and complexityfrom fully automatic drains witha float mechanism thatautomatically vents when thecondensate builds up, to semi-automatic drains that vent whenthe air supply is turned off andmanual drains that rely uponregular maintenanceinspections.

Manual drain Auto Drain


Often actuators only ‘work’ inone direction. Consider whethera lower pressure can be usedfor non-working, non-criticalworking strokes, e.g. for theworking stroke extend acylinder at 5 bar pressure,retract it using only 2.5 bar.Single acting actuators only useair in one direction with amechanical spring driving thereturn.

10. Consider using differentiated actuator pressures or single

acting cylinders

It may be possible and optimumto have a two pressure systemfor actuators – high for workingstroke and lower for idle orreturn movements.


ManufacturersThe Festo Energy Saving Serviceuses a unique method to helpyou reduce air losses which inour experience can account for30% of total air use, far higherin machines over four years old.

Our service professionals usecalibrated flow meters toaccurately measure machine airconsumption in both static anddynamic phases. Consequentlywe are able to give you adetailed report of the locationand size of air losses, the costsassociated, recommendationsfor improvements andcalculated payback times. Withthis key information you areable to make sensible plans toreduce energy costs.

In our experience mostimprovement work has apayback time of between sixmonths and two years and wecan benchmark savings againstthe original machineperformance. This service hasalso helped customers improvemachine reliability byidentifying and replacing wornparts before they fail.

OEMsMore efficient & cost effectivemachine design together withcomprehensive and powerfuldocumentation can give yourmachines the edge in anincreasingly competitive marketthanks to the Compressed AirConsumption Analysis servicefrom Festo.

For the first time you and yourcustomers can know exactlyhow much compressed air yourmachines need and thereforeexactly how the optimalcompressed air network shouldbe sized.

Machines optimised withFesto’s Compressed AirConsumption Analysis serviceenable manufacturers to reducecompressed air costs andoptimise distribution networks.

Guessing and estimating arethings of the past: from flowmeasurements at the machinelevel to analysis anddocumentation of the generatedresults, you receive anindividual and customer-specific package ofdocumentation.

Documentation enablespreventative maintenance. Thepossibility of planned/actualvalue comparisons enable themachine to be analyses andpotential problems highlighted.

Precise consumption figures arean advantage when dealing withyour customers.

Extra – Festo Services

Festo Ltd

Applied Automation CentreCaswell Road, BrackmillsNorthampton NN4 7PYT 0800 626 422F 01604 667001E [email protected] www.festo.com/gb

for reducing costs through improved air preparation tips for reducing costs through improved air...

Documents

Transcript of for reducing costs through improved air preparation tips for reducing costs through improved air...