It is at times interesting to observe the variety of compressed air pressure levels one sees when visiting various industrial plants. Some plants operate successfully at pressures near 70 psi, yet others are running at near 200 psi. Often, the equipment in the facilities are doing the same function, and the reason for the boosted air pressure is not obvious.
Operating at higher pressure levels is more costly. For the same volume of compressed air used by a production machine it costs roughly 1% more to produce the air for every 2 psi increase in pressure. In addition to this, for unregulated uses, the amount of air used by a machine increases by slightly less than one percent for every one psi increase in air pressure, further loading the compressor and costing more energy.
It is, therefore, good practice to examine the air pressure in your system and find out why you are running at your current pressure. This is especially important in installations where the pressure is running at levels greater than 100 psi.
Here are some reasons for high air pressure:
- The service technician who installed the compressor thought is was a good idea to run at the compressor’s rated pressure.
- There was a low pressure event and someone jacked up the pressure to solve, and never reset it back to normal.
- The compressors are not controlled correctly and cause low pressure when starting and stopping.
- There is a lack of storage receiver capacity, so transient demands drop the pressure during peak flows.
- A manufacturer of end use equipment asked for high pressure, so the plant pressure was reset higher.
- The air dryers are undersized and/or the associated filters are causing a large pressure drop.
- The compressed air piping is too small or poorly installed.
- The compressors are overloaded at times, causing low pressure, so the pressure was raised to compensate.
Are these problems plaguing your site? There are solutions — the key is to have your system analyzed to determine a solution. Often, the recommendations will enable you to lower your pressure and save some money. Contact your service provider to find out your options.
Filed Under: Pneumatic Tips