Inventory of compressed air network

The  compressed air system with its continuous changes of the end user demands creates a lot of challenges. After only a  few years it may be necessary  to rebuild, modify or extended a system. It is no surprise that there is a lack of  compressed air systems drawings and records in the factories. The solution to this problem is the right inventory and updated drawings of the compressed air network.

Why is it worth to do the network inventory?

Documentation and knowledge of the flow and pressure rate determines whether the network is effective. Lack of such knowledge can lead to complications. It may cause troubles ? like connecting new points of use to already loaded network what disrupt the work of existing ones already installed. Inventory of compressed air systems, combined with measurements or flow estimates, allows the assessment of used cross-section capacity and provides the ability to analyze whether you can connect  the new point of use. Based on such documentation, infrastructure managers may give users permission to connect the new consumers. It is very important for maintaining the efficiency of transmission of compressed air. Lack of documentation causes uncontrolled consumption on the branches, which cross-section may be too small and that can lead to excessive pressure drops, what directly determines energy losses.

What are the recommendations?

Frequently asked questions about the correctness of the network are not catalogued in any standard. There are only recommendations resulting from good manufacturing practice, which the pipelines? suppliers publish. Teseo recommends that the pressure drop from the compressor room to the receivers shouldn't be bigger than 3% of the initial value. In turn, Compressed Air Challenge recommended an allowable pressure drop of less than 2% of the initial pressure, some others say 5%. The same time, by the same Agency - recommended speed of the main pipelines should be less than 30 feet per second (ie. below 9 m/s), and in connections to the point of use (drops, branches) less than 50 feet per second (ie. below 15 m/s) in terms of the actual velocity in the pipeline. Installations should be closed loop and in such a way that the biggest users are closest to the compressor room.

The end result:

Our auditors document (during operation of the factory)  the pipe diameters and lengths on a shared layout. The results are:

• network diagram applied to the layout of the factory in the format .dwg (2D),
• determination of pipelines diameters,
• calculating the capacity and efficiency of the installation and transmission of pressure drops, which allows full validation of the compressed air system correctness,
• possibility to design the permanent measurement (monitoring) of the air consumption (factory end users),
• optional proposals for changes to improve the efficiency of transmission,
• optional proposal for the layout of compressed air systems based on trusted and reliable technology of Teseo aluminum piping dedicated for compressed air,
• accurate drawings of the compressed air network monitoring system, which allows to design the monitoring system of consumption on the demand side. Both - the layout and the monitoring allow to create and carry real compressed air management of the demand side of this system. Such approach allows to choose right leaders responsible for air savings. On the demand side the air users should be responsible for savings, not those who deliver the air from compressor room.

Observation of monitoring data  assists in further savings which are results of, eg. irrational behavior of some users. It can also lead to a lowering of pressure in the network, which gives energy savings of about 7% of 1 bar reduced pressure.

NOTE! Statistically about 20% loss of air in the system is consumed by artificial demand (due to over pressure) and air used on unsuitable applications!

A current map (inventory with representative drawings) of the compressed air system is very useful. It provides a full insight into the system to make  easy extensions and/or make measurement points and the safe connection of new users.

See also:
compressed air installation