Compressed air is one of the utilities - it's an expensive for of energy. To manage it well, you must know what you want to accomplish and what are real applications for it. In most of cases of the compressed air energy efficiency and its evaluation following standards might be helpful:
- ISO 50001
- ISO 1217
- ISO 11011
PN-EN ISO 50001:2012 - this standard describes how to manage the energy.
It is worth to implement it, because it is a procedure that gives the correct status of the Departments of Energy inside your factory, which are often neglected by management. Moreover, this standard gives real opportunities to save energy and costs by a specific neutral plan. And perhaps most importantly - it is not needed for this complex and expensive process of certification, but grants the responsibility for the effects of the savings and standards directly on the board of the factory, which significantly facilitates good and simple decision-making process in this area.
PN-EN ISO 50001: 20012 - "Energy management systems. Requirements and recommendations for use." - This standard specifies the principles of energy management. For all energy carriers. It helps determine how to manage energy management which allows for the continuous process of improving its efficiency, also taking into account the legal and other requirements for the enterprise. The standard may, or may not to be integrated with other management systems. User implementing ISO50001 standard can thus plan for its business activities associated with increased energy efficiency and reduced energy consumption and costs, consequently reducing the emissions.
The benefits of the implementation and certification of the energy management system:
- Improvement of energy efficiency.
- Reduce energy costs (reduction of energy consumption).
- Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
- The introduction of proper oversight of energy management system in the organization.
- Compliance with the legal requirements relating to energy efficiency.
- Ability to integrate with other management systems.
ISO 1217 STANDARD
ISO 1217 is the acceptance tests standard for displacement compressors: screw, vane and reciprocating types. It shows a methodology and appropriate measurement points give you objective information about the parameters of the compressor.
From our perspective it's the most frustrating document, which no one in Europe repects it right and it gives the proper rights and information to compressors users. In contrast, in the USA and Canada, where Institute "CAGI" (Compressed Air and Gas Institute - Institute for Compressed Air and Gas) works and associates the voluntary members of companies and suppliers working in the industry. This Institute grants to the users the parameters promised by suppliers published on the GAGI website. The data are published there according to the demands of ISO1217.
This is a very good example of the so-called good engineering practice functioning in the USA, which is so sorely lacking in Europe. For many years, members of the association on a voluntary basis announce the technical data of compressors they supply. The data are published on a voluntary basis and are so precise that the suppliers are not afraid of any acceptance tests. The publication of such data gives the manufacturer the testimony of his credibility with users as a serious, honest supplier. Many of the data contained herein is present on a voluntary basis, many of them were also verified by receiving standard CAGI/PNEUROP PN2CPTC2, which is suitable to the previously described standard ISO1217 Annex C for displacement compressors with electric drive. On site http://www.cagi.org/verification/ea_sheets.htm there are sample compressors data and information about models that pass the verification test.
Below is a fragment from the CAGI website: "The Energy Efficiency Committee works to enhance the energy efficiency and performance of compressed air systems. CAGI is a founding sponsor of the Compressed Air Challenge (CAC) and a Department of Energy Allied Partner. The CAC is a public/private initiative fostered by the Department of Energy to serve as a resource to help industry achieve energy savings and to increase the effectiveness of compressed air systems. The Energy Efficiency Committee oversees CAGI's efforts to improve compressed air system effectiveness and efficiency and guides the institute's cooperative activities with DOE and CAC. These activities include development and organization of compressed air system training programs, production and distribution of educational materials, etc. to benefit compressed air system users."
One of the symptoms of act is to mobilize the producers to enter the actual parameters of the compressors which can be verified according to ISO standards and also the check itself. The reliability of the technical information - we can only envy the Americans here.
NOTE: GIVEN THERE DATA CONCERN THE OTHER OPERATING VOLTAGE AND THE OTHER FREQUENCY OF ELECTRIC CURRENT, AND THEREFORE CAN NOT BE DIRECTLY COMPARED WITH VERSIONS OF THE EUROPEAN COMPRESSOR.
EN ISO 11011 STANDARD
EN ISO 11011 is a standard which regulates the auditing of compressed air systems. It is modeled on which was previously regulated by the American standard ASME EA4. It groups in a complicated way auditing and inventory, which are unfortunately very laborious and requires a large time commitment from the auditor and user. It seems to be almost totally excluded by the industrial practice realities. The standard was published just in September 2013, in English. It is still not published in Polish.