“Compressed Air System Design for

Energy Efficiency”

Chennai – 3rd to 5th September 2010

Contents

•Understanding the Context

•Need for EnCon
•Saving Potential

• Designing Energy Efficient Compressed Air System

•Supply
•Distribution
•Demand

2 Energy Efficiency Summit 2010

Understanding the Context

• What is “Compressed Air System”?

• Why ENCON in Compressed Air System ?
• Where do I Save Cost in “Compressed Air System”?

3 Energy Efficiency Summit 2010

Understanding the Context
What is Compressed Air System ?

4 Energy Efficiency Summit 2010

Understanding the Context
Why ENCON in Compressed Air System ?

• As Fourth Utility has one of the widest industry

usage .

• By far the most Energy Intensive

• Scope of Energy Conservation spans right from

point of generation to point of use.

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Understanding the Context
Why ENCON in Compressed Air System ?

Ratio: 8:1

Compressed
air energy
16%

Heat of
compression
84%
Leaks
5%

Pressure drop
2%

Heat of
compression End users
84% 9%

Compressed Air – Energy Utilization

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Understanding the Context
Where do I Save Cost in Compressed Air System ?

• CAPEX
• Cost of energy to operate the driver
• Space cost
• Installation cost
• Routine maintenance cost
• Repair cost
• Overhaul cost
• Supervisory cost

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Contents

•Understanding the Context

•Need for EnCon
•Saving Potential

• Designing Energy Efficient Compressed Air System

•Supply
•Distribution
•Demand

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Designing Energy Efficient “CAS”
• Distribution
– Air piping
– Filters
• Supply – Lubricators
– Compressor
– System
Controls
– Air Dryer
– Aftercoolers
– Air Filters
– Primary
Storage
– Flow controls •Demand
–Pneumatic tools
–Mechanical drive
–Blowers
–Vacuum generators
–Etc . . .
All elements of Compressed Air System
provide opportunity for energy savings
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Ten Questions You Should
Ask Before Purchasing Air
Compressor

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Designing Energy Efficient “CAS”
Supply Side
1. Do I Need a Compressor ?
2. Can I Not eliminate the usage of Compressed Air?
3. What Air Quality Do I Need ?
4. Where will compressor be located?
5. How much pressure (PSI) is needed?
4. How much air flow (CFM) is needed?
5. What horsepower is required?
6. What type and size tank is needed?
7. What are the electrical requirement?
8. What Compressor Features Are Needed?
9. Do I Need a dryer?
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Designing Energy Efficient “CAS”
Supply Side

Air Basics
Remember The Three Main Parameters?
• Pressure
• Capacity Three Parameters Are Directly Related
• Horsepower
• Capacity Or Flow Determines How Much Work Is
Done.
• Pressure Determines How Fast The Work Is Done.
• Horsepower Is The Energy Input Required To Get
The Work Done.

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Air Basics

Three Main Parameters As A Formula

Horsepower = Pressure x Flow x Constant

The Three Are Directly Related

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Air Basics

The Three Main Parameters As A Formula

Horsepower = Pressure x Flow x Constant

The Three Are Directly Related

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Air Basics

The Three Main Parameters As A Formula

Horsepower = Pressure x Flow x Constant

The Three Are Directly Related

15 “Think, Learn, Apply”

Energy Efficiency Summit 2010
Air Basics

The Three Main Parameters As A Formula

Horsepower = Pressure x Flow x Constant

Can you Increase Horsepower Of An Electric Motor??

The Three Are Directly Related

16 “Think, Learn, Apply”

Energy Efficiency Summit 2010
Air Basics

The Three Main Parameters As A Formula

Horsepower = Pressure x Flow x Constant

Or

Horsepower = Pressure x Flow x

Constant
The Three Are Directly Related

17 “Think, Learn, Apply”

Energy Efficiency Summit 2010
Designing Energy Efficient “CAS”
Supply Side – Selection of Compressor - Guidelines
• Centrifugal Air compressors with Heat recovery units.
(Capacity >1500 cfm)

• Two stage Rotary screw compressors. (Capacity < 1500 cfm)

• Single Stage rotary screw compressors with integrated VFD

(5 to 50 hp), Refrigerated Dryer & Air receiver

• Screw Compressors with Hybrid Permanent Magnet motors

(50hp to 350 hp)

• Skid packaged Reciprocating Air compressors for Oil free Air

(50 to 1000 cfm)

• Properly sized air receivers & Air Treatment Components

(Variable capacity ref dryer & Heat of compression dryers)

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Case Study
A Paper mfg manufacturing company
• Replacement of old & inefficient multiple reciprocating compressors with
one Centrifugal air compressor
• 4 # 1000CFM Base Load & 1 # 1000CFM trimming reciprocating air
compressors.
• Power consumption - 700kW for 3500CFM@100PSIG
• Investment - Rs.75Lacs.
• Centrifugal air compressor - 560kW for 3500CFM
• Energy Savings – 140 kW
• Payback period less than 2 years.

Benefits Achieved:
• High efficiency, highly reliable, auto control, low maintenance prone
compressors

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Centrifugal Compressor

The most Cost-effective Solution

Major IR CENTAC Customer in Pulp & Paper Industries
• Hyundai Motors India Limited
• Ford India
• Maruti
• CPCL,MRPL,GGSR,BPCL
• ITC Limited, HNPL,HPCL,BILT and more
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Centac with Heat Recovery Unit

Save upto 40% of the power consumption using Heat recovered thru
the water (intercooler & after cooler)
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Two stage screw compressors
2 Stage Energy Savings
⇒ Air is compressed in two stages,
which allows “More Flow/ Unit
Power”

⇒ Optimization of power usage–

ability to upgrade existing
systems by replacing with 2-
stage and getting more flow
(increased value)

⇒ This increases the overall

compression efficiency up to
15% of the total full load power
consumption.

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Screw Compressors with Integrated VFD

• VFD provides the ability to exactly match the

compressors’ output to the capacity required by
a plant air system.

Provides constant system pressure +/- 2psi

Significant energy savings.

Precise pressure control.

Prolonged life of the compressor.

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Hybrid Permanent Magnet motors for Rotary Screw Compressors

Duplex Tapered Roller Direct drive – Motor stator mounted on

Bearing primary rotor shaft

Cylindrical Roller Bearing

Triple Lip Shaft Seal

Aspirated, Scavenged

Bearing Coolant Dam

Airend Discharge Connects

directly to Separator Tank

95% efficiency, .96 power factor

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Hybrid Permanent Magnet Motors

Induction Motor HPM Motor

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Designing Energy Efficient “CAS”
Supply Side – Selection of Dryer - Guidelines

PDP = Class 1 or 2
Compressed Air Quality ISO 8573.1

Quality Water
Class Pressure Dewpoint (°F / °C)
1 -100.0 -70
2 -40.0 -40
3 -4.0 -20
PDP = Class 1,2 or 3 4 37.4 3
5 44.6 7
6 50.0 10

PDP = Class 4, 5 or 6

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System Automation
Why System Control?
Common findings with un-managed systems:
o More compressors are running than required

–Higher energy

–Higher maintenance

–Lower reliability, less standby capacity

o System pressure is much higher than required
–Higher energy
–Higher maintenance
–Lower quality and repeatability
As much as 20%-60% of the energy used to operate typical compressed air
systems…is wasted!

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System Automation
Control Objective

• Manage Compressors
• Base load & trim
• Single point pressure control
• Stabilize Pressure
• Prioritize Sequences
• Operate only as needed

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System Automation
Control Philosophy:
Base Load- Trim Load…
Fully Loaded and
Standby Compressors

Variable Speed
Trim Compressors

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Designing Energy Efficient “CAS”
Distribution System

• Pipe System-the compressed air distribution system

that carries the air from compressor discharge to the
point of use (tools or equipment).

• 2 basic types
– Loop
– Grid

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Loop Systems

• Loop systems
– Compressor/s located centrally
– Air to point of use from two directions
– Pressure droop is cut in HALF
 How….think of it as doubling the pipe size

• What’s good about them

– Good pressure distribution
– Good flow distribution
– Great for high usage/production facilities
– Easy to expand/add drops later (and more cost
effective)

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Grid Systems

• Grid Systems
– Simply a main trunk line with several branches serving
points of use/drops.
– Compressor/s located at one end of trunk line
– Not as efficient as the loop/unit loop systems

• What’s good about them

– Might be cheaper to install than a loop/unit loop system
– Simple & intuitive

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Materials

• Typical materials • Connection types

– Stainless Steel – Thread
 Clean, expensive
– Flange
– Aluminum
– Compression
 No scale rust, cost
– Crimp
– Black iron
 Cheap, high labor – Sweat (solder),
– Galvanized – Twist lock
 Cheap, dirty – Press fit
– Copper
 Little scale, cost
– Brass (fittings)
 Tough, expensive

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Rule of Thumb
• For every 2 psi increase in pressure approximately 1% more power is
required.

• Compressors capacity to horsepower or specific power ratio is

approximately 4 to 5 cfm-fad per hp.

• The typical oil consumption for rotary screw compressors per 100 cfm-
fad at a rated 4 ppm is approximately 1/2 gallon for every 2000 hours of
operation.

• On a typical 75 deg F day with 75% RH a compressor can introduce 18

gallons of water in the form of condensate/vapor for every 100 cfm-fad.

• Every 20 deg F rise in operating temperature cuts lubricant life by 50%.

• Every 20 deg F reduction of air temperature cuts the moisture content by

50%.

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 “Air is Free but Compressed Air is not !”
Thank you!

If you require any assistance in your Air system audit & analysis, pl email us
at airsolutionsindia@irco.com