One of our partners in the paper manufacturing industry was looking for ways to reduce their energy consumption. They identified that their air compressor was a major contributor to their energy bill.

SITE ANALYSIS:

They had many decade-old compressors placed in various locations of their plant. The older compressors consumed higher energy. The machines were also becoming difficult to maintain due to short consumable replacement cycles and an increase in maintenance costs. And any new compressor would have to be rugged in to run in harsh temperatures with minimal maintenance checks.

SOLUTION:

After a comprehensive study, we recommended that two of their existing 75kW machines be replaced with newer, larger 160kW compressors as a preliminary change to accommodate their budget and to increase efficiency.

RESULT:

It has been 1 month since we replaced the machines, and the paper manufacturer has recovered over 55% of their investment only through power. The newer compressors which offer more features also operate with less noise and are built to handle harsh temperatures and conditions of the site.

Every equipment in use needs an upgrade. Not only does an upgrade bring changes to the equipment in terms of performance but also features.

When it comes to the environment, both the consumer and the manufacturer understand the impact of a product on the environment. Hence, there is significant effort taken to reduce the environmental impact of products.

Over the past decade, a lot has changed in compressors. The air-ends which are the heart of the compressors have been improved to provide higher compressed air flow and consume lower power. The primary mover of the air-ends, the electric motor’s minimum efficiency has been incrementally upgraded as well. The unload power and power consumed by the cooling fan has also been reduced significantly by controlling the flow of oil into the air-ends and the cooler. The controllers have become smarter and can identify running patters. They can also control multiple other compressors as well.

After analysis, ELGi recommended replacing 2 machines with a larger one as a preliminary effort.

Two 75kW units were replaced with one 160kW improved state of the art oil lubricated screw compressor. Not only did it help increase the compressed air output but also helped save electricity. this effort helped reduce CO2 emission (in tonnes). The details of the savings are as below:

Issues such as oil carryover, air leaks, filter clogs, and inadequate lubrication are all warning signs of a gradually failing system. While all air compressor manufacturers recommend carrying out scheduled maintenance checks mandatorily, not recognizing the symptoms associated with certain issues can also lead to system failures.

So, does that mean that it is possible to identify the exact problem by simply observing the preliminary symptoms? In most cases, yes, it is.

For a customer, it is important that the functioning of a downstream equipment that relies on compressed air is not disturbed. Hence, efficient and smart troubleshooting is mandatory to save time and money. By closely observing the symptoms, we can anticipate the nature of the problem. Data must be collected, verified, and ascertained properly in order to arrive at a conclusion.

The most reported issues of an air compressor are:

1. Pressure not building up or not loading
2. High temperature and tripping
3. Not understanding alarming and warning signals in the controller
4. Tripping with high sump pressure
5. Oil leakages
6. Moisture condensation observed at utility point

Most of the problems can be identified through self-diagnosis of the following:

Oil levels and colour