Case Study: Compressed Air Leak Audit
A Compressed Air Leak Audit Saves $12,000/year, Representing a 27% Reduction in Air Compressor Energy Use
The Challenge
Production processes need a reliable and timely supply of compressed air to provide sufficient volume and pressure to end-users. However, compressed air is extremely expensive to make: up to 88% of the electrical energy used to compress air is lost to heat.
Therefore, unneeded compressed air uses and losses through faulty quick-connect junctions, damaged air tools, failed valves, broken pneumatics, cracked supply lines, etc., can waste thousands of dollars per year in electrical energy use.
The Solution
Amperage logging of a compressed air system during an energy, water, and product conservation assessment at a manufacturing facility identified unaccounted-for energy use during non-production hours (weekends). Based on this data, a subsequent Compressed Air Leak Audit located and estimated the energy loss at 25 significant leak locations. These locations, accompanied by precise photos, were then identified in an action plan for the facility’s maintenance team to repair the leaks.
The repaired leaks represent $12,000 per year in energy savings (representing a 27% reduction in the air compressor’s energy use).
Findings
Amperage metering of the air compressor indicated that the system was cycling on/off over the weekend when there was no production (Figure 1). The Compressed Air Audit identified leak locations for repair (Figure 2) and their estimated energy loss.
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