Monitoring and managing compressed air systems
February 1st 2007

Compressed air systems are an integral part of business processes and therefore require constant monitoring and maintaining to ensure they are operating efficiently. If ignored or incorrectly monitored the outcome can be costly for both the company's bottom line and for the environment

The need to consider the environment when undertaking compressed air management is crucial - 'Energy consumption represents around 80% of the total lifecycle cost of a standard compressor, but of the electricity consumed in the UK for generating compressed air, 30% is wasted'. In addition, around 20% of compressed air is wasted through leakage,but with an accurate monitoring device this can be recovered through regular maintenance to keep production running at optimum levels and energy savings high.

Remote monitoring and control of this equipment is therefore key to an efficient compressed air system, an example of such a device is the t-mac system. An automatic, GPRS enabled, remote monitoring, targeting and control system, t-mac operates by monitoring and controlling a compressor's conditions - for example air pressure, temperature, fuel, water-levels, vibration and load - sending alerts to managers via SMS/email, should the levels fall outside pre-set criteria.

The t-mac system can immediately identify how efficient compressors are; when they are working; if they are coping with demand; and if they are running at peak efficiency.

Another huge benefit of such a monitoring device is that it can accurately assess the leakage rate of the compressed air system and alert the user at the earliest possible stage that this is happening. It can review and create reports on the peak, average and minimum demands of the air supply, helping to improve energy efficiency and compressor operations. Instant notification means users can immediately take remedial action, such as turning the system off or on, either automatically/preprogrammed through t-mac, or manually via the Internet.

Data from t-mac is gathered and automatically uploaded to a centrally managed server allowing users to view live and historic status and asset information through easy to read graphs and tables.

Users log-on via an Internet enabled PC, through a single domain name, to view one or many t-macs located on compressors throughout the world.

Accessing all units in one place and over the internet removes the requirement for costly PC software, dedicated monitoring stations/PCs and the tiresome task of logging into multiple units.

Measurement Knowing the compressor conditions, performance and usage will provide managers with a more rounded view of a site or multiple sites' energy consumption, by supplying reasons for peaks and troughs in consumption.

Accurate measurement is paramount in meeting mounting legislation. By monitoring and tracking energy use in 'real' time, condition monitoring devices assist in minimising wastage and providing exact and instant reports and data updates easily.Adjustments to the compressor can be made either directly or via the device, to increase efficiencies and, once set, t-mac can assist with further tracking reports all of which can be produced to see how great the level of energy efficiency improvements are and how much has been saved over a designated period.

By collecting all of this data from equipment and entire sites, energy and facilities managers can effectively audit site energy use and make executive decisions on improving the compressors energy performance rating and ultimately, keep it within legislative ranges whilst at the same time helping to reduce energy costs.

Analysis Another huge development in the industry is analysis software, which is designed to make the monitoring and viewing capabilities of condition monitoring devices easier.

Acting as an interface between the user and the equipment being monitored, it details, through onscreen customised or generic graphics, the sites, assets, machines or metering being monitored. tmac's online software, creates a realtime view of the area being monitored pictorially showing the activities on site, live data and statistics instantly and allows for the automatic generation complex calculation and comparisons.

For energy management activities, t-mac's Energy Analysis Dashboard is particularly useful for businesses who wish to quantify and also showcase their energy consumption patterns and targets, requiring them to have this information on permanent display. For example, the Energy Analysis Dashboard provides a live display of energy use, reduction targets, benchmarking or efficiency practices to maintenance personnel on-site and also the company's stakeholders on a corporate website.

The display can also be on a reception plasma screen, viewed by clients/customers - a perfect aid for a company's corporate social responsibility practices.

A huge benefit is that it can convert collected data into a more recognisable form, e.g. converting raw energy readings into meaningful business data such as money saved or indicating industrial machine vibration as high,medium or low alert for ease of viewer reference. It can also calculate how much energy is being used by each site, and draw comparisons on cost and energy savings easily.

Significant reductions in energy and cost savings can be made via accurate data collection, control and interactive management of individual compressors. Ignoring the need to accurately monitor and analyse equipment conditions will inevitably incur more cost in terms of energy consumed, shorter equipment life cycle and will be detrimental to the environment. It is clear that from looking at this technology, that effective maintenance and monitoring is integral to the installation of a compressed air system - without this, it is impossible to determine whether or not they are operating efficiently.

By monitoring compressed air systems effectively, managers can identify inefficiencies in equipment instantly and fix any issues, often before they occur – which helps not only reduce energy consumption but also extend machinery life-cycle.

Effective maintenance can reap immediate financial returns, it can also boost energy and time savings and instil greater control and flexibility of business processes.

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