Build your case for an audit around sound
business principles, such as asset reliability.
Getting started
It's useful to form one or more teams made up of the people affected by the compressed air system. The team could include personnel from operations, maintenance, safety, engineering and management. You may even consider inviting accounting and purchasing.
Once the team of stakeholders is named, it should map out the process of producing and using compressed air throughout the facility. This process is called compressed air mapping and uses existing documentation, energy information, work order history and interviews of the people involved with compressed air to provide a total system overview and understanding. Compressed air mapping provides the big picture.
Compressed air mapping offers several benefits:
- People start to see how their piece of the operation affects the entire system.
- It quickly identifies obvious areas of waste.
- Missing documentation and drawings can be located or reproduced.
- It raises the level of communication.
- Components may be assessed in the context of an entire system.
- It develops a strategy for operating an efficient compressed air system.
The audit
Unless plant personnel have a detailed and thorough knowledge of compressed air system design, it may be advantageous to hire a qualified firm that has experience in this area for the initial assessment. In addition, an outside contractor can serve as an independent auditor on an annual basis to ensure that your compressed air program continues to meet its goals.
When evaluating audit contractors and the solutions being proposed, it's important to identify any manufacturer's affiliations that might be involved. An independent company often can provide unbiased information that allows you to choose among several types of solutions.
Make sure to ask for copies of several of the firm's customer reports. These should contain the information that you've determined you want, as well as specific cost-effective action recommendations. A lot of the savings is usually gained with very little or no capital cost.
Leak detection
Leaks will always be part of any compressed air system. It's important to develop a regularly scheduled program for detecting, tagging and repairing them. Inexpensive ultrasonic leak detectors are now widely available and easy to use, even in noisy plant environments. In-house resources generally can handle this task; however, several service companies also specialize in offering this service.
Don't confuse an air leak survey with a compressed air system audit. Fixing leaks saves energy, but the problems that exist in other areas of the system can consume even more energy than leaks. Addressing the system in toto accomplishes the real long-term gains.
Air system management
Improving compressed air system efficiency isn't a one-time event; it's an ongoing process. Managing and maintaining the compressed air system must be a continuous effort. Using tools, such as compressed air mapping, helps ensure teamwork and management support for your efforts.
Kelly Paffel is the technical manager at Inveno Engineering, LLC. Mr. Paffel is a recognized worldwide authority in industrial steam systems. He has has 35 years of experience in steam, compressed air systems and power operations. Mr. Paffel has achieved Steam System Level V certification in Steam Systems and is also is also a member of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Steam Best Practices Committee and Steam Technical Committee.
Figures courtesy of Plant Support and Evaluations.