ISO11011 – correctly serviced

25 October, 2016

Typically, this process would start with you deciding the scope of a full assessment of the system. This could include compressed air use, production functions, poor performance, waste, supply, demand balance, energy use, total compressed air demand and utility bills. Once the scope has been defined, you can begin to collect and record the data.

After assessing this data, decisions can then be made about what actions will help you save the most money. For example, you can determine the leakage rate, which in some cases can be in excess of 40 per cent and be costing you serious money – a leak of just 3mm could cost you more than £700 a year. The assessment will also help you see if you are using the right compressor and/or air receiver, if the system pressure is unnecessarily high and whether you are over-treating your air.

From this you can then take targeted action, which might include repairing leaks and establishing a leak management programme, upgrading equipment, improving your process control and the use of variable speed controls. In short, ISO 11011 provides you with a framework to assess where and how you can make improvements and save energy for your compressed air system.

BCAS offers a course designed to introduce you to ISO 11011 at a location of your choice. Alternatively, if you don’t have the time and/or experience to conduct such an assessment yourself, then several BCAS members can offer you a third party assessment service to meet the requirements of ISO 11011. For details of the day’s introduction and BCAS members visit www.bcas.org.uk