29 March, 2024

Compressed efficiency in a single box

05 July, 2013

Compressors are responsible for 10 per cent of all the power consumed in a mature industrial society like the UK and Ireland. Frequently 10 per cent or more of this air will be wasted because of leakage caused by poor maintenance, bad design of air lines, acidic condensate attacking seals and joints just to name a few of the possibilities. Therefore it makes sense to do regular audits on the power consumed, flow, pressure, dew point and leakage as a starting point. Is this commonly done? Matthew Harrison, Regional Sales Manager at Beko Technologies, says: “No this type of extensive measurement is rare but smart companies are realising that you can’t know too much about what is happening within your compressed air network. You can avoid problems and be sure that you are operating to an efficiency that is acceptable if you regularly even better have a permanent output of key parameters within the system. Now that the Beko Data Logger is available it is very easy for me and Beko Technologies colleagues to monitor up to 12 outputs per BDL installed which is plenty for the normal compressed air system. These outputs are not limited to the devices that we market but could for example use pulse outputs for gas metering or PT100/PT1000 or KTY temperature sensors and many others.The BDL has the capability of 12 inputs, but can also be offered with the option o 4 or 8 inputs.  What is important is that these inputs can be digital or analogue. Before with the older unit we only had the capability of 2 digital and 2 analogues, so we were not able to offer multiple measuring points. This makes it very easy for Beko Technologies to give the client a complete picture of his system tailored to the KPIs that are important to him.”

Many clients are offered a free audit and in today’s economic climate it makes sense to take up these offers doesn’t it? Harrison again “ Yes to a point the information is worth having but for example if a survey consists of clamping the incoming phases of the compressors then converting that to flow without measuring actual flow then this could be misleading and mask issues that need correcting. I would certainly choose to have that data but then I would still have 11 other options that can be measured. I would certainly want to know some key flows and pressure losses, leakage and dew point just as a good base to start from.”
With the BDL installed the factory engineer can measure 12 outputs of his own choice and can record, indicate and evaluate the data. This enables him to be constantly aware of his running costs and assist in spotting situations that could be troublesome without corrective action. For example a rising dew point could be too much flow, but with the measurement that can be quickly eliminated, it could have a dirty heat exchanger which can be cleaned or it could be losing gas in which case a qualified refrigeration engineer would be required. The principle is clearly that this knowledge helps in the management of the system.
The data measured by the BDL is easily transferrable to a PC via a USB stick or GSM module or Ethernet connection to suit the frequency of information required by the client. Some compressor data needs to be inputted relating to the type, performance, variable or fixed speed motor. Then once this is done a range of graphical outputs are available at a glance and at the touch of a button the client can see (for example)
·         Energy cost
·         Compressed air cost
·         Leakage cost
·         Compressor load/unload times
·         Specific energy of the compressor
·         Cost of 1m³of compressed air
A final word from Matt Harrison: “This is a fantastic system for me and my clients. I see clients with the knowledge that if I find solutions or savings for them they will reciprocate by trusting me with their business. The BDL gives me another means of doing my job in this manner. Another really important fact is that Beko Technologies do not sell compressors so we are never trying to sell that key part of the system...all orders for dryers and drains etc. will of course be gratefully accepted.”
 
 
(Uploaded 5.7.13)





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