Compressed Air
Staff Report

Commercial, manufacturing and other users of compressed air can improve energy efficiency, start/stop motors repeatedly, plus reduce maintenance costs and noise levels — with rotary screw compressors incorporating variable frequency drives.

To most commercial and industrial business operations, compressed air is a vital utility. Compressed air runs essential tools and machinery, provides power to material handling systems and clean air to processes. Yet choosing the right compressor for many applications today can be difficult, especially given new technological developments, added concerns about even and steady pressure, maintenance, and that traditional nemesis, electrical power.

The cost and dependability of compressed air can have a tremendous impact on production processes and costs. Surprisingly, compressed air costs are most often considered in terms of equipment. Yet energy consumption can represent up to 70 percent of the total cost of producing compressed air, and with energy costs escalating nationwide, selecting an energy-efficient air system has become critical. Plus, there are other significant factors to consider, such as reliability, productivity, systems support, automated features and noise.

Making a proper evaluation about air compressor selection will ultimately be based on a study of the available technologies that may be appropriate for your applications, as well as evaluating existing equipment. In some instances, such as when there is a continuous demand at full load a fixed speed rotary screw compressor may be the best solution. In cases where the base load varies with an additional load, it might be best to consider supporting the base load with fixed flow compressors and adding a unit with a variable speed drive (VSD) as a trim device to ....

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