Compressed air- the 4th Utility:
Compressed air, also referred to as the "4th Utility" (after electricity,
water & steam) is one of the major energy consumption utility in any
industry. Various estimates indicate that about 4,000-5,000 MW is consumed nation
wide by the compressors and its related accessories & support systems. It
is a well-known fact that of the life cycle cost of any compressor, 85-90% is towards energy and only 10-15% towards initial investment & maintenance.
Hence,
the design and selection of the right compressor assumes great significance
while setting up your air system. It is very important on the part of each one
of us using compressed air to understand a simple fact that "Air is
free but compressed air is not!"
Compressed air is a key
utility in the Textile industry, both the segments of Natural & Man-made
textiles. Compressed air is more or less required at every stage of
manufacturing particularly large volume of air is required for integrated
cotton textile industries having Airjet Looms & as well in the Polyester
yarn industries. Compressed air is a very critical requirement in the PFY
valued added segment such as Texturing.
Compressed air is one of
the most expensive utilities, but more often than not, this fact is not understood.
Unlike the other utilities, many users find it difficult to measure their cost
per cfm. Primarily, it should be understood that the compressed air consumes 3
- 4 times more power as compared to electrical energy (say for e.g. a pneumatic
tool of 1 hp would consume compressed air equivalent to 3 times more power than
a 1 hp electric tool). However, compressed air being highly versatile in
nature, it makes many industrial operations more effective in terms of high productivity and safety and hence, cannot be replaced
A major opportunity lies here...
-
The US Department of Energy
(DOE) has determined that air compressors are one of the largest users of
electricity in industry
-
Although at one time the DOE
considered electric motors as the largest user of electricity, savings
through improved electric motor efficiency are dwarfed by those available
through improving the compressed air system design and operation
-
On a very conservative estimate,
the average energy savings potential in a compressed air system could easily
vary from a minimum of 15% to as high as 30%!
-
This means about 1,000 1,300
MW can be saved annually at the national level; amounting to phenomenal
savings of Rs. 1,800 2,000 crores in the energy cost every year!
|
This makes it an obligation
on our part to our Nation and the Society to look at this very critical utility
with due amount of respect so as to maintain and run it in the most efficient
manner
Which Compressor suits my requirement?
Air
compressors are mainly classified in two types based on their construction
& operation:
- Positive
displacement (Reciprocating & Rotary compressors)
- Dynamic
type (Centrifugal & Axial flow compressors)
Air
compressors are also classified in to lubricated & non-lubricated type;
the latter delivering oil-free quality air which is again very critical for
better productivity and long & trouble-free operation of the downstream
system components and point-of-use equipment / tools.
