Natural Gas Cost Vs Electricity

January 12, 2016January 12, 2016Ken Bean

I recently received a phone call from a client asking for some preliminary pricing on a centrifugal compressor that was driven with a natural gas engine. I’ll have to admit, in my years in the compressed air field I had never had this request but I’m always willing to seek out new idea’s.

Contacting my regional engineer for some guidance, I found this is more common than I knew and the factory could accommodate the request for budget pricing.

My clients goal with this project is to meet a corporate mandate that electrical consumption be reduced by 25% over the next several years. His thought was the cost of natural gas could potentially be lower than their cost for electricity or at least near the same. By utilizing natural gas the reduction in electrical consumption could be met. I know over the past few years that many of my power generation clients are moving to mothball coal fired gas plants and they are being replace by natural gas fired plants. Although their direction is being pushed much harder by EPA emission mandates than by fuel cost.

Further researching this type of driver, I found it is much more common in the oil & gas industry than in other area’s of manufacturing. While researching the idea I also found an article written by our friends over at Bechtel Engineering and thought there might be some interest from our readers to look into this further as well.

You can read the overview and download the whitepaper at the following link: http://bit.ly/1RwSjy4

I’ll keep you posted on my clients project and let you know how this progresses and also the determination of how this change would actually pay off in the end from both a reduction of carbon footprint along with overall fuel cost.

Find A Leak To Fix A Leak

December 28, 2015December 28, 2015Ken Bean

Leak Detection

A small leak in your compressed air system may not seem like a big deal. Until you consider that small leak at 1/32” diameter will pass 1.62 SCFM on an air system running at 100 PSIG. That equates to 2,332 SCFM in a 24 hour period. This shows with just a few small leaks, they can quickly add up to the equivalent of several horsepower of compressed air being required just to satisfy the leaks.

The best way to detect leaks is to use an ultrasonic acoustic detector, which can recognize high frequency hissing sounds associated with air leaks. These portable units are very easy to use. Costs and sensitivities vary, so test before you buy. A simpler method is to apply soapy water with a paintbrush to suspect areas. Although reliable, this method can be time consuming, messy and on some applications, near impossible to reach.

Utilizing Compressed Air Storage

December 15, 2015December 21, 2015Ken Bean

If you look at most any industrial compressed air system you will find a receiver located somewhere in the layout. However, just having a receiver does not mean the system is fully utilizing the capability of the storage.

Properly utilized compressed air storage should allow a compressed air system to meet its peak demand needs and help control system pressure without starting additional compressors. The correct type and quantity of air storage depends on air demand patterns, air quantity and quality required, and the compressor and type of controls being used. An optimal air storage strategy will enable a compressed air system to provide enough air to satisfy temporary air demand events while minimizing compressor use and pressure.

To properly utilize the stored compressed air the pressure in the receiver needs to be stored at a higher pressure than the system pressure. The strategy is to allow the differential between these 2 pressures to be sustained by incorporating a pressure flow controller (PFC) and/or metering valves.

This allows the pressure in the demand side to be reduced to a stable level that minimizes actual compressed air consumption. PFCs are added after the primary receiver to maintain a reduced and relatively constant system pressure at points of use, while allowing the compressor controls to function in the most efficient control mode and discharge pressure range. Properly applied, a PFC can yield significant energy savings in a system with a variable demand load.

A professional air audit can determine the proper storage size requirements.

Turn It Off

December 8, 2015December 8, 2015Ken Bean

Those big air compressors in the back that nobody wants to look at consume a huge amount of energy. A 100 horsepower compressor can cost $75,000 per year in energy costs (based on 8,760 hours at $0.10 per kilowatt hour). Utilizing automation, storage and flow control, system balancing and best use practices along with other details, can allow you to turn some compressors off. Just running the above mentioned 100 HP compressor during lunch each day can cost up to $3,000.00 annually.

An Air Audit today could save thousands next year!

Compressed Air Alternatives

November 24, 2015November 24, 2015Ken Bean

Although compressed air is readily available and convenient to use in most plants, it is often more cost-effective to find an alternate solution to some problems. Some studies have shown that the overall efficiency of a typical compressed air system can be as low as 10% to 15%. With that in mind, using a fan or even modifying an air conditioning system to cool a component is likely to be less expensive in the long run than installing a compressed air vortex cooler.

Vacuum systems are more efficient and safer for cleaning than compressed air. Electric tools are less expensive to operate than their pneumatic counterparts, although torque and industrial durability need to be considered when selecting the right tool for the job. Ultimately, a person needs to consider all options and use compressed air only when it truly makes sense.

“The above statements are taken from the DOE Compressed Air Challenge website”

If you answer “yes” to any of the following, your use of compressed air can likely be reduced! We offer Free on site consultation to evaluate your compressed air needs.

Can this application use compressed air at a lower pressure?
Is the pressure required for this application in the range of a blower rather than a compressor?
Does the application use large volumes of air for short burst of time? ie. Chip blowing or bag house filter blow off
Is this application using compressed air for parts cooling or drying?