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.

The Power Company Loves You

January 5, 2016Ken Bean

With a powerhouse full of compressors, your power company wakes up looking like the little boy pictured below; just thinking of the money it will make from you today.

How much does it cost to run those air compressors?

Compressed air is one of the most expensive uses of energy in a manufacturing plant. About eight horsepower of electricity is used to generate one horsepower of compressed air. Calculating the cost of compressed air can help you justify improvements for energy efficiency.

Cost per year To find the annual cost of electricity used to power a compressed air system, calculate the cost for running the system under loaded and unloaded conditions. For each, multiply:

horsepower (hp)

conversion factor 0.746 kW/hp

total operating hours per year (hr/yr)

cost per kilowatt-hour ($/kWh)

% time fully-loaded or unloaded

% full-load hp, loaded or unloaded

Divide the product by the motor’s efficiency.

Use the formula below for your calculations.

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!

Saving Energy On Compressed Air Does More Than Save Money

December 1, 2015August 3, 2016Ken Bean

Approximately 70% of all manufacturers have a compressed air system. These systems power a variety of equipment, including machine tools, material handling and separation equipment, and spray painting equipment. Energy audits conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) suggest that over 50% of compressed air systems at small to medium sized industrial facilities have low-cost energy conservation opportunities.

Significant air emissions are released when electricity is produced. A recent study for the state of Minnesota, indicated that one-fourth of the energy-related emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, lead and mercury are from generating electric power. Industry uses over 34% of this electricity. Reducing electricity used by compressed air systems will help improve everyone’s air quality.

A team of qualified auditing engineers is the correct way to evaluate your system.

Contact me today to schedule a consultation.

Cold Slows Production

November 3, 2015August 3, 2016Ken Bean

Throughput Suffers When Plant’s Freeze

Everyone knows frozen air lines bring a plant to a halt. The solution is to properly maintain your compressed air dryer. Call me before the cold weather brings you to a halt. My service technicians can repair or maintain any brand of dryer both regenerative and refrigerated.

UTILIZE COOLER INTAKE AIR

October 29, 2015Ken Bean

When it comes to intake air for your compressor, cooler outdoor air is better than hot indoor air. Denser air requires less energy to compress. Though most compressors are located inside a plant building, many times the suction could easily be ducted to draw air from outside the building. Outside air will generally be cooler and, in some cases, much cooler than ambient air near the compressor. According to some estimates, lowering the intake air temperature from 90F to 70F will lower operating costs by almost 3.8%.