Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1366075
May 2021 / 35 Postponing projects can be costly Plant managers often think they'll get around to compressed- air issues when they have more time, but is that good business? Does the savvy plant or pro- duction manager accept unnecessary and avoidable spending? Of course, the answer to this is typically no, but that's not always the case when compressed- air systems are involved. Could this be the case for your facility? Another example involves a plant that had been talking about conducting a compressed-air system audit for 15 years. Eventually, the plant's financial "pain" became so great that the manager finally decided to have the audit done. After it was completed and the suggested compressed-air improvements were made, the facility ended up saving $1.1 million per year on a system that cost $1.6 million per year to run. This waste doesn't just apply to operating costs. It applies to capital costs as well. What if you have a pres- sure problem? Buy a new compressor. What if you have a water problem? Buy a bigger dryer. Purchasing these equipment pieces may be a quick solution to your air system problems, but the costs add up fairly quickly. To paraphrase one of the experts in our business, the prof- If the mine had made the business decision to under- take those costs, the operation could have gone without the new $600,000-plus system entirely. So, is the problem the people involved or the process of deciding on a solution? Rest assured, the problem is the process. A dollar saved in a compressed- air system improvement isn't treated the same as a dollar earned in increased profitability, and therein lies the challenge — as well as the opportunity — when dealing with these issues. If you're reading this article, odds are pretty good that your compressed-air system, as shown in Figure 2, offers a larger cost-reduction opportunity than in some other industries. Many businesses working with powder or bulk solids deal with lightweight materials and often in processes that require heat. You can never underestimate a staff person's ability to ingeniously use compressed air to deal with these lightweight materials and heat issues. We call using compressed air in this manner "pneumatic duct taping," so deal- ing with the compressed-air demand side is far more critical in your plant than in most. Unfortunately, most compressor experts spend the majority of their time in the compressor room, which means that solutions to compressed-air problems aren't optimal. This is because the system is driven by the compressed-air users and not the compressor room, which is counter- intuitive to what many people think. The compressor is always acting in response to what happened out in the plant. Fixing the problem in the compressor room is similar to letting the tail wag the dog. FIGURE 2 Compressed air's versatility makes it an expensive but favorite "go to" in the powder and bulk solids industry. INDUSTRIAL CONVEYORS 800-325-6377 www.rapat.com Committed to Quality When it comes down to it, quality is king. That's why all of our work centers have documented quality procedures to ensure the highest quality product.