Imagine coming back from your summer holidays to discover that you left your AC running all that time! Ouch, with today’s high energy prices it would be an expensive shock. In an industrial environment it’s akin to your machines running compressed-air based processes that are un-optimised for idle or standby periods, or where there are undetected air leaks (almost all systems have leaks). You might think the machine isn’t using much energy, but the reality is very different.
By Filip Běhounek, Customised Services at SMC Czech Republic
JUNE 2023
Some level of idle time is of course inevitable when your workers change shifts or the machine is waiting for input material, so reducing the air pressure in these periods represents a quick way to tackle air inefficiency.
60% energy savings
Take my recent experience at a customer’s facility. As in the majority of energy-efficiency conversations we have with our customers, we start with air consumption monitoring. Could we implement energy-efficiency solutions without monitoring? Yes, but you would miss out on vital knowledge, such as the true ROI (return on investment) or environmental impact of our proposed measures.
Monitoring your compressed air usage, identifying compressed air waste and inefficiencies, and making investments in new compressed air equipment are tangible ways to cut your energy bills. In this instance, my customer’s line was running 6,000 hours a year at an estimated cost of €0.035 per m3. Measurements using an ultrasonic flow meter revealed that the line flow rate during idle time was 123 Nl/min (10 % of the average flow during operation). This 10 % of leakage in that sole line represented a cost of €1,500. However, by automatically reducing the line pressure to 2 bar during idle times, that line saved €900 a year, a 60 % cost reduction.
I can reveal that the facilitating technology in this success was our Air Management System. Notably, this decentralised system is compatible with OPC UA for direct data communications connection without the need of a PLC, as data goes directly to the PC where you are gathering the data. If no monitoring system in place, our Air Management System is capable of working solo. You can parametrise through the web server directly on the Air Management System.
SMC´s Air Management System – AMS20/30/40/60 Series
Next-level optimisation
Remember: you cannot manage what it is not measured, so implementing solutions that facilitate virtual visualisation and control of parameters (flow, pressure, temperature) with fieldbus or OPC UA data collection represent a positive step towards higher machine efficiency.
Depending on your situation and budget, you either need a quick fix to impact your operating costs, or you need user-friendly air monitoring or potentially a whole energy optimisation plan. Whatever you decide, SMC can provide you with effective support and highly beneficial outcomes
