It’s energy matters first and foremost
August 12th 2011 Welcome to the 2011/12 edition of AirUser – Your Guide to Air Powered Systems. This is the fifteenth edition of the Guide and, once again, it contains a wide range of information for users, distributors and manufacturers of compressed air equipment.
Perhaps more than ever this year among the cross-section of feature articles, there is one topic that occurs over and over again – energy. With the economic climate still far from healthy, reducing energy consumption remains a high priority for companies large and small. Surprising then to hear from BCAS (British Compressed Air Society) that many users of compressed air do not know how much their systems cost to operate on an annual basis, nor do they know how to calculate the cost. With electricity the largest single expense in operating any compressed air system, AirUser is pleased to include an article from Chris Dee at BCAS in which he offers helps with calculating the electricity cost.
For those compressed air users looking for energy saving opportunities, Mark Whitmore at Boge discusses the advantages of waste heat recovery when it comes to optimising energy use, and HPC Compressed Air Systems details the new international efficiency classifications for motors, introduced as part of an international effort to increase energy efficiency.
Maintenance and health and safety also remain key issues in today’s workplace. AirUser has a maintenance article by Adrian Foster at Parker Hannifin who stresses the need for engineering companies to adopt a holistic view of their systems while, in the foreword to AirUser, Colin Mander, president of BCAS, emphasises the importance of using genuine spare parts.
In a back-to-basics article on health and safety, Martin Chitty at Mattei highlights the risks associated with improper use of compressed air and suggests that these risks may not be as well known as those associated with gas and electricity.
Measurement is the theme for an article by Stephen Riley of Beko Technologies who explains why he believes measuring devices have a key role to play in managing both the quantity and quality of compressed air. Pekka Ravila of Vaisala also looks at measurement, but with the focus on accurate dew point monitoring.
In a case study on pipework, Teseo gives details of an aluminium compressed air delivery system that has been installed at the GKN Aerospace plant in Bristol. Colin Billiet of nano-porous solutions outlines the benefits of nano-technology used for Adsorbent Media Tubes (AMTs).
The technology can be applied to many different and challenging applications where contaminant and other substances need to be removed or separated from gases.
In an article that encompasses all the key themes of this year’s AirUser – energy, maintenance and health and safety – Sean Fairest of Atlas Copco Compressors explains how the correct installation and siting of compressors and accessories can have a significant impact on a compressor system’s performance and reliability.
If you need distributors, then we hope that this publication and www.airuser.com will provide the information that you need to get in touch with someone local to you. If you need further help in deciding which company to use, BCAS operates an AirSAFE Register. All BCAS members are listed and customers are able to read reviews about members from their industry peers: www.referenceline.com/bcas.
We hope that AirUser 2011/12 will prove a useful reference tool – both for sourcing equipment and services and for advice on helping you to run your compressed air systems as safely, reliably and as energy efficiently as possible.
Val Kealey - Editor
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