
To help make air compression somewhat more economical, consider setting your machines to switch off when they are not being used. A plant with 1,000 horsepower of air compressors operating at the same conditions would spend around $400,000/yr. In round numbers, this 100-hp air compressor would cost approximately $40,000/yr just for the electricity. If energy costs $0.075/kW on average, what is the annual cost of running this compressor? It runs for 8,760 hr/yr (the plant operates 24 hr/day, 365 days per year), with a 75% load factor ( i.e., fully loaded 75% of the time) and a 93% electric motor efficiency. Let’s consider a 100-hp air compressor that consumes 0.746 kW per horsepower. Compressing air: An inefficient processĮxample cost breakdown. It describes the basics of optimizing compressed air systems using tactics such as reducing air leaks, properly training operators, sustaining proper maintenance practices, and conducting an end-use survey. This article explains why compressing air is so inefficient and why the costs for this process are so high. If you must use compressed air, there are certain things that should be done to ensure the most efficient compressed air system possible for your circumstances. Electric costs for air compressors can account for up to 30% of a manufacturing site’s total electric bill. But by the time air is compressed, cooled, dried, transported, regulated, and then finally used, it is anything but free.
#Air compressor free
Compressed air is often considered a free commodity at the point of use. However, it is one of the most inefficient, expensive, and misused utilities in manufacturing plants. This article offers some tactics to optimize your compressed air system, which can help reduce energy costs at your plant.Ĭompressed air is an integral part of most manufacturing processes. Compressing air is an inefficient and expensive process.
