Leaks cost big money, compressed air systems are widely used throughout the industries and if not maintained and audited on a regular basis, are bound to have leakages which can contribute significantly to the facilities cost of energy.
Thus, it is essential to address this problem through the development of a comprehensive leak management program. These cost saving radiate out in the form of possible cost reductions of 25-50% and hence result in higher profit margins for the company. Companies presently starting at Level 1 as seen in the image, are unaware of their current compressed air leakages and, with a proper leakage program in place can reach Level 4 eventually. The objective of a leakage management program is to cut down the leakages and energy wastages in a plant to under 5%. Leakages supervene when the compressed air systems are not maintained the way it is needed to prevent wastage of energy.
THE FACTORS INCLUDE:
- non establishment of cost of leakages,
- no measuring and monitoring of the demand and supply,
- poor optimization,
- non established norms for air quality,
- poor or no leakage management which can critically a affect the system as a whole and may result in an increase in costs.
Leaks can make the future Bleak. Cost reduction aims at the elimination of wasteful elements in a planned method which are an integral part of the LMS program. A continuous monitoring system in place is also needed to identify and arrest the compressed air systems from leakages on a daily basis. This moves the company's energy management initiative to the next level as can be seen in the image. Optimization of all compressed air applications is a mandatory energy saving measure which can follow after the LMS program is complete. Besides measuring real time of all critical parameters, a well supervised system can achieve the magic figure of a less than 5% leakage rate. A cost effective leak management program should be a part of an overall program aimed at improving the performance of compressed air systems making it more efficient.
