New Reciprocating Compressors Added to Hope Air Product Line

Henry St. John

Parts Mgr, Hope Air Systems

As you know, Hope Air Systems is a proud distributor of Kaeser and Champion Air Compressors. I am excited to announce we are launching our own line of industrial-grade reciprocating air compressors to add to our product line.

The new Hope Air Systems’ stationary vertical or horizontal electric two-stage, belt-driven compressors deliver up to 33.6 CFM at a maximum pressure of 175 PSI and 35.0 CFM at 100 PSI. They are built for commercial and industrial applications and are equipped with an electric Baldor Motor (single phase and 3 phase available), magnetic starters, and cast iron pumps. The patented pump design provides for a cooler running pump. We are also offering gas engine (powered by Honda) and portable compressors.

You can view our brochure (PDF) for details and pricing. Or, if you have any questions call me at 508-351-1827 or email me (hstjohn@hopeair.com). 

In the meantime, take a look at all our reciprocating compressors on our website!

Hope Air Systems V-120 Compressor now displayed in our Northborough showroom

Why Blow Offs Are The Newest Secret Saver

We all know that a pinched copper tube blowing onto a product is a really inefficient way of using compressed air. 

How bad is it? A 1/8 inch hole will flow 26 CFM at 100 psi, which uses at least 6 HP on your air compressor. If you run three shifts five days per week and pay $0.10 per KW, that little piece of copper blow off tube probably cost you around $2900 per year. Many blow offs have smaller openings than 1/8 inch.

There are really three solutions out there to save energy and costs associated with air blow offs.

#1 is to convert to a blower, which may not be feasible in some applications. 

#2 is to put a nozzle on the end of the tube to reduce the flow and the sound level, which works just fine but many of the nozzles disappear after period of time.

#3 is to reduce the amount of air by changing or and inserting a control valve.

Solution #3 is the direction that Parker's Air Saver Unit has taken. It is a valve that converts a continuous air blow to a pulsed air blow without the need for any other external control. Air is blown with a series of ON and OFF pulses. When the blow is OFF, there is no air consumption. By using switching valve technology the Air Saver Unit can reduce air consumption by up to 50%, which translates into:

• Large reductions in air consumption.
• Savings in compressor power consumption.
• Reduction in plant CO2 emissions.
• Big contribution to energy-saving activities.
• Improved efficiency.

When you consider that air blowing accounts for up to half of all compressed air used in plants, the potential energy and cost savings is considerable. In the example outline below, the application of Air Saver Unit valve on four nozzles with a one minute below per four minute cycle operating for three shifts, five days per week saved plant operators $3,500 annually.

Sample Application	—›	4 nozzles 6 mm dia.	+	$0.10/ kWh	+	1 min blow per 4 min cycle	+	3 shifts 5 days/ week	=
Air Saver Unit Valve Calculator Summary Sheet
VALUE IMPACT SUMMARY
Reduced Total Annual Air Discharge per Blowing Nozzle (cfm) by:							3,232,005
Reduced Annual CO2 Emissions Generated (per Blowing Nozzle, in tons) by:							5.77 tons
Reduced Annual Air Generating Costs Per Blowing Bozzle by::							$892.03
Quantity of Air Blowing Nozzles with Same Application Specifications:							4
Reduced Annual Air Generating Costs For All Nozzles by:							$3,568.13
Reduced Annual CO2 Emissions Generated (For All Blowing Nozzles) by:							23.07

This is the only the tip of the iceberg for air conservation. To find out more about how to properly use this Air Saver valve and other energy conservation components click on the link below to register for the Introduction to Industrial Pneumatics seminar being held from 8:30AM to 12PM on October 20 at the Parker Store in Lewiston, Maine.

www.TheHopeGroup.com/workshops

Need a system engineer to look at specific air use problem in your plant? Please call Frank Lederer at 508-351-1817 or email: Frank Lederer at FLederer@HopeAir.com.

Your Compressor Should Play Well With Others

Many plants today have multiple rotary screw compressors running at the same time. This is a result of requiring additional air and adding another machine.

Unfortunately, often times compressors do not play well together and unless properly set up, this can cause excessive run time on equipment that now requires more maintenance as well as running up the power bill.

The following is an extreme case seen earlier this year of two 300HP compressors that did not play well with each other.

Two 300HP air compressors are operating in tandem to load and unload. The air compressors are rated for 1,325 at 150 PSI and the average flow meter readings from these two machines were 720 CFM or 54% of full load of one air compressor. Both compressors consume a total of approximately 379 kW. At $0.14 per kWh this would equal a yearly cost of $38,000 using a yearly operational load of 8,400 hours. One compressor should be set as lead and the other one as lag with the second compressor only coming on when needed – the potential annual savings of $60,000 from conservation and reduction of pressure can save 115 CFM by shutting off one compressor, which is a total potential savings of approximately $100,000 per year. Investment would be less than $2000 in maintenance or service cost.

While this is an extreme example, he gives you an idea of what could happen if two compressors are running together without any kind of evaluation and control set up. Here are some of the common scenarios that I have seen over the years:

• Big/little compressor both with modulation control—the big compressor should be set up as a baseload and the little compressor should be taken out of modulation if possible and set to load and unload. It’s very inefficient to load and unload the larger compressor.

• Two compressors with modulation load/no load controls—modulation unit should always try to be used as a baseload as it is least efficient in any part load situation. The system may need to have an appropriately sized receiver at least three times the volume of the machine. For example, 50HP 200 CFM load unload compressor should have a 660 gallon receiver.

• VFD compressor used with load/no load or modulation control compressor—always have the load/no load or modulation control compressor as a base load and trim with the VFD unit.

• Control gap can occur in any system when a VFD unit cannot turn down enough to meet a lower demand and goes to a load/unload scenario being less efficient—this also can cause a second machine to start up due to a pressure drop, which causes the two machines fight each other.

If you are running a 50HP and a 75HP compressor and they are both sharing loads for two shifts five days a week with power at $0.15 per KW, you could potentially be wasting 30 HP or $20,000 in energy costs per year. The savings goes up and down with the connected horsepower of two machines that are not playing well with each other.

The first step is to have your compressor technicians set up the compressors to operate most efficiently for the controls that they have for the average load in your plant. Unfortunately plant loads vary and a control set up done this month may not be appropriate 90 days from now.

A more comprehensive solution would be to evaluate your compressor system for usage and determine if the existing units can be run efficiently with a simple microprocessor control panel. You may also have to add receiver capacity and certainly look for air abuse as well as leaks in the plant.If you have a big compressor and a little compressor and they both seem to be working their hearts out and they didn’t use to, then you may have a control problem. Take the time to get a qualified person to look at them and give you the best advice on how to run your system. This could save you a substantial amount money over the next three years.

There will be more articles on screw compressor control types to follow.

Need some assistance? Please call Frank Lederer at 508-351-1817 or email: FLederer@HopeAir.com.

Avoid Making a Bad Choice When Installing a Compressor

Making choices about where and how to install your new compressor or how to re-install an existing unit as part of an expansion or relocation will have impact many months and years after the initial installation. Knowing what to do, and perhaps more importantly what not to do, can make all the difference. 

Some key points on what to do include leaving enough space around the equipment, keeping it close to an exterior wall, installation of cooling fans, and keeping it away from people bothered by noise. 

Things to be sure not to do include placing it near loading docks, remote areas, unheated areas or near the manager’s office. When you give these considerations some thought they make sense, but unless you plan properly you may inadvertently make choices that you will regret later. 

My Compressor Room planning article addresses what to do and what not to do when installing a compressed air system. Following the guidelines spelled out in the article will go a long way toward making the installation or relocation of a compressed air system less painful.

I Did My Air System Audit and Fixed Everything, So I'm Done - Right?

Supply-Side:
Let's say that you did a supply-side audit and upgraded your compressor room with the latest and greatest VFD compressor along with a cycling dryer along with the appropriate sized receivers with zero loss drains. You might have even put a demand controller and system flowmeters in place. Here is the supply side checklist:

1. Flowmeter - Record and track your air system data at the flowmeter - preferably by having it integrated into your system or at least downloading it on a weekly basis - any changes go find the reason why


2. Controls - As good as your system controls started out they can get out of sequence or improperly adjusted. There have been cases where the VFD compressor is supposed to be the trim machine but ended up being the base load machine. This completely ruins any energy savings originally planned. Do a weekly check for all shifts.


3. Drains - Any air system efficiency upgrades include zero loss strains. Check to see if they're still working properly. Establish a monthly maintenance program


4. Maintenance - Lack of maintenance can diminish the efficiency of any good compressor system. Be sure that the inlet filter/coolers/dryer condensers are cleaned regularly based on the compressor room environment. This should be done by expert maintenance staff and not wait for the service company.


5. Demand Controller - This unit regulates the air pressure out into the system creating storage in the compressor room tanks. Sometimes the air compressor pressure elf makes adjustments without other people knowing and the reduced pressure /increased storage savings goes away. Check monthly and lock if possible.

Demand-Side:
You have done all the right things in the compressor room with the latest and greatest equipment and the proper receivers etc. You went out into the plant and looked for air hogs/bad piping/incorrect low pressure air use along with other opportunities. What you to do now is check on the following quarterly:

1. Regulator - If you did not put locking regulators on stations to reduce the air from line pressure to an appropriate pressure for the operation I would bet you $10 that the regulator is cranked all the way up. Check them and replace them with locking regulators if necessary


2. Blow Offs - Many locations that originally had copper or a pipe nipple were converted to engineered blow offs to conserve 60% of the year. Unfortunately they are quiet and many operators take them off and go back to the old ways.


3. Blowers - Compressed air oftentimes replaced by blowers that operate on 10% of the KW used for the same application by an air compressor. Unfortunately blowers need maintenance to continue to run efficiently and sometimes fail without replacement. The operator then goes back to compressed air. Maintain your blowers monthly and to replace as appropriate.


4. Piping - Many times a new piece of equipment is installed quickly creating problems with the redesigned air system. No unit should be piped into the system without the Air System Sheriff approving.

This all may seem obvious but unfortunately the day-to-day business of running a facility and putting out fires takes her attention away from what was well-intentioned. It is absolutely critical to have the Air System Sheriff who is responsible for maintaining the efficiency. It is also critical that the team understand that if the company spent $100,000 to upgrade the air system to save $30,000 annually it is their responsibility maintain the savings.

Just keep in mind that the air system is like a bridge and you need to continuously keep after it or it's going to deteriorate. The challenge is making the time and energy available to maintain the air system efficiency.

If you need some help in organizing this please call Frank Lederer call at 508-351-1817 or email him at flederer@hopeair.com.

The Hope Group Sponsoring Motion Technology Workshops

To keep things in motion, we use hydraulics and pneumatics. On the pneumatic side of things, that includes compressed air and that’s a specialty of Hope Air Systems, a subsidiary of THG Corporation. During the first week of October, The Hope Group and Hope Air Systems are sponsoring workshops to help our hydraulic and pneumatic customers meet their motion and control requirement. We are bringing in the Parker Tech Tour Truck to anchor this week-long series of workshops.

The Energy Conservation workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, October 7, 2014, from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM at THG’s headquarters in Northborough, MA. Expert instructors will take participants through an overview on how air compressor controls work and how to measure air usage. We will also discuss how rebates can be obtained from local utilities as a method for making the investment in new equipment a more economic venture.

This workshop has been well attended in the past, at The Hope Group, and I recommend that you register early to be assured of a seat. To register, log on to www.TheHopeGroup.com/workshops. You may also call Cathy Donohue at 508-351-1809.

The Energy Conservation workshop is just one of five offered during the visit of the Parker Tech Tour Truck to THG Corporation. Other workshops will be Hands-on Thread ID, VMI and Integrated Supply, Pneumatic/Automation Fieldbus and Hands-on Hydraulic Workshop, featuring filtration, VSD, and diagnostic techniques for hydraulic systems. 

High-Pressure Air: Big Headaches?

One of the areas that we have specialized in at Hope Air Systems is high-pressure air primarily as a result of applying over 300 PET bottle blowing systems which produce 500 to 600 PSI. This has caused us to review all the available equipment on the market and select the most logical and reliable piece for each industrial application.

There are various high-pressure applications Hope has supplied are as follows:

• High pressure gauge and safety testing – 3000 psi
• Laser cutting – 500 PSI
• Nitrogen boosting – 300 PSI
• Torpedo testing – 5000 psi
• PET bottle blowing – 400/550 PSI
• Power plant breaker application – 800/1000 psi

Many of these applications require flows under 150 CFM, required in a particular location for an unusual use. Sometimes we can use boosters from plant air but usually require a minimum of 125 PSI to 145 PSI dependent on the discharge pressure. In the right application we've had excellent luck with boosters.

When appropriate plant air pressure is not available we have found an excellent compressor from a German manufacturer by the name of Sauer Compressors who have a number of different units that go from 230 psi to 7250 PSI. After trying a number of different brands we found that the Sauer product is not only extremely dependable has excellent technical and part support from Maryland.

This may sound like a bit of an advertisement that it really is meant to let people know that there are reliable alternatives to small specialty high-pressure units which cause big headaches for a little compressor application.

Bring us your issues with high-pressure air and we will have a realistic solution. Please call Frank at 508-351-1817 or email: flederer@hopeair.com.