Belts deliver energy savings for air compressors
1 Oct 2007
Ipswich, UK - PIX Transmission was keen to know if one belt had energy saving advantages over the other, which was proved as RAC belts can benefit customers with potential energy savings of up to 3.8% over wrapped belts (for generators) 1.8% for air compressors.
In these days of rising energy prices and more stringent regulations, it is important to consider all options for reducing the energy profile of all machinery. The investigation also explored the relative advantages of REC over wrapped belt, in terms of belt re-tensioning requirements by studying the belt tension decay with time under controlled conditions.
The study used a triple cylinder reciprocating air compressor of 50 cubic metre per hour capacity fitted with 7.5 kW motors. Two B80 belts were selected to drive the unit. The compressor is used in the textile industry, where the air is used for splicing the yarn in autoconers and the compressor runs intermittently for about 20 hours in a day.
An energy meter with a time monitor was connected to compressor for measuring the energy consumption and the total number of hours of operation. The Compressor was run under similar cut-in (7.5 kg per square cm) and cut off (10 kg per square cm.) pressure levels with wrapped belt B80 and then with REC belt BX 80 for more than 500 hours.
The energy consumption of air compressor
|
S.No. |
Particulars |
Wrapped B80 |
REC BX80 |
|
1 |
Motor speed, rpm |
1457 |
1451 |
|
2 |
Compressor speed, rpm |
734 |
736 |
|
3 |
Yarn production, kg |
1233.350 |
1125.690 |
|
4 |
Total running hours |
567.0 |
526.0 |
|
5 |
Total Energy consumed, kW |
3691.8 |
3363.3 |
|
6 |
Energy consumed / hour, kW |
6.51 |
6.39 |
|
7 |
Energy savings , % |
- |
1.84 |
The REC belt is found to give around 1.8% energy saving over the wrapped belt in air compressor drive. The actual saving observed as above is found to be lesser than the laboratory result which could be attributed to the difference in drive conditions; in laboratory test as well as in ring frame the belt runs
Commenting on the results, Stewart Booth, operations director of PIX said “This is a fascinating survey, as no-one to my knowledge has looked at the energy saving advantages of one belt over another before. The REC belt is quite clearly a winner in terms of both of their energy saving abilities and their durability. They save customers money and they last longer than V belts”.
