Under pressure
18 Mar 2014
Biggest is not always best when it comes to choosing a compressor, writes Louisa Hearn.
They are part of the furniture in many process plants, but old or inefficient compressors are under scrutiny as companies seek to squeeze more value from industrial equipment.
Figures from energy-advice agency the Carbon Trust show that in some process industries, compressed air can account for as much as 30% of the total site electricity usage.
“The process of compressing air can be wasteful,” says a recent Carbon Trust report.
“Of the total energy supplied to a compressor, as little as 8-10% is converted into usable energy at the point of use. This makes it a very expensive method of transferring energy.”
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