Check
up the energy levels
Undertaking
a comprehensive audit of the compressed air systems can vastly improve
efficiencies, says Saji Antony
For
industry users of fluid power applications, maintaining and improving
efficiency in compressed air systems (CAS) is of great significance.
Hence, it is necessary to appoint an external auditor to conduct an
audit of CAS in order to deduce the energy saving potential. The audit
should be a thorough diagnostic assessment of the supplies for and demands
of pneumatic systems. This would help to identify costs, develop usage
management procedures, and assign accountability, thus isolating air
power as a cost of production.
The three stages of accepting the results of an external energy audit
of pneumatic systems are shock, relief and, finally, delight. Customers
are likely to be amazed at the problems they encounter, the completeness
of the solutions and the savings in the electric and other associated
costs. Several Indian companies have already achieved significant cost
savings by installing energy saving systems.
Basic audit criteria
An important consideration before conducting the external audit,
is to clearly delineate and specify the criteria that the audit should
meet. Certain criteria form the basis for the first and second level
audits, and render the audit unacceptable if not met with.
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These
criteria are:
- Provision of
an overview at a cost commensurate with the system size, complexity
and potential recovery
- Generation
of short and long term plans to control and manage
the air system. This mainly includes binding all the interrelated
parts and giving the client of the user a basic understanding of the
same
-
Creation of a general guide for the user to continue increasing system
efficiency
-
Inclusion of the identification specific programmes and/or actions
to be implemented, plus estimated costs and payback.
....CONTD
