Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The purpose of this research is to analyze the overall energy consumption of an industrial compressed air system, and identify the impact of various energy saving of individual subsystem on the overall system. Two parameters are introduced for energy consumption evaluation and potential energy saving: energy efficiency (e) and process effectiveness (n). An analytical energy model for air compression of the overall system was created taking into consideration the modeling of individual sub-system components: air compressor, after-cooler, filter, dryer and receiver. The analytical energy model for each subsystem included energy consumption evolution using the theoretical thermodynamic approach. Furthermore, pressure loss models of individual components along with pipe friction loss were included in the system overall efficiency calculation. The efficiency analysis methods and effectiveness approach discussed in this study were used to optimize energy consumption and quantify energy savings. The method was tested through a case study on a plant of a die-casting manufacturing company. The experimental system efficiency was 76.2% vs. 89.3% theoretical efficiency. This showed model uncertainty at ~15%. The effectiveness of reducing the set pressure increases as the difference in pressure increase. The effectiveness of using outside air for compressors intake is close to the compressors work reduction percentage. However, it becomes more effective when the temperature difference increase. This is mainly due to extra heat loss. There is potential room of improvement of the various component using the efficiency and effectiveness methods. These components include compressor, intercooler and dryer. Temperature is a crucial parameter that determines the energy consumption applied by these components. If optimum temperature can be determined, plenty of energy savings will be realized.

<div>The purpose of this research is to analyze the overall energy consumption of an industrial compressed air system, and identify the impact of various energy saving of individual subsystem on the overall system. Two parameters are introduced for energy consumption evaluation and potential energy saving: energy efficiency (e) and process effectiveness (n). An analytical energy model for air compression of the overall system was created taking into consideration the modeling of individual sub-system components: air compressor, after-cooler, filter, dryer and receiver. The analytical energy model for each subsystem included energy consumption evolution using the</div><div>theoretical thermodynamic approach. Furthermore, pressure loss models of individual components along with pipe friction loss were included in the system overall efficiency calculation.</div><div>The efficiency analysis methods and effectiveness approach discussed in this study were used to optimize energy consumption and quantify energy savings. The method</div><div>was tested through a case study on a plant of a die-casting manufacturing company. The experimental system efficiency was 76.2% vs. 89.3% theoretical efficiency. This showed model uncertainty at ~15%. The effectiveness of reducing the set pressure increases as the difference in pressure increase. The effectiveness of using outside air for</div><div>compressors intake is close to the compressors work reduction percentage. However, it becomes more effective when the temperature difference increase. This is mainly due to extra heat loss. There is potential room of improvement of the various component using the efficiency and effectiveness methods. These components include compressor, intercooler and dryer. Temperature is a crucial parameter that determines the energy consumption applied by these components. If optimum temperature can be determined, plenty of energy savings will be realized.</div>

Growing demand for electricity forces suppliers to expand their generation capacity. Financing these expansion programmes results in electricity cost increases above inflation rates. By reducing electricity consumption, additional supply capacity is created at lower costs than the building of conventional power stations. Therefore, there is strong justification to reduce electricity consumption on the supplier and consumer side. The mining and industrial sectors of South Africa consumed approximately 43% of the total electricity supplied by Eskom during 2012. Approximately 10% of this electricity was used to produce compressed air. By reducing the electricity consumption of compressed air systems, operating costs are reduced. In turn this reduces the strain on the South African electricity network. Previous energy saving projects on mine compressed air systems realised savings that were not always sustainable. Savings deteriorated due to, amongst others, rapid employee turnover, improper training, lack of maintenance and system changes. There is therefore a need to improve projects that have already been implemented on mine compressed air systems. The continuous improvement of equipment (such as improved control valves) and the availability of newer technologies can be used to improve existing energy saving strategies. This study provides a solution to reduce the electricity consumption and operating costs of a deep level mine compressed air system. This was achieved by modernising and improving an existing underground compressed air saving strategy. This improvement resulted in a power saving of 1.15 MW; a saving equivalent to an annual cost saving of R4.16 million. It was found that the improved underground compressed air DSM project realised significant additional electrical energy savings. This resulted in ample cost savings to justify the implementation of the project improvements. It is recommended that opportunities to improve existing electrical energy saving projects on surface compressed air systems are investigated. / MIng (Mechanical Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Growing demand for electricity forces suppliers to expand their generation capacity. Financing these expansion programmes results in electricity cost increases above inflation rates. By reducing electricity consumption, additional supply capacity is created at lower costs than the building of conventional power stations. Therefore, there is strong justification to reduce electricity consumption on the supplier and consumer side. The mining and industrial sectors of South Africa consumed approximately 43% of the total electricity supplied by Eskom during 2012. Approximately 10% of this electricity was used to produce compressed air. By reducing the electricity consumption of compressed air systems, operating costs are reduced. In turn this reduces the strain on the South African electricity network. Previous energy saving projects on mine compressed air systems realised savings that were not always sustainable. Savings deteriorated due to, amongst others, rapid employee turnover, improper training, lack of maintenance and system changes. There is therefore a need to improve projects that have already been implemented on mine compressed air systems. The continuous improvement of equipment (such as improved control valves) and the availability of newer technologies can be used to improve existing energy saving strategies. This study provides a solution to reduce the electricity consumption and operating costs of a deep level mine compressed air system. This was achieved by modernising and improving an existing underground compressed air saving strategy. This improvement resulted in a power saving of 1.15 MW; a saving equivalent to an annual cost saving of R4.16 million. It was found that the improved underground compressed air DSM project realised significant additional electrical energy savings. This resulted in ample cost savings to justify the implementation of the project improvements. It is recommended that opportunities to improve existing electrical energy saving projects on surface compressed air systems are investigated. / MIng (Mechanical Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

<p>Compressed  air  is  a  powerful  source  of  stored  energy  and  is  used  in  a  variety  of  applications varying from painting to pressing, making it a versatile tool for manufacturers.  Due to the high cost and energy consumption associated with producing compressed air and it’s use within industrial manufacturing, it is often referred to as a fourth utility behind electricity, natural gas, and water.  This is the reason why air compressors and associated equipment are often the focus for improvements in the eyes of manufacturing plant managers.</p> <p><br></p> <p>As compressed air can be used in multiple ways, the methods used to extract and transfer the energy from this source vary as well.  Compressed air can flow through different types of piping, such as aluminum, Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), rubber, etc.  with varying hydraulic diameters, and through different fittings such as 90-degree elbows, T-junctions, valves, etc.which can cause one of the major concerns related to managing the energy consumption of an air compressor, and that is the waste of air through leaks.</p> <p>Air leaks make up a considerable portion of the energy that is wasted in a compressed air system,  as they cause a multitude of problems that the compressor will have to makeup  for  to  maintain  the  steady  operation  of  the  pneumatic  devices  on  the  manufacturing floor that rely on compressed air for their application.  When air leaks are formed within the compressed air piping network,  they act as continuous consumers and cause not only the siphoning off of said compressed air, put also reduce the pressure that is needed within the  pipes.   The  air  compressors  will  have  to  work  harder  to  compensate  for  the  losses  in the pressure and the amount of air itself, causing an over consumption of energy and power.Overworking the air compressor also causes the internal equipment to be stretched beyond its capabilities, especially if they are already running at full loads, reducing their total lifespans considerably.  In addition, if there are multiple leaks close to the pneumatic devices on the manufacturing floor, the immediate loss in pressure and air can cause the devices to operate inefficiently and thus cause a reduction in production.  This will all cumulatively impact the manufacturer considerably when it comes to energy consumption and profits.</p> <p>There are multiple methods of air leak detection and accounting that currently exist so as  to  understand  their  impact  on  the  compressed  air  systems.   The  methods  are  usually conducted when the air compressors are running but during the time when there is no, orminimal, active consumption of the air by the pneumatic devices on the manufacturing floor.This time period is usually called non-production hours and generally occur during breaksor  between  employee  shift  changes.   This  time  is  specifically  chosen  so  that  the  only  air consumption within the piping is that of the leaks and thus, the majority of the energy and power consumed during this time is noted to be used to feed the air leaks.  The collected data is then used to extrapolate and calculate the energy and power consumed by these leaks for the rest of the year.  There are, however, a few problems that arise when using such a method to understand the effects of the leaks in the system throughout the year.  One of the issues is that it is assumed that the air and pressure lost through the found leaks areconstant even during the production hours i.e.  the hours that there is active air consumptionby the pneumatic devices on the floor, which may not be the case due to the increased airflow rates and varying pressure within the line which can cause an increase in the amount of air lost through the same orifices that was initially detected.  Another challenge that arises with using only the data collected during a single non-production time period is that theremay be additional air leaks that may be created later on,  and the energy and power lostdue to the newer air leaks would remain unaccounted for.  As the initial estimates will not include the additional losses, the effects of the air leaks may be underestimated by the plant managers.  To combat said issues, a continuous method of air leak analyses will be required so as to monitor the air compressors’ efficiency in relation to the air leaks in real time.</p> <p>By studying a model that includes both the production, and non-production hours when accounting  for  the  leaks,  it  was  observed  that  there  was  a  50.33%  increase  in  the  energy losses, and a 82.90% increase in the demand losses that were estimated when the effects ofthe air leaks were observed continuously and in real time.  A real time monitoring system canprovide an in-depth understanding of the compressed air system and its efficiency.  Managing leaks within a compressed air system can be challenging especially when the amount of energy wasted through these leaks are unaccounted for.  The main goal of this research was to finda non intrusive way to calculate the amount of air as well as energy lost due to these leaks using time series pressure measurements.  Previous studies have shown a strong relationship between the pressure difference, and the use of air within pneumatic lines, this correlationalong with other factors has been exploited in this research to find a novel and viable methodof leak accounting to develop a Continuous Air Leak Monitoring (CALM) system.</p> <p><br></p>

The Swedish industry uses large volumes of compressed air. The compressed air process isenergy intensive and creates large amounts of excess heat. It is therefore important to utilizethe excess heat, optimize the operation of the compressors and to have a regular maintenanceon the system. This thesis is a pre-study to make a compressed air system energy efficient andis done in collaboration with Ljunghäll AB. Ljunghäll AB is one of Northern Europe's leadingdie casting companies and are located in Södra Vi, Sweden. The purpose is to describe andmap the compressed air system in the old part of the facility in Södra Vi. The thesis will alsogive an explanation of how Ljunghäll AB can improve the compressed air system. Providethem suggestions for energy savings and lower the environmental impact of production. Theobjective of the thesis is to create an understanding of how improvements in the compressedair system can be done by studying the operation, compressor, pipe system and leak detecting.The economic aspects of the solutions together with the effect of noise and engine operationof the compressors have not been taken into consideration. To reach improvement measures avisit to the facility in Södra Vi was made, where measuring and mapping was executed andthen compared with earlier studies and literature. The conclusions of the thesis show thatLjunghäll AB has a good operation and control of the compressors, through the variable speeddrive and steering system. It also showed that the choice of the existing compressors are goodfor their compressed air usage. The study also resulted in the following suggestions for theenergy efficiency and lowering of the environmental impact of production at Ljunghäll AB’scompressed air system: Water heat recovery, replacement of old pipes, cover the leakage,regular maintenance of compressors and fittings, training in compressed air for workers,centralized compressor central and sectioning of the pipe system.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Compressed air is a powerful source of stored energy and is used in a variety of applications varying from painting to pressing, making it a versatile tool for manufacturers. Due to the high cost and energy consumption associated with producing compressed air and it’s use within industrial manufacturing, it is often referred to as a fourth utility behind electricity, natural gas, and water. This is the reason why air compressors and associated equipment are often the focus for improvements in the eyes of manufacturing plant managers. As compressed air can be used in multiple ways, the methods used to extract and transfer the energy from this source vary as well. Compressed air can flow through different types of piping, such as aluminum, Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), rubber, etc. with varying hydraulic diameters, and through different fittings such as 90-degree elbows, T-junctions, valves, etc. which can cause one of the major concerns related to managing the energy consumption of an air compressor, and that is the waste of air through leaks. Air leaks make up a considerable portion of the energy that is wasted in a compressed air system, as they cause a multitude of problems that the compressor will have to make up for to maintain the steady operation of the pneumatic devices on the manufacturing floor that rely on compressed air for their application. When air leaks are formed within the compressed air piping network, they act as continuous consumers and cause not only the siphoning off of said compressed air, put also reduce the pressure that is needed within the pipes. The air compressors will have to work harder to compensate for the losses in the pressure and the amount of air itself, causing an overconsumption of energy and power. Overworking the air compressor also causes the internal equipment to be stretched beyond its capabilities, especially if they are already running at full loads, reducing their total lifespans considerably. In addition, if there are multiple leaks close to the pneumatic devices on the manufacturing floor, the immediate loss in pressure and air can cause the devices to operate inefficiently and thus cause a reduction in production. This will all cumulatively impact the manufacturer considerably when it comes to energy consumption and profits. There are multiple methods of air leak detection and accounting that currently exist so as to understand their impact on the compressed air systems. The methods are usually conducted when the air compressors are running but during the time when there is no, or minimal, active consumption of the air by the pneumatic devices on the manufacturing floor. This time period is usually called non-production hours and generally occur during breaks or between employee shift changes. This time is specifically chosen so that the only air consumption within the piping is that of the leaks and thus, the majority of the energy and power consumed during this time is noted to be used to feed the air leaks. The collected data is then used to extrapolate and calculate the energy and power consumed by these leaks for the rest of the year. There are, however, a few problems that arise when using such a method to understand the effects of the leaks in the system throughout the year. One of the issues is that it is assumed that the air and pressure lost through the found leaks are constant even during the production hours i.e. the hours that there is active air consumption by the pneumatic devices on the floor, which may not be the case due to the increased air flow rates and varying pressure within the line which can cause an increase in the amount of air lost through the same orifices that was initially detected. Another challenge that arises with using only the data collected during a single non-production time period is that there may be additional air leaks that may be created later on, and the energy and power lost due to the newer air leaks would remain unaccounted for. As the initial estimates will not include the additional losses, the effects of the air leaks may be underestimated by the plant managers. To combat said issues, a continuous method of air leak analyses will be required so as to monitor the air compressors’ efficiency in relation to the air leaks in real time. By studying a model that includes both the production, and non-production hours when accounting for the leaks, it was observed that there was a 50.33% increase in the energy losses, and a 82.90% increase in the demand losses that were estimated when the effects of the air leaks were observed continuously and in real time. A real time monitoring system can provide an in-depth understanding of the compressed air system and its efficiency. Managing leaks within a compressed air system can be challenging especially when the amount of energy wasted through these leaks are unaccounted for. The main goal of this research was to find a nonintrusive way to calculate the amount of air as well as energy lost due to these leaks using time series pressure measurements. Previous studies have shown a strong relationship between the pressure difference, and the use of air within pneumatic lines, this correlation along with other factors has been exploited in this research to find a novel and viable method of leak accounting to develop a Continuous Air Leak Monitoring (CALM) system.

The aim of this diploma thesis is to elaborate alternative designs of the Dětkovice sewer network. The first part deals with reasons of this work and the area of interest. In the next part the thesis deals with describe of current condition and proposed alternative designs. Furthermore, the economic assessment of alternative designs is elaborate.

För att tillgodose framtidens växande behov av energi och samtidigt bidra till en långsiktigt hållbar energitillförsel krävs resurs- och energieffektivisering inom flera sektorer. Inte minst inom industrin som år 2016 stod för mer än 50 procent av det globala energibehovet. Tillvaratagandet av befintliga resurser såsom spillvärme från tryckluftsproduktion är en möjlig effektiviseringsåtgärd. Till grund för examensarbetet ligger ett önskemål från koncernen Sandvik AB att utreda besparingspotential och kostnader för reinvestering i en av industrins kompressorcentraler, Götvalsverket. Reinvesteringen avser två nya kompressorer vars spillvärme integreras i industrins befintliga närvärmesystem och möjliggör för minskade resurs- och energikostnader samt utsläpp av CO2. Arbetet syftar till att analysera olika kompressorlösningar utifrån ett ekonomiskt och miljömässig perspektiv. Detta görs med hjälp av insamlad data, känslighetsanalyser och lönsamhetskalkyler med tillhörande LCC. Målet är att kunna besvara olika frågeställningar rörande total investeringskostnad, energi- och resursbesparing samt utsläppsreducering. Två fall av produktion undersöks, dels vid drift enligt Götvalsverkets befintliga produktionstid och dels med en optimerad drifttid för kompressorenheterna. En litteraturstudie har också genomförts där flera studier visar att tryckluft är ett dyrt alternativ för energiproduktion och att implementering av effektiviseringsåtgärder, däribland återvinning av spillvärme, därför kan vara väl grundade investeringar. Även andra fördelar kan kopplas till energieffektivisering, exempelvis förbättrad produktion och arbetsmiljö för anställda. Resultatet av arbetet visade att särskilt ett kompressoralternativ stod ut från de övriga ur både en ekonomisk- och miljömässig synpunkt. Detta alternativ erbjöd inte den billigaste investeringen men däremot var mängden återvunnen värme så pass mycket större än för andra alternativ, att energibesparingen minskade återbetalningstiden drastiskt. Tillvaratagande av befintliga resurser som spillvärme, tillsammans med industrins minskade energianvändning, anses vara en nödvändighet för att kunna säkerställa välmående hos både människor, djur och natur i framtiden. / In order to meet the growing demand for energy in the future, while contributing to a long-term sustainable energy supply, resource and energy efficiency measures are required within several sectors. In 2016 the industry sector accounted for more than 50 percent of the global power demand. The use of existing resources, such as waste heat from compressed air production, is a possible efficiency measure.  Behind this thesis work is a request from the Sandvik AB Group to estimate savings potential and reinvestment costs in one of the industry's compressor centers, Götvalsverket. The reinvestment refers to two new compressors whose waste heat is integrated into the industry's existing district heating system and allows for reduced resource and energy costs as well as a reduction of CO2-emissions.  This work aims to investigate different compressor alternatives from an economic- and environmental perspective. This is done using collected data, a sensitivity analysis and profitability calculations with an attached LCC-analysis. The aim is to answer various questions regarding total investment cost, energy and resource saving as well as emission reduction. Two cases in production are investigated. The first according to the existing operation hours in Götvalsverket and the second case with an optimized operating time for the compressor units.  A literature review has also been conducted where several studies show that compressed air is an expensive alternative to energy production and that implementation of efficiency measures, including waste heat recovery, can be well-founded investments. Other benefits can also be linked to energy efficiency, such as improved production and an improved work environment for employees.  The result of the work showed that one alternative in particular stood out from the other compressor solutions, both from an economic and environmental point of view. This option did not offer the cheapest investment but the amount of recovered waste heat was much larger than for the other alternatives and therefore, energy savings reduced the payback period drastically.  The utilizing of existing resources such as waste heat, together with the industry sector’s reduced energy consumption, is considered a necessity in order to ensure the well-being of people, animals and nature in the future.