Compressed Air Piping Design: Importance & Benefits
The compressed air piping design can make or break your system.
It directly impacts the performance and quality of your end products which means you have to take into considerations several factors before locking your compressed air piping design.
Incompetent compressed air distribution systems lead to higher energy bills, and lower productivity and performance, and that’s the last thing you want!
We have gathered compressed air piping design solutions that will help you select the best air piping layout structure according to your business and industry.
What the common compressed air distribution concerns?
Before we jump onto the compressed air piping design solutions, let’s talk about a few problems that commonly arise in compressed air distribution in plants and facilities.
- Continuous leakages from the pipe holes and connectors that leads to more issues.
- High moisture content from time-to-time chokes nozzles and causes rust. It also makes the pipes worn out earlier than expected.
- Incorrect pipe size fails to deliver the pressure required and lead to poor functionality and inefficient process.
- Tight bends and angles in the piping can hinder air flow.
All these issues are associated with the design and quality of the compressed air piping system. Delaying or ignoring these issues for a long time cause a pressure drop between the air compressor system and the point of consumption. A durable compressed air piping diagram can help you fix these issues and ensure uninterrupted processes. A solid compressed air piping system is said to be working perfectly when it releases a pressure loss of less than 10 percent of the air compressor’s discharge pressure, when measured from the air compressor discharge outlet to the point of use. The ideal pressure drop in the pipes shouldn’t surpass 0.3 bar between the air compressor discharge point and the furthest point of consumption, and to ensure this, plant managers and engineers often increase the discharge pressure at the air compressor end. Plant managers and engineers would attempt to solve this by increasing the discharge pressure at the Air Compressor end to compensate for the pressure drop. Controlling the pressure drop is an imperative part and needs to be taken care of properly because failure to do so will lead to more energy usage, and consequently, more energy costs.
Eliminate pressure drops with the right compressor air pipeline layout
After several attempts and experiments, compressed air engineers have deduced that with the right compressor air pipeline layout – also called Ring Main design, plants and facilities can control pressure drops and boost productivity to a good percentage. Ring main is basically a ring of piping in an area where the air consumption at high pressure usually takes place.
Ring main piping layout are also used to release water at high pressure in some areas. The pipes are fixated at ceilings. Branch pipes are attached to the main ring. Those branch pipes are then run along the ceilings or walls to the points of consumption in the facility.
Ring main layout helps distribute air to the point of consumption from two sides without compromising the high pressure. Despite multiple point of consumptions, users get high pressure air without having to re-adjust air pressures in the air compressor systems which takes 6 to 10 percent more energy consumption.
This way, businesses decrease energy consumption and increase productivity – leading to more products, sales and profit margins!
Other factors to consider in a compressed air piping system
Size
The size of the pipes matters a lot as it directly impacts the pressure and flow of the compressed air piping system. We recommend selecting the pipe size after measuring and analyzing your application’s compressed air demand.
Material
The pipes are made from various materials such as aluminum, copper, plastic, and other materials. It is significant to figure out which material works best for your facility as each material has its pros and cons. We recommend consulting with an expert on determining the most suitable type of pipe for your compressed air piping system.
Future needs
While designing your compressed air piping system, make sure to take into account the future requirements of your facility. Making a compressor air pipeline design keeping in mind current requirements may lead to challenges and unexpected expenses in the future.
Atlas Copco R&D is proficient at producing various compressed air piping systems and accessories that are planned, designed and developed according to the requirements of every business.
Visit this page for FREE guides and reading materials that will help you with designing a compressed air piping system for your business.
You can also get in touch with us through the page and request that a team of our experts in the UAE visit your facility for a FREE inspection and design consultation.
