Health checks & Energy Audits for Compressed Air installations

Compressed air health checks, energy audits and leak detection can have a transformative effect on business operations. Our experts will help tailor the various levels of service to your needs, resulting in unique findings that will relate to the requirements of your organisation.

Reducing costs and helping the environment

health check energy audit leak detection

Find out all the great tips in this educational beginner's guide

Optimising compressed air systems
How technology can be used to identify compressed air leaks
Deploying advanced ultrasonic technology
Health checks and energy audits for compressed air installations
Common misconceptions around air energy audits and leak detection
Real-life customer applications

A brief overview of the guide

Improving energy efficiency remains a top priority for most manufacturing organisations – for both financial and environmental reasons.

1. Optimising compressed air systems

Take compressed air as an example. Conservative analyses estimate that compressed air systems account for 10 per cent of all energy used in global industry - and of that, 10 – 30 percent is wasted on leaks. This wastage can be expensive, as even a 3mm leak could cost around £2,000 a year, with a loss equivalent to 16 tonnes of CO2 emission. Any optimisation of compressed air systems – no matter how small – can, therefore, significantly impact performance and efficiency, lowering bills and reducing carbon footprint.

2. How technology can be used to identify compressed air leaks

It is easy to assume that compressed air systems are running efficiently. But even if leaks are not immediately obvious, it does not mean that they do not exist. Leaks can be caused by many issues including corrosion, poor pipe connections and bad seals. And without investigation, these problems can add up to a significant amount of wasted energy over time, resulting in higher bills.

3. Deploying advanced ultrasonic leak detection technology

A more precise approach is to use ultrasonic leak detection equipment, which operates without interrupting plant production, reaches system areas that are hard to access, and locates all air leaks.

4. Health checks and energy audits for compressed air installations

With the technology in place to provide fast, accurate and cost-effective leak detection, Atlas Copco Compressors has developed three levels of health checks and energy audits for compressed air installation. Some of these services are offered free-of-charge, while others require an upfront investment which is quickly recouped through energy efficiency improvements, and the subsequent cost savings they bring. The health checks and energy audits also result in reduced CO2 emissions and improved regulatory compliance.

5. Common misconceptions around air energy audits and leak detection

In a typical manufacturing plant with high degrees of automation, plant managers oversee a broad range of inter-linked systems and technologies that must work seamlessly together. In such complex operating environments, it is easy to overlook the importance of high-performing compressed air systems.

Moreover, failure to instigate compressed air health checks and energy audits can also sometimes be based on outdated misconceptions that do not reflect real-world experience. Here we address some of the most common fallacies.

6. Real-life customer applications

Design engineering company Fabricon has also benefited from an iiTrak study of the compressed air usage patterns, revealing the need for a new compressor, with its existing unit relegated to standby duty. Calculations indicated long term savings with a 5-year payback from the upgrade plan.

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