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Do I need a 30hp Compressor ?
Oversizing a compressor is never a good deal
The Case
We received a call one day from a customer who had been running a 30hp Ingersoll Rand compressor for a number of years. He said they had bought it simply because it was a good deal at the time, but he was now wondering if he even needed a compressor that large. They were having several problems with the internal dryer, so he figured it was time to look at a replacement. We recommended completing an Air Demand Analysis, and the customer approved the work.
The Numbers Never Lie
Once we completed the Air Demand Analysis, we found that the customer's intuition was correct: his compressor was significantly oversized. We determined that the customer's average demand was only 22 CFM, with a peak demand of 72 CFM. The calculated specific power consumption was 68.51 kW/100 CFM, while ideally, you want that number to be below 20.
The Solution
We installed a new Kaeser SK 20 Aircenter with an additional 400 gallons of storage capacity. We also added a high-pressure kit to the Kaeser SK 20 to increase the maximum pressure to 160 psi. This allowed us to fully realize the benefits of the storage by storing air at a high pressure and then regulating the system pressure to only what the customer required. This resulted in a $4,500 per year reduction in power costs and a much more reliable compressed air system.
If you feel your compressed air system might be oversized, inefficient, or unreliable, please contact us today. We can start with a free system assessment and explore completing an Air Demand Analysis to determine exactly what your business needs and how much money can be saved.