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During a recent set up of a new controller installed to manage three compressors (two 40 hp and one 75 hp), our field rep mistakenly set the system pressure 20 psi lower than planned. A week or so later, during a system check, the technician discovered the error. Meanwhile, the plant equipment ran fine. Nobody in the plant noticed any production issues. So in addition to a 13% power reduction from better compressor management, the customer got another 10% power benefit by running at lower pressure.
We certainly don’t recommend this approach to finding your proper system pressure, but this incident highlights a very common mistake in compressed air systems: many compressed air systems are running at higher pressures than needed. A rule of thumb for typical plant air systems is that every 2 psig increase in pressure requires 1% more power. So turning up the compressors from 100 to 110 psig increases power consumption about 5%. This practice does not increase productivity. It just uses more energy— and often causes premature wear in pneumatic equipment.
If you have any doubts at all (or even if you don’t), we advise turning down the pressure to see if it affects production, but with a conservative approach. Try 1 psi per week until someone in production complains. This is a no-cost solution that immediately saves money. And the bigger the system and the higher your utility rates, the more you save. The added bonus is reducing the volume lost through leaks, and this also reduces flow demand and compressor run time.
If you are trying to overcome pressure drop between the compressor and points of use, the ideal solution is to minimize the source (s) of the pressure drop (e.g. replace clogged filters, make sure ball valves are fully open, replace undersized piping and fittings). And if it does become necessary to set pressure higher, do it incrementally. People tend to bump up the pressure 5 or 10 psi at a time without trying to adjust it back down.
This is a tip you can take to the bank.