Abstract
Compressed air is an integral utility part of industrial utility systems. Any improvement in compressed air system will lead to reduction in utility cost. The effectiveness of utilization side of compressed air is usually dependent upon operator’s discretion. There are no performance testing methods available for testing existing end use equipments. A test apparatus for estimation of compressed air flow based on measurement of pressure reduction in a fixed volume cylinder in a given time is developed. The test apparatus is easy to build and simple to operate in an industrial environment. This can be used for measuring performance of any pneumatic end-use equipment and for benchmarking the performance. The test apparatus was used in a foundry for quantifying the performance of the old and new blow guns.
Highlights
Compressed air is a key utility after electricity, gas and water, and contributes to a major factor of utility cost in manufacturing plants
The test apparatus is easy to build and simple to operate in an industrial environment
Measurement of compressed air at usage point is important for maintenance and replacement of inefficient pneumatic end-use equipments
Summary
Compressed air is a key utility after electricity, gas and water, and contributes to a major factor of utility cost in manufacturing plants. In compressed air systems the efficiency of conversion from electrical input-to-kinetic energy output at usage point is around 10 percent Ming [1] It is generated centrally using compressors and distributed for utilization in the manufacturing plant. The end-use equipment performance can be measured in terms of compressed air consumption at a given pressure. There are conventional flow meters available for measurement of compressed air flow which are generally used on the main distribution lines These flow meters are costly and difficult to adopt for measurement of small flow rates encountered for end-use equipment Koski [6]. A simple and cost effective test apparatus is developed for flow measurement of the compressed air end-use equipment. The test apparatus is used in a foundry for measurement of compressed air flow for old and new blow guns and the effectiveness of the test apparatus is demonstrated
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
