Compressed Air Systems Flashcards

In a poorly maintained industrial plant, leaks commonly waste about what share of compressor output?

Answer: 20-30%

DOE estimates that leaks in poorly maintained systems waste 20-30% of compressor output.

A common rule of thumb says that lowering system discharge pressure by 2 psi reduces compressor energy use by roughly how much?

Answer: 1%

For each 2 psi drop in discharge pressure, energy use falls by about 1% at full output.

Which tool is most effective for finding compressed air leaks in a noisy plant during production?

Answer: Ultrasonic acoustic leak detector

Ultrasonic detectors pick up the high-frequency sound of turbulent leaks, even over background noise.

Roughly what percentage of the electrical energy supplied to an industrial air compressor becomes heat that could be recovered?

Answer: 80-90%

About 80-93% of compressor input energy becomes heat, and much of it can be recovered.

In a load/unload leak test with no production demand, the compressor runs loaded 20 seconds and unloaded 80 seconds per cycle. What is the leakage as a share of capacity?

Answer: 20%

Leakage % = T/(T+t) x 100 = 20/(20+80) x 100 = 20%.

Which change is the best replacement for open-tube compressed air blowoff used for part cooling?

Answer: Use a low-pressure blower or engineered air-amplifying nozzles

Blowers or engineered nozzles deliver the same effect with far less compressed air.

Which metric is commonly used to benchmark compressor efficiency in ESCO audits?

Answer: Specific power in kW per 100 cfm

Specific power (kW/100 cfm) compares the electrical input to the air delivered.