Compressed air systems perform a variety of crucial functions for businesses in a range of industries, from breweries and food manufacturers to car producers and pharmaceutical firms.
These systems can use a lot of energy. Commenting on this, experts in compressed air solutions Air Equipment note that this means the energy usage difference between an efficient system and a poorly designed setup can be huge. There are lots of ways to increase the efficiency of your compressors, for example, using variable speed compressors or regularly checking for leaks or fitting monitoring equipment to measure energy usage, system leakage or system demand and falls in pressure.
Another way to ensure you’re getting maximum value for your energy usage is to fit your compressors with heat recovery technology. Here, we take a look at whether these systems could improve the efficiency of your compressors.
Less heat lost
It’s estimated that around 10 per cent of all industrial electricity is used by compressed air systems. 95 per cent of this energy is lost as heat in the compression process normally being released into the atmosphere. Not only is this a potentially huge waste of resources, but it could be having an impact on the efficiency of your system. By investing in heat recovery technology, you stand a much better chance of retaining the heat you’re using, meaning you can get more out of your system for a much more energy-efficient process.
Recovering heat for re-use
Instead of allowing this excess energy go to waste, you can recover it for reuse through investing in heat recovery. Heat recovery enables you to capture this waste heat and redirect it to be used elsewhere. For example, heat recovery could transfer the heat into water, which can then be used to generate hot water for showers or central heating systems or other manufacturing processes. Alternatively, simply redirecting hot air into a building rather than out to the atmosphere can provide space heating for factories and warehouses for the cold winter months.
Save energy, save money
Since it’s specifically designed to redirect heat that would otherwise be lost to the atmosphere, you can expect to rapidly save money when you invest in heat recovery technology for your compressed air system. The required capital outlay is generally low and can be very low whilst the returns, especially if you use a lot of compressed air, can be very high. Whilst the process of adding heat recovery to your system is generally simple, it is important that you get the right advice and support through the process. Once completed you can rest assured that your system is working efficiently and cost-effectively. For many companies, the cost of heat recovery can be recouped within a year.
If you’re keen to maximise the efficiency of your compressed air system, it could be that heat recovery technology is the solution for you and your business.
