Soaring energy prices and the debate on climate change are putting the industrial business sector under considerable pressure. However, help is at hand: Modern compressed air technology enables significant cost savings and helps keep greenhouse gas emissions to an absolute minimum. According to an EU study published in 2001, compressed air systems in Europe would consume on average 33 percent1less energy if they were appropriately optimised. In order to achieve these savings however, it is essential to identify and rectify weak points within the respective compressed air system. Once this has been implemented, savings of between 20 and 70 percent are possible2. Identifying problems and opportunities The ultimate goal of saving energy is often hindered by a company's size, a lack of cost transparency, or by viewing the compressed air system as a collection of unconnected individual com¬ponents. Claims from providers that energy savings of 35% or more can be achieved simply by changing a single system component are also unhelpful. Systematic Energy Savings Therefore, it is advisable to first determine the possibilities and limitations of potential energy savings measures. Experience shows that taking a single component approach will result – at best – in very modest energy savings. Energy consumption of a compressed air installation can only be significantly reduced over the long term by adopting an integrated approach when it comes to system optimisation.
The first step should be to carry out a precise air demand analysis to determine, or, in the case of new installations, project, the required pressures and delivery volumes. Further considerations such as future increases in production, company expansion, layout changes, safety, availability, business structure, premises, environmental obligations, climate and other operating conditions should also be taken into account as far as possible. Modern computer technology enables efficient planning of new systems and allows detailed analysis of existing installations. In addition, specially developed planning and optimisation software is able to forecast future compressed air demand and to compare different system configurations with one another. Correct planning should not just be restricted to determining calculation values. It must also include compressed air distribution network layout, evaluation of the best cooling method, compressor configuration and assessment of the most appropriate air treatment method. Precise demand assessment must be as detailed as possible, which is where modern computer-aided processes, such as Kaeser's ADA (Air Demand Analysis) technology, come into their own, as they are relatively easy to implement and achieve impressive results. The use of data-loggers enables compressed air system performance to be monitored without interference to the air distribution network; air consumption values can be determined via flow measurement. Analysis must include data relating to actual pressure, leakages and pressure drops in the distribution piping and / or in treatment systems. Only then is it possible to determine whether additional optimisation measures need to be taken in these areas. Last, but not least, the compressed air demand structure should indicate which compressor controllers or master control systems are best suited to meet the specific application's needs. The reality of the energy and costs savings that can be achieved through systematic optimisation can be illustrated by a production plant in southern Germany. Despite increased compressed air usage, the specific energy requirement per cubic metre of compressed air continuously decreased as each phase of the project was implemented. After optimisation, compressed air costs were reduced by 38 %, which translates into an annual saving or more than € 41,000. _____________________________________________ 1: Blaustein, Edgar; Radgen, Peter (Ed.): Compressed Air Systems in the European Union. Energy, Emissions, Savings Potential and Policy Actions. Stuttgart 2001
2: Seitz, Anja: Ergebnisanalyse der von Kaeser Kompressoren durchgeführten Air-Audits für die Kampagne Druckluft-effizient. Diplomarbeit Fachhochschule Coburg, Fachbereich Maschinenbau (2004) | 
