Compressor location requirements

These next 3 ways to save energy are all related to checking the buildings that house your air compressor.

An air compressor needs to be operating in a suitable environment in order for it to work most efficiently. If the environment it is sited in doesn’t meet all these requirements it will be less efficient meaning it will use more energy to create your compressed air.

 

Space

Air compressors are best located in a location with plenty of space around them. We always recommend at least 1m clear space all around the compressor. This has numerous benefits. It means the compressor has lots of clear air around it, it has plenty of space for easy maintenance

 

Low ambient temperature plant room

A compressor working in a high ambient temperature environment uses considerably more energy than one working in a lower ambient temperature. This is because the high ambient temperature air is less dense than the cooler air meaning the compressor sucks in less air, additionally the coolers are not as effective in a high ambient air temperature so less compression heat can be removed from the air.

 

Good ventilation

Having a well ventilated plant room is essential for any air compressor. The compressor needs a constant supply of clean, cool air in order to operate efficiently. Ensure that any louvres fitted to allow air flow are free of weeds and other growth. Also ensure that equipment such as pallets or bags of materials haven’t been placed in front of the louvres so it restricts the flow of cooling air.

It is best to put ventilation on either end of a building so there is a flow of air through the building from one side to the other. If this isn’t possible, it is worth having some powered fans on some of the louvres to give a degree of forced ventilation. It is most effective to have fans push the air out of the building (these should be positioned high up where the air is warmest). The cool air is then drawn into the building through the lower set of louvres. Any fans fitted can easily be temperature controlled so they will only switch on when the air temperature in the building gets high.

 

Ducting

The most effective way of ensuring compressors are well cooled is to use ductwork. This is because ductwork means that all the warm air given off the compressor is ducted outside, so it cannot be re-circulated back into the cool air inlet of the compressor.

 

The ductwork should be attached to the hot air outlet of the compressor and needs to be led to the outside as directly as possible. Ductwork bends and size changes should be avoided. The ductwork needs to be at least the size of the outlet on the compressor. The ductwork deals with the hot air coming out of the compressor, there needs to be adequate louvres or similar to allow enough cool air into the plant room to at least equal the air being exhausted by the ductwork.

 

Talk to us here if you have any questions about ductwork.