PC-JUN09-PG06.OK:PC-JUN09-PG06.OK.qxd 28/05/2009 09:59 Page 6
Feature Compressed air
Why being predictable is best
Colin Mander, managing director for CompAir UK, details
the three approaches taken to maintaining compressors,
focusing on the value of predictive maintenance
D
uring times of economic uncer- (PPM), whereby they have a service
tainty, companies naturally contract with the compressor manu-
seek ways of making savings facturer and maintenance is carried
and improving efficiencies out at scheduled intervals.
across their plant operations. This may This means the maintenance is
lead to deferrals in the normal matched to the type of machine, its
timescale for replacing equipment, application and its operating environ-
such as air compressors, making it ment, taking into consideration its
essential that companies review their impact on the overall plant operation.
service and maintenance plans. Independent surveys indicate that
An independent test on over 300 the introduction of a comprehensive
typical compressors in the UK market preventative maintenance system can
showed that energy savings of 10% result in a 70-75% elimination of
were achievable through low cost breakdowns, a 35-45% reduction in
maintenance activities. downtime, and a productivity increase
Industry figures also estimate that of up to 25%.
many compressed air systems can Another benefit of PPM, is that by
waste up to 30% of the air through using the OEM’s service team and
leaks, poor control or maintenance. approved spare parts, there are no
Add to this the fact that the older the issues over void warranties and costs
machine the less energy efficient it is are predictable.
likely to be, and it becomes clear that
implementing a thorough under stress and could fail. The OEM
maintenance programme can service team can then be proactive in
pay quick dividends. collating exactly the parts needed, vis-
iting the site and carrying out any nec-
Maintenance options essary maintenance or repair before
The first type of maintenance the problem occurs.
cover can be called reactive or This system has all the benefits of
breakdown maintenance, PPM, but ensures that maintenance is
where the compressor is left to only undertaken when needed, mean-
run until something goes ing that it is tailored and customised to
wrong, and then it is repaired. fit each compressor installation.
This approach has several
drawbacks. It is inevitable that Predictive package
the compressor will fail at the CompAir offers an inclusive predictive
most inconvenient time and maintenance package, called Q-life,
that the necessary parts will with all Quantima compressors. To
not be available. This can lead take just one recent application, the
companies down the danger- use of a Quantima compressor with
ous path of using non-genuine spare the Q-life maintenance package has
parts. And, because the repair is then cut service costs by 64% at a food pro-
an emergency, the cost of the service However,
The use of a
cessing plant in Australia.
team’s callout time will be higher. some people criticise PPM on the
Quantima compres-
Plant managers receive regular,
Most companies therefore rely on a grounds that the scheduled service
sor with a Q-life
detailed reports of the compressor’s
programme of planned maintenance may not always be required. The
maintenance pack-
overall system performance, helping
machine may be working fine; the in-
age can cut service
to improve plant efficiency further.
house engineers may have monitored
costs
According to a recent study by the
the compressor and resolved obvious US Department of Energy, predictive
problem areas, yet the service engineer maintenance can result in cost savings
will still arrive on schedule. of 8-12% over a programme using
In contrast, with predictive mainte- solely preventative maintenance. If the
nance, the compressor is fitted with a organisation is still using reaction-
range of sensor devices, which are based breakdown maintenance, then
then connected to a remote monitor- savings of up to 30-40% can be
ing system operated by the compres- reached easily through the use of pre-
sor OEM. dictive maintenance.
The system then monitors the com-
pressor around the clock and can use
CompAir
the data to predict when maintenance
T: 01527 838200 Enter 201
is required or when a part may be
www.quantima.com
6 JUNE 2009 Process & Control
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