Turning Air Compressors into an Energy Source0 pages

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Turning Air Compressors into an Energy Source

More than just providing plant air, they’re also a useful source of
heat, energy savings, and sustainable operations
Werner Rauer, Product Manager for Screw Compressors
Michael Camber, Marketing Services Manager
Wayne Perry, Technical Director
Kaeser Compressors, Inc.
This paper was originally presented at the 2014 World Energy Engineering Congress and
appeared in Compressed Air Best Practices magazine.

The Dilemma
The rise in energy prices is an unwelcome reality in
today’s manufacturing and business environment.
While the rate of price increases for natural gas,
heating oil, and other sources may vary from year
to year, the upward trajectory is clear. Energy cost
reduction strategies are vital to staying competitive.
A related goal is protecting the environment and
focusing on sustainable development. Some
industries are under increasing pressure to reduce
their carbon footprint, and many companies are
proactively taking steps to do so.
With manufacturing plants and other facilities
doing what they can to streamline their operations and improve efficiencies, part of that challenge is for facility engineers to optimize the
energy efficiency of their operations and extract
as much productivity out of every unit of energy
paid for and consumed.

The law of thermodynamics and the principle of
the conservation of energy tell us that energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only change
form. The air that enters a compressor at atmospheric pressure has a base level of energy
content. As the compression process increases
the air pressure and raises its temperature, more
energy is added. The heat must be removed to
maintain proper compressor operating temperatures and to cool the compressed air to make it
suitable for plant use, and most of this heat can be
harnessed for other uses.
Energy cost savings
through system
optimization

Potential energy cost
savings through heat
recovery

Compressed Air as an Energy Source
One important way operational efficiencies can be
increased is by harnessing heat from compressed
air systems, which are a major component of
industrial energy consumption.
Moreover, with energy consumption representing the majority of a compressor’s total life cycle
cost, the wise use of that energy takes on even
more importance.
October 2014

Compressed air system investment
Maintenance Costs
Energy costs
Potential energy cost savings

Kaeser Compressors, Inc. § 877-586-2691 § www.kaeser.com

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