Energy efficient control for compressed air with step modulation technique

Abstract

The compressed air system is not only an energy intensive utility but also one of the least energy efficient. Over a period of time, both performance of compressors and compressed air system reduces drastically. The causes are many such as poor maintenance, wear and tear of equipment. The thesis presents the Energy efficient control for compressed air by using step modulating technique, which would optimize the energy consumption for the compressed air. The proposed technique has been tested on actual industrial consumer site. By adding the VSD “Variable Speed Drive” to the conventional control compressed air and by regulation the prime mover speeds on unloading cycle with step modulation technique it is discovered that the electrical energy consumption of the compressed air system has been optimized. This will give a prominent saving to the consumer in term of utility bill. From the analysis results, it showed that the saving of 22% can be achieved.