Compressed air is the most inefficient way of transmitting power from A to B. If it were possible to manufacture electric motors 1/10th of their current size and weight, yet retaining the same power output, most air compressors would be scrapped overnight.

Did you know that the typical air-motor needs 220 cfm FAD at 100 psig to produce 7.5 hp? Did you know that you need a 50 hp compressor to give you the 220 cfm in the first place? One reason that companies use compressed air is because it is non-hazardous, even if the system leaks. Secondly, a typical hand held air tool such as an impact wrench will produce about 7.5hp, can you imagine how big and heavy it would be if it were electrically driven.

You need to make the most of your compressed air system, performance test the compressors and check your factory load for leaks:

For Example

• Compressor Performance Data.
  If you buy a compressor to supply 2000 cfm FAD at 100 psig and it only supplies 1900 cfm, will you ever know? Probably not. Yet for the next 20 years you will be paying an electricity bill for the equivalent of a 25hp packaged compressor that you don't own. (Note: The photo shown opposite revealed that the compressor being tested delivered 3% more air than expected. An un-expected bonus for the client!)
• Factory Loads.
  How much air does your factory consume, how much of this valuable commodity is being lost due to leakage? Not only can we performance test a compressor, we can use the same equipment to analyse the losses which in turn will result in huge energy savings. One of our case studies revealed that a client was losing 62% of his compressed air due to site leaks and general wastage.
• Dryer Performance Data.
  A compressed air dryer is usually designed to handle a specific duty. How do you know that your dryer is working to the design parameters that you have paid for? If you buy a 'fridge dryer to give you a 2 deg C pressure dewpoint and it only gives you an 8 deg C pressure dewpoint, how can you check to find out? You can't just look at the refrigerant analyser gauge - that could be telling you anything. The same is true with desiccant air dryers, you may have paid for a -40 deg C pressure dewpoint but what happens if you're only getting a -20 deg C pressure dewpoint. The simple fact is that you may have been sold a dryer which is one frame size too small. Wouldn't you be annoyed to find out that you had bought a car with a 1600cc engine when you thought you were buying one with an 1800cc engine? We can performance test all types of dryer, on-site. We can tell you exactly what your dryer can do and how much it is costing you to run it.

Cashflo Ltd can independently test your system. We measure compressed air flow rate, temperature, actual pressure, barometric pressure, ambient temperature and relative humidity. At the same time we monitor the total power absorbed by the compressor across all three phases. All of our equipment is calibrated and traceable back to National Standards. We then compile Test Documentation, which accurately shows the performance details of the compressor. We can also noise test and carry out discrete XYZ vibration analysis. Whenever we test an 'air treatment' station we monitor pressure dewpoint as well as compressed air oil content. If the dryer is a desiccant type, then we monitor purge air flow rate and regeneration heat (if applicable).

When we measure volume flow rate and system pressures, this doesn't mean that we have to shut your compressed air system down. We can hot tap compressed air pipes from as small as 32mm (1+1/4") up to any size that you like. This allows us to carry out a detailed investigation whilst your factory remains in full production.

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