The cheapest and fastest way to reduce the carbon footprint of your industrial compressed air system is to reduce leakage. Good to know, but how do you get started?

We asked two of our customers for their best advice. They unanimously recommended that you begin with a system analysis because this will give you instant insights into the savings potential.

Analyze emissions and cost of leakage
First, we asked Tom Lillemoen, Technical Manager at Protan AS. “A system analysis and leakage detection survey is an inexpensive way to begin to address leakage in your industrial compressed air system. The data from the analysis and survey will show you exactly the cost of leakage. This way you can accurately document the savings potential.”

“I recommend partnering with a professional auditor who can analyze the data from the system analysis and survey, and who can also advise how best to prioritize repairs and conduct preventive maintenance so that you know exactly which spare parts to retrofit. This way you can optimize machine uptime and availability. After all, without compressed air production stops,” concludes Tom Lillemoen.

Baseline compressed air usage
Second, we asked Marius Fagernes, Project Manager at Ringnes. In 2016 Ringnes initiated a system analysis to baseline their compressed air usage and the resulting energy consumption and CO2 emissions. “We realized that leakages in our compressed air system involve more than just lost air”, says Marius Fagernes, and he continues, ”Lost air is a lost opportunity for energy savings.”

Based on the data from the system analysis, Ringnes decided to initiate a leakage detection survey and subsequent repair project.

In the 2016 repair project, 66 percent of the leakages which were detected during the leakage detection survey were repaired. A new system analysis was conducted after 6 months which showed a 44 percent reduction in the leakage level across the system. The result was a total of 450,000kWh in energy savings attributed directly to the first year of the leakage repair project.

Fagernes elaborates: “The result that we saw from the first repair project was impressive. But for us, it was never about doing a stand-alone repair project. Our objective was to set a baseline and then stay close to that baseline moving forward. In our experience, it is more effective to incorporate repairs as an integral part of our daily maintenance work than to wait a couple of years and do another stand-alone project.”

Since 2016, Ringnes has been conducting a leakage detection survey on an annual basis.

Start with a system analysis today.