Compressed air systems consist of different equipment such as air compressors, compressed air dryers and coolers. An issue that is of the highest importance in the use of compressors and other equipment is, of course, the issue of energy efficiency. The stored energy may decrease in case of some leakage points, increasing the energy cost. That’s why, it is very important that you operate the systems in accordance with the using instruction and to have their routine maintenance done regularly. In order to reduce energy consumption, especially during seasonal transitions, having summer and winter maintenances of the compressor not only extends the lifespan of the system, but also keeps the energy consumed in your processes at a minimum level.

 Be Sure to Inspect the Ventilation of the Compressor Room

The compressor heats the environment according to its working principle. This causes the environment temperature to increase. The heating of the environment varies depending on the size of the compressor and its technical specifications. For the compressor to work efficiently, it is very important that this temperature value remains at the optimum level. Especially during the summer months, the ventilation of the compressor room becomes more important with the increase in temperatures. With the effect of cold air in the winter months, the ventilation process can be completed in a simple way, but it becomes difficult in the summer months. When the temperature caused by the compressor is combined with the seasonal temperatures, decreasing the efficiency of the compressor becomes inevitable. If you do not want to experience this adverse situation, the first thing you should do as the summer months are approaching is to inspect the ventilation of the compressor room.

When preparing the compressor room, be sure to consider the ventilation system. The features of the compressor, its location, general structure of the environment and seasonal conditions are the factors that have influence on the room temperature. Accordingly, changing of seasons necessitates control of the system continuously. The cooling operation, which you can complete without difficulty thanks to the effect of cold air in the winter months, may be more difficult and costly in the summer months. With the attention you pay during the installation phase, you can also perform the cooling process quickly during the summer months. Furthermore, you can prefer the compressors with water cooling system. Be sure to control whether these are also suitable for the summer months. During the summer months, the temperature of the compressor room needs to be adjusted to a maximum of 10 degrees higher than the environmental temperature. If the temperature change stays within this range, your compressor works with optimum energy consumption and provides the desired efficiency.

 Replace the Air and Oil Filters of Your Compressor

If you want to get high efficiency from the compressor during the summer months, the first thing you should do is to change the air and oil filters. In the simplest failure or high energy consumption in any compressed air system, filter problems are shown as the cause. Since each season has different weather conditions, the pollution conditions of the filters also varies depending on it. Accordingly, when entering the summer season with different weather conditions, you need to control the filters. When the compressor runs throughout the winter season, its filter fills up and it consumes more power in order to absorb the air as much as its flow rate. The compressor has to work much more intensively to reach the target pressure. This intensive operation of the compressor means a faster reduction of its lifespan. In order for your compressor to continue to operate at high performance during the summer months as well, replace all filters during seasonal transition. In a compressor working with clean filters, liquid and gas flow get easy.

Replacing the filters at regular intervals allows you to get effective results in terms of power saving. Some data regarding compressor filter replacement can be listed as follows:

• A fully- or semi-clogged filter causes the compressor internal pressure to increase. At this point, 1 bar of pressure increase in oil means a cost increase of 7 percent on average.
• Oil change also increases the compressor efficiency. The oil used begins to lose its function in time. It cannot provide effective cooling for the compressor and may leave residues on the screw. This reduces the amount of compressed air and causes a decrease in compressor efficiency.
• And, it is likely that you will see a pressure decrease in the air filter. If the filter is dirty, this pressure decrease will definitely occur. At this point, 1 bar of pressure decrease reflects in your cost as an average of 5 percent increase.
• Regular replacement of the filters also means power savings. In general terms, it is possible to achieve up to 10 percent of power saving in the system with regular filter replacements.

 The Importance of Drain Water and Cooling System During Summer Months

The compressor draws a certain amount of air from outside during its operating time. There is a certain amount of water vapour in this air depending on the environment. When the air behaves like a stored energy source, the water vapour, which we call moisture, condenses when it finds suitable conditions and turns into a liquid, and accumulates in the compressor. Accordingly, it needs to be regularly drained from the drain water section located in the compressor systems. Otherwise, it may cause undesirable results by damaging the inner structure of the compressor. This situation differs in summer and winter months. The air that is drier during the winter months leaves itself to a more wet air during the summer months. This means that there is more moisture, i.e. water vapour, in the air taken into the compressor. As long as the compressor operates, the water vapour continues to liquefy, and accumulates in the compressor. It is a very important detail that you regularly check the drain water and the condensate outlet in summer months so that they do not damage the compressor. Excess water accumulated in cases when you do not check it may cause major malfunctions or cause the system to become useless.

Compressors are systems that are affected by many different factors. Therefore, you need to carry out the installation by considering every single detail and have the system maintenance done accurately and completely, especially during the seasonal transitions. Another part that you need to check before the summer comes is the radiator, that is, the coolers. Radiators are one of the parts that are most affected by environmental factors. Pollen developments that appear especially at the beginning of summer cause clogging of the coolers. These clogged radiators cannot successfully maintain their cooling task. This causes primarily a decrease in efficiency in the compressor as well, that is, the inability of the system to operate with the desired performance. Thereafter, especially in the summer months, malfunctions occur in the compressor due to overheating. Sometimes you can quickly correct the malfunction occurred. And sometimes, it may cause big problems in terms of cost. Therefore, be sure to have your compressed air systems scheduled maintenance as the summer months are approaching. When the summer begins, the energy efficiency in systems operating with the clean radiators is at the highest level, while reducing the noise caused by the system.

Making preparations by paying attention to these points before the summer months will support your compressed system to work with the performance like the first day for many years. The system works for a longer time, without malfunctions, by ensuring power saving. And this provides your firm a significant financial gain. You can immediately get in touch with Özen Kompresör to get detailed information about the compressed air systems and to make the most suitable preparations for summer thanks to its experienced staff.