How to Do a Thorough Assessment of Your Air Compressor

Performing thorough and regular assessments of your air compressors can prevent emergency repairs or maintenance. It will also make sure your systems are running efficiently and are cost effective.

But what do you need to look out for during a risk assessment? We have all the info you need so you can do a thorough assessment quickly and easily.

What KPIs Do You Need to Consider?

Before you begin assessing your air compressor, you need to establish what key performance indicators you need to look out for. By understanding what factors, you need to establish, you can make a more thorough assessment of your machine’s performance.

The performance indicators that you need to record are:

• Flow (scfm)

• Air compressor discharge pressure (psig)

• System pressure (psig)

• Input electric power (kW)

• Operating hours of the air system (hrs)

• Specific power (scfm per kW)

• Electric cost per year for compressed air in dollars per unit of flow ($ per cfm per year)

• Annual electric cost for compressed air ($ per year)

By recording each of these figures in a table, you can see irregularities more clearly and you’ll be able to perform evaluations quickly. A comparative analysis will provide the best results.

Compare Different Air Compressors

If you have more than one compressor on your base, you can notice irregularities by comparing them with each other. You can do this by putting the performance indicators for all your machines on the same table. It’s also useful to have a “control” by recording manufacturer details on the table as well.

This enables you to consider the compressor’s performance and produce an assessment.

You can ask questions such as:

• How long is each air compressor working?

• In this time, what is the rated full load kW consumption and air flow delivery capacity of each compressor?

Comparing the results to these two questions will reveal if one compressor is using more energy to load air in a shorter duration of time. As a result, you’ll see if there are performance issues.

Check Each Air Compressor Individually

Although it’s important to consider compressors in comparison to each other, it’s also necessary to evaluate each compressor individually. A simple way to do this is to compare the compressor’s current figures to previous recordings at times when the compressor was working at its peak.

Where to Go from Here?

If you maintain your compressors, they can last for many years but how do you make sure you keep track of all of the performance indicators? The answer is simple. Contact CDA.

Our certified team will perform all of the tests so you don’t have to constantly worry about your numbers. We’ll even schedule future appointments to ensure your machine is always maintained and efficient. We’re only a phone call or email away: 925.667.3400/sales@cdasystems.com.