Page 34 - The Tyreman 2021 - 5
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According to Loh, there are four key misconceptions with regards to air compressors in the automotive industry.
1) Screw Air Compressors cost much more than Piston Air Compressors that are
commonly used in the industry.
This, says Loh, is not true. Firstly, Piston Air Compres- sors have more moving parts, thus resulting in higher wear and tear in the long run, compared to Screw Air Compressors. The maintenance cost of screw com- pressors is actually not as high as what many have perceived.
Screw Air Compressors also have a longer life cycle compared to Piston Air Compressors.
In addition, screw air compressors are proven to be
2) Air Compressors do not need to be maintained.
A properly maintained air compressor can operate at its optimum performance and therefore saves energy costs over the lifetime of the equipment. The energy cost of operating an air compressor is estimated to be 70% to 80% of the total cost of ownership of an air com- pressor. This cost is often overlooked by owners when they are deciding on buying an air compressor.
Proper maintenance of equipment is vital as it can help reduce or eliminate unexpected breakdowns that can cost the owner in terms of downtime and potential lost business.
3) It is not worthwhile investing in a properly engineered solution when purchasing a Compressed Air system.
Many do not understand how much energy wastage can be caused in the long run due to a poorly designed compressed air system. A poorly designed system can lead to shorter lifetime for the air compressor, which in turn leads to earlier overhauling and replacement of the equipment. Meanwhile, the Opportunity Cost lost when the compressed air system malfunctions, can lead to additional time spent in troubleshooting and getting the Compressed Air System up and running again.
4) When there is not enough compressed air pressure being supplied to air tools or to the point of use, a higher-pressure air compressor is required.
The truth is that a higher pressure of compressed air can overcome the pressure drop caused by a poorly designed compressed air distribution system (piping system).
However, this comes at a high cost to the owner as increasing the compressed air pressure also increases the energy cost to achieve the higher
pressure of compressed air. The relationship is about 1% in additional power for every 2 psi of higher pressure.
Moreover, all the compressed air system’s equipment such as the air receiver tank, air tools, etc. needs to be under a higher-pressure environment constantly, which means that they will either have a shorter lifetime or a higher cost in the manufacturing process to en- sure they can withstand higher pressure.
A well-designed compressed air system will minimise pres- sure drops over the air treat- ment and air distribution, thus minimising energy wastage and allowing smooth opera- tion at the point of use. The higher cost in the initial stage of installation of a well-de- signed compressed air system will pay for itself within a year.
4 )在无法为气动工具或使 用点提供足够的压缩空气压 力时，需要使用更高压力的 空压机。
34 the tyreman 2021/5
