The Expert Speaks: Tips for Preventing Large-Scale Energy Loss
Why manufacturing plants can’t afford to overlook early air leak detection.
By Rob Milner
No business sets out to lose money, but that’s exactly what many manufacturers are unwittingly doing every day on an astonishing scale. As much as 30% of the energy used in compressed air systems is lost to air leaks. That's a staggering amount of energy to lose—and the cost of operating inefficient machinery only adds to this.
These figures, taken from a very large study back in 2014 by the US Department of Energy, paint a humbling picture for energy-intensive industries everywhere. In a climate of climbing costs, peaking inflation, labor shortages, and uncertainty in many international supply chains, how can businesses overlook such a major expenditure?
The accumulating costs of air loss
Let’s look at the numbers.
Assuming a minimum of 10% and a maximum of 30% air loss annually, a typical manufacturing company would lose somewhere between $10,000 and $60,000 per year. Bear in mind that the longer a leak goes undetected, the more likely it is to widen, worsen, and further compound both the loss of air and wasted energy.
Add to this the additional wear and tear on the equipment which increases the maintenance costs and hikes up the capital cost of replacement and it's an incredibly significant loss on investment just for air.
Luckily for manufacturers, there’s now a powerful and precise preventative measure to stop such costly compressed air leaks in their tracks: acoustic imaging.
Compressed Air Loss
Potential Total Cost Annually
Leak detection (LD) acoustic cameras are designed to identify and assess leaks in compressed air and vacuum systems before the issues can escalate. Once a leak is detected, the LD system not only locates it but also quantifies the leak, providing valuable data regarding its magnitude and potential impact.
See compressed air leaks as they appear
Traditionally, technicians relied on low-tech methods such as soap bubble tests (painting soapy water on all the fittings and look for bubbles) or visible inspections for seal damage in order to find air leaks. A more advanced approach is pressure decay testing; but even then, maintenance crews have to wait for the problem to get worse before they can even find the leak. Meanwhile, the company continues to pay for the leak in high energy costs.
Acoustic imaging cameras offer a very different approach: they employ high-spec audible and ultrasound microphones to expose air leaks as they appear—even in loud environments.
Essentially, any plant with compressed air or compressed gases can use this technology to quickly and accurately find leaks; it’ll save money, decrease energy usage and, at the same time, measurably reduce the facility’s carbon footprint.
Compressed air leak as visualized by a FLIR Si2-Pro acoustic imaging camera.
How to detect compressed air leaks
It’s a grand promise, I appreciate that—but it delivers. Consider FLIR Si-Series acoustic cameras: these devices feature 124 microphones that produce a precise acoustic image, displaying ultrasonic information over a visual scene for absolute clarity. Operators are accurately and immediately informed of not only the location of the leak but also its severity, actions suggested to remedy the problem, and even a projected cost if left unattended, making it simple to report the problem up the line and get sign off to have it repaired.
Clear and concise deliverables are part of what makes acoustic imagers so immensely useful—and weighing in at under three pounds, they're powerhouse problem-solvers that energy-intensive industries can’t afford to overlook.
Detecting partial discharge on the electric grid
Another essential element in manufacturing facilities is partial discharge. Facilities with their own medium-voltage substation must keep ahead of potential failures, finding signs of degradation as soon as possible. Many acoustic imaging cameras, including the FLIR Si2-Pro, are designed to detect partial discharge as well as air leaks, and do so with incredible accuracy. Having a dual-use camera such as this can ensure all essential maintenance takes place exactly as needed.
Consider that planned maintenance is much cheaper than unplanned, especially as it allows activity to be scheduled and minimizes necessary downtime.
Let’s say there’s an issue on a single transmission line that requires emergency maintenance; that can easily cost hundreds of thousands of dollars or euros just to resolve one isolated problem.
If you go by the generally accepted consensus, it would typically cost less than a quarter of that amount of money to do it in a planned fashion, yielding huge savings.
Find compressed air leaks and partial discharge with no training
The beauty of FLIR acoustic imaging is how little training is actually required to operate it. I've been in the business now for 23 years and this is by far the simplest product I've ever used. It's extremely intuitive and takes only a few minutes to become familiar with the user interface. The very large touchscreen is especially easy to navigate and interpret and readings are very clearly displayed.
In Conclusion...
I can’t stress enough just how incredibly easy FLIR Si-Series cameras are to use. Simply direct the acoustic imaging camera around your facility and the 124 individual microphones work together to triangulate the source of a sound. The device then superimposes an image of the sound atop a visual image of the scene, so that the operator can see in no uncertain terms where the problem is. The camera uses insightful artificial intelligence to differentiate between compressed air leaks or partial discharge, distinguishing their telltale sounds from any background noise which traditionally hinder readings.
Picture it: no distortion, no distractions—just exact readings, pinpointing problems visually and identifying the size of the leak and the estimated annual cost. It’s an incredibly intelligent and intuitive piece of equipment that excels at discovering previously undetectable air leaks, offering immense scope to reduce operational costs and streamline unavoidable maintenance.
Typically paying for themselves in as little as two months, acoustic imagers are tools you can’t afford to not invest in if you work in an energy-intensive environment.
