A New Method for Monitoring the Energy Consumption of Industrial Compressors

Compressed air represents a total energy consumption of approximately 20% of the total industrial energy consumption, being usually considered one of the most expensive utilities in the industry. A condition for increasing energy efficiency is the optimal management of the equipment used, of which industrial compressors for the production of compressed air are some of the most important components that can generate energy savings. In this work, a new method for monitoring the energy consumption of industrial compressors for the production of compressed air is developed with the help of Janitza-type intelligent meters through which all electrical parameters of the compressors are measured. The statistical data necessary for the development of the new method were measured on 3 industrial compressors from an industrial hall for a period of 365 days. A total consumption of approximately 500,000 kWh was recorded. The data collected after monitoring the power parameters and energy consumption on the system consisting of 3 industrial compressors that supply compressed air to an industrial production hall, show us that the most used compressor in operation is compressor number 3, having an annual energy consumption of approximately W = 288 169.70 kWh, representing approximately half of the total energy consumption of the compressors. The total energy consumption of the compressor system is approximately 494,358.30 kWh. Referring to an approximate price of 1.3 Ron/kWh, the total cost required to obtain compressed air is approximately 642,668.79 Ron which can bring improvements to energy efficiency. The compressed air production system can also be dimensioned more correctly in order to develop a particular energy-saving solution.