There’s a high probability that your air compression system currently has an air leak. Manufacturing processes that utilize compressed air are prone to leaks. Air leaks are expensive, meaning these system inefficiencies are costing you big time. A general estimate of the cost of one cubic feet per minute (CFM) of air leakage is about $35 per shift. Moreover, these costs can quickly skyrocket out of control.
Finding and plugging air leaks is a difficult, time-consuming task. Some of the largest manufacturers have designated air leak task force teams that focus on detecting air leaks to reduce energy costs and improve operational efficiencies.
You likely need to spend the time looking for these air leaks, but it can be difficult to convince key stakeholders to spend resources on this process—even though it results in cost savings in the long run. Manually calculating how much air leaks are costing you each year is a complicated task. However, each day that you are failing to find and fix leaks is costing you, so it’s worth taking the time to get an estimate.
Thankfully, you can use this leaks calculator to determine the extent of air leakage in your air compression system (and how much it is costing you).
Calculator
Simply take accurate measurements from your application and system and then input your variables in SI or US units below:
| Leak Estimator | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total of tank storage in system (gallons) | |||
| Total main header pipe length (feet) | |||
| Inside diameter pipe (inches) | |||
| Pressure drop in 1 minute of shutdown (psig) (all equipment is offline, including compressors) | |||
| Energy cost per kW-hr (dollars) | |||
| Total operating time per year (hours) | |||
| Calculate | |||
| Your leakage costs per year (assuming a 125psi system at sea level) is: | |||
| Reset | |||
Now that you have the cost estimate for your air leak, you can take the appropriate steps to locate and fix the air leak in your air compressor and benefit from the energy savings.
Need to crunch more numbers? Here’s a link to the other calculators on our site:
Of course, you can always contact us if you have any questions and/or if you’d like to inquire about a particular system for your operation. Contact us here.
