Kaishan USA | May 7, 2025| Uncategorized
Air compressors and compressed air systems play a crucial role in disaster recovery efforts worldwide.
We’ve all seen the news footage of flood-damaged, tornado-ravaged landscapes. Buildings splintered. Roofs torn off. Massive trees blocking highways. Power lines down.
For years, compressed air has helped in those tragic scenarios, providing safe, portable power to help move debris, remove obstacles and support rescue and emergency medical facilities. It’s even been used to pump water, a critical element of flood and storm recovery.
In the rush to restore power after a disaster, compressed air ensures the safety and reliability of key power-generation functions such as operating pneumatic instruments and controls, atomizing fuel, cooling critical equipment, handling ash and starting up engines and turbines.
Let’s discuss how different types of air compressors can help preserve life and property in disasters. We’ll start with the role portable compressors play.
As emergency crews rush to a disaster area, they often bring air compressors to provide the brute force needed to operate equipment.
Many of these compressors are diesel-driven, making them the go-to power source when the power grid is down.
Downed powerlines complicate disaster response, blocking roads and denying the power needed for recovery.
Portable diesel compressors are an important, flexible alternative for emergency replacements, short-term needs and point-of-use applications. Over the years, they’ve proved invaluable in mining, rock drilling, sandblasting, construction and, of course, disaster scenarios.
After all, you can move a portable around to service uses like cutting tools, jackhammers, pneumatic drills, nail guns, impact wrenches and pressure washers. But diesels have many drawbacks.
Compressed air is an essential power source for the heavy equipment required for disaster relief efforts.
Depending on the fuel price, diesel compressors cost at least four times more to operate. Plus, they produce emissions, and the air is of lower quality.
There are also significant maintenance costs. A portable diesel compressor will need oil and filters every 250 hours. If you’re operating 24/7, that could mean they require maintenance every ten days. And then there’s the problem of supplying the unit with diesel fuel every 12 hours.
Of course, those issues are less important in true emergencies like natural disasters. The good news is that other options are now available.
One alternative to diesels is Kaishan’s upcoming, electric-driven KRSR portable rotary screw air compressor, a standard compressor on a heavy-duty, rigid skid. You can place it with a forklift or even drag it around. You can get it on a trailer. Or move it around with a crane, using its built-in lifting hook.
Our new KRSR portable rotary screw air compressor shown here in action.
This new portable electric unit will be designed to handle all environments, including rain, snow or sleet. All elevations, clearly outperforming diesels at higher altitudes. And all temperature extremes from high temperatures to sub-freezing. With appropriately sized cooling and temperature ratings on the liquid-cooled motor, heat tracing and sump heaters for cold temps, it’s a superhero in rugged environments, such as those in a disaster-stricken area. Perfect for the demands of emergency crews.
KRSR is also ideal for getting a factory up and running with compressed air while the plant is rebuilding or cleaning the inside of its facility. Often, the compressed air room is cleaned last, with electricity running to a portable unit outdoors.
Disaster relief efforts often are complicated by the destruction of critical infrastructure.
It offers several important innovations, including:
In addition to portable electric compressors, traditional rotary screw air compressors have a role in emergency response and preparedness.
Our traditional rotary screw compressors also play a role in disaster preparedness in today’s facilities.
First, when paired with adequate reserve tanks, they are a source of stored energy when the power grid is first down. They can provide power for any number of tasks, including debris removal, cleanup or repair jobs. And help restore your plant to safe operation more quickly.
Second, they already drive the control systems in many power generation plants, even nuclear power plants, providing a consistent power source even when electrical service is spotty.
Third, compressed air avoids some of the hazards that electricity and gas can present in environments with volatile gases or other materials in the air.
Fourth, rugged and reliable rotary screw compressors are proven performers in harsh environments, including exposure to water, dust and extreme temperatures.
The good news? Kaishan has hundreds of units in stock in our Loxley, AL facility, ready to ship in almost any emergency. And a great way to avoid costly rentals.
Air compressors and compressed air can handle the rugged conditions that emergency crews often face.
If your facility was damaged by flooding or other high-water event, we strongly recommend that you contact your local compressed air consultants before firing up your compressor. They can do an overall maintenance check, replace consumables and determine if the inlet filter was damaged or the oil was contaminated. A quick PM call could be very beneficial, preventing serious damage.
One key indicator of a problem: If a compressor is drawing excessive amounts of current, there’s an issue of some sort. Unlike competitive units, Kaishan displays the amps on the control screen.
Whether you’re talking about large regional disasters, smaller local emergencies or outages or problems within your plant, it’s a good idea to have an industrial disaster recovery plan in place. One of the most important elements of an industrial disaster preparedness plan is having a reliable backup air compressor.
Ideally, most facilities will benefit from adopting a multi-compressor approach involving base, trim and backup units, as follows:
Some customers avoid using a trim unit by relying on a VSD air compressor to cover the variations in load. We strongly encourage these facilities to build in at least some form of backup. For example, adding a quick connection to a portable compressor, such as Kaishan’s KRSR portable electric rotary screw air compressor, allows for maintenance or emergency service if their compressor goes down. In fact, adding quick connection to a portable unit is a good practice in any system where compressed air is crucial to your operation.
Configuring your compressed air system in this way virtually eliminates unplanned downtime, which, in the real world, is the biggest (and most avoidable) expense associated with your compressed air system. A highly reliable rotary screw air compressor always waits in the wings as a backup should a base load or trim unit fail, keeping both pressure (PSIG) and flow (CFM) more consistent and reliable.
We discuss multiple compressor configurations in greater detail in our blog post, “How Energy-Efficient Air Compressors Can Reduce Your Carbon Footprint.”
We strongly recommend that every facility work with its local compressed air professional to plan for backup service and incorporate its compressed air system into its industrial disaster recovery planning.
A trusted compressed air professional can help you assess your facility’s needs for a backup air compressor and other measures to enhance its capabilities in an emergency.
We partner with a nationwide network of independent distributors, who can provide on-site help and consultation as needed and help you prepare for and anticipate any issues that might arise in an emergency. They have rental units they can have up and running on your site very quickly.
We’ve chosen to work with these independent, local distributors because they can offer you expert guidance, faster response times and personalized support tailored to your needs.
They have factory-trained technicians and a deep understanding of industrial applications, a huge help when there’s a problem. When you buy through Kaishan, you're getting more than a product—you're getting a local partner who cares about your business and seeing it succeed.
Incorporating your rotary screw air compressor and your compressed air system into your industrial disaster preparedness plan can be a critical step in restoring the operation of your compressed air system and all the processes that rely on that system. And, of course, in helping your entire enterprise recover from a disaster. If you need help deciding how to prepare for an emergency, get in touch with the experts at Kaishan. Contact us today.
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