TOP 5 REASONS FOR COMPRESSED AIR SYSTEM LEAKS
Note: The following are not in order of importance. Your particular leak issues are likely different than your neighbour’s.
- Improperly sealed joints and connections.
Fix: should be as simple as using appropriate thread sealant. - Faulty couplings, fittings, pipe or hose sections, drains, traps etc.
Fix: replacement. - Worn seals in air cylinders, valves and any other pneumatic components that contain seals.
Fixes: repair or replacement; prevention through a good preventive maintenance program. - Over pressurization of air systems. The lower the pressure differential across an orifice or leak, the lower the flow, so the effect of any uncorrected leaks will be minimized.
Fix: set air line pressure in a given system to that which required for the specific application; for example an air valve can be piped to operate as a dual pressure device, requiring as little as 10 PSI on the return stroke. - Open orifices used for blow-off. This one is really bad since a ¼” opening at 100 PSI consumes about 104 SCFM. It takes 25 HP to generate that much air, and that’s extremely costly.
Fixes: If you must do this, either incorporate a vortex nozzle or use a valve to turn on the blow-off air ONLY when required. Try reducing the orifice size and/or the air pressure to determine the minimum amount of air required to get the job done.
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