Maximising airline performance with modern pipework

Phil Black - PII Editor 25/11/2011

179 4 minutes read

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The installation of modern aluminium pipework brings many benefits to compressed air systems, according to Malcolm Crossley, Sales Manager for Air Treatment at Parker Hannifin.

The options to consider when installing or maintaining distribution pipework in compressed air systems have increased. This is good news for both facilities managers, giving them greater scope to improve energy efficiency and reduce installation costs, and for maintenance engineers, helping to cut repair bills and downtime. To understand precisely why this has happened and to take advantage of these new options, it’s important to firstly consider the problems of traditional pipework systems.

Historically, the main distribution pipework in compressed air systems has been manufactured from steel and cast iron, or been fabricated from glued and welded plastics. However, all of these materials present their own problems. For example, the weight of steel and cast iron pipes presents significant safety issues for engineers during installation, especially when working at height. Once installed, the presence of moisture in the compressed air stream can quickly cause corrosion, which leads to contamination of downstream equipment, with a subsequent increase in maintenance costs. Additionally, as many maintenance staff will testify, reconfiguring steel or cast iron pipes can be a time consuming and difficult process.

By comparison, plastic pipework, although simpler and lighter to install and reconfigure, is typically prone to dilation, which affects operating pressures, and can be both incompatible with many common compressor oils and subject to degradation under UV light.

On the other hand, the latest aluminium pipework can offer a far more suitable option and dispenses with many of the problems that have dogged previous pipework materials. Aluminium is lightweight, making installation and maintenance much easier, and is often supplied in pre-fabricated sections with simple connectors, which makes reconfiguration simpler. Aluminium is also highly resistant to corrosion, with smooth inner bores to offer improved flow dynamics, with minimal pressure drop and improved energy efficiency, helping to reduce overheads, improve flexibility and enhance working conditions. It is also almost maintenance-free enabling operators to drive down running costs while significantly improving functionality, productivity and profitability.

Despite the flexibility of aluminium pipework systems and the demonstrable reduction in cost that they deliver, there are still many factories using older materials. On the face of it, this may seem more economical but the fact of the matter is that many of these older systems are now costing more to operate than they would to replace.

Aluminium pipework systems such as Parker’s Transair are rapid and easy to fit, ensuring a leak-free mechanical connection without the need for crimping, gluing or welding, and offer ultimate flexibility in use, giving a maximum return on investment, as all components are interchangeable and completely reusable for future modifications. However, to gain optimum efficiency, engineers must size each system correctly, to ensure that an adequate volume of air, at a pressure and purity necessary to satisfy user requirements, is delivered to all points of use at the periods of heaviest anticipated consumption. It is also advisable to incorporate into the calculation a safety factor to accommodate possible pressure drop if total air demand exceeds expected levels, even if this is only under exceptional conditions.

Practical experience…..

For example, Parker recently installed its Transair compressed air pipe system at a major plastic bottle reprocessing facility and the work involved illustrates well the potential for aluminium pipework to be used as a means of efficiently building or extending distribution and ring mains.

One of the major issues that our customer faced was the need to suspend pipes from the building structure at heights of over seven metres, in order both to route them safely in the available space and to reach equipment operating in four tall grading and sorting towers. This would have been extremely difficult and time consuming using traditional steel pipework, since specialised lifting and handling equipment would have been required. With the lightweight aluminium system, however, we were able to carry out installation quickly and simply, using standard fitting brackets that allowed us to fit pipes to existing building steelwork. The modular aluminium pipes are far lighter than their steel equivalents and also have a smooth inner bore, which will not corrode or deteriorate over time, so air flow and pressure remains constant.

Connection was very straightforward, as the system has push-to-connect fittings with leak-free seals, which enabled sections of pipe to be installed and dismantled in a few minutes. This installation proved that it is possible to install a 200 metre, leak-free compressed air system in under two weeks that is fully operational from the moment that construction work is completed.

The additional benefit of such a system is that it can be modified or extended in-situ. Adding new drops or a bypass can be achieved literally within minutes, without the need to disconnect the system from the compressed air supply; this is a great advantage to engineers as it enables them to adapt air systems quickly and at low cost as the needs of their business changes.

Aluminium pipework is now offering a range of benefits to compressed air users and, providing systems are sized correctly to ensure that the correct flow and pressure is maintained throughout the system, the rewards for engineers and operators are considerable.

Parker Hannifin Ltd, ,

Warwick , Warwickshire

Can be contacted on
Tel: 00800 27 27 5374
email: parker.uk@parker.com

Web: www.parker.com