Stabilizing Compressed Air System Pressure

Stabilizing system pressure is an important way to lower energy costs and maintain reliable production and product quality. The need to stabilize system pressure should be guided by the compressed air demand patterns and the minimum acceptable pressure level required for reliable production.

High-volume intermittent air demand events can cause air pressure to fluctuate, which is often misinterpreted as insufficient pressure. In some cases, improperly set compressor controls will cause another compressor to start, but because of the time required for the new compressor to ramp up, there will be a shortfall of air supply to the system. Such a delay can cause the system pressure to decay, resulting in lost production.

Three methods can be used to stabilize system pressure:

• Adequate primary and secondary storage
• Pressure/Flow Controllers (P/FCs)
• Dedicated compressors

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