How FS-Elliott's AirCompare℠ Helps Make the Right Decision on Compressor Procurement

Do You Evaluate Your Compressor Procurement by Lifecycle Cost (Cost of Ownership)?  

Capital investment is one of many costs when considering compressed air solutions. For a typical positive displaced air compressor, capital investment is less than 5% of the entire lifecycle cost, while energy and maintenance costs dominate operation costs. For a 500HP compressor system, you might see a 3% efficiency improvement, equating to an 11kW power reduction. This efficiency improvement can save you almost $12,000 yearly in net profits. As energy prices increase, performance efficiency is more significant to operation costs.  

Energy-saving is more than saving money for factory operations, it is also about protecting, sustaining, and contributing to a better environment for us and our society. Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives are more critical in today’s daily production activities than before. Compressors consume energy from natural resources (primary energy). Even in the United States, the top three power generation sources are still 40% natural gas, 20% natural energy, and 19% coal. Natural gas and coal plants emit large amounts of carbon dioxide into the environment. High-efficiency compressors can help reduce emissions. Returning to our 500HP compressor system, a 3% efficiency improvement can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 69,080 kg. Don’t underestimate your contribution! Even just hundreds of horsepower help more than you think.  

However, compressor maintenance might be more painful than the cost of consumables. Oil-injected (oil-flooded) compressors have more lubricant consumption due to top-off carryover, and the oil removal system also has pressure loss equivalent to power consumption. Positive displacement compressors typically have more moving parts that meet the static parts, which can cause issues like pressure loss, leakage, or decreased efficiency. Replacing worn-out parts could lead to high costs if you want to avoid leakage or unexpected shutdowns. For example, oil-free screw compressors need the entire rotors replaced every 4-6 years because the Teflon coating wears out. In a worst-case scenario, compressor shutdowns mean lots of maintenance work, and maintenance indicates more downtime, which reduces operation availability.  

FS-Elliott AirCompare program helps you analyze and compare the lifecycle cost to make the best decision for your purchase.  

• Built-in CAGI datasheets of oil-injected (flooded) screw compressor and oil-free (dry) screw compressor models. 
• FS-Elliott compressor performance is based on aero selection performance curves.  
• Maintenance cost and efficiency deterioration are considered. 
• A few steps of the AirCompare report to understand how FS-Elliott compressors help with life-cycle cost savings.  

Here are additional resources to get you started

• Sample AirCompare report
• AirCompare case study to see how a manufacturer used AirComapre to save money at their facility. 

Contact an authorized FS-Elliott channel partner to run a specific AirCompare for your application and let us help you improve your plant efficiency!