subject: Ways To Save On Cost With Air Knife [print this page] More often than not, an air knife unit is blowing off its nozzles for the entire production time at a non-stop rate. Sometimes, it renders service for extra hours when there is an increase in the required volume. Under such situations, the air knives would need their generators to pump more air. But that means, higher consumption. What can be done to mitigate this?
The air knife blowoff system makes use of high pressure air to function. However, compressed air are supplied through the use of generators that consumes energy. Using electricity-powered generators have the advantage of supplying high pressure air, but it can shoot up utility cost with frequency of use.
An alternative to this is to use an electric generator with a lower wattage and pair it with a tear-drop air knives. Although air pressure is standard, high-intensity streams are still possible because of the design of the air knives. Having a higher capacity electric generator on stand by is also recommended, in case there is a need for stronger pressure.
There are times, when more coverage is required, rather than greater blowing intensity. Designed precisely for this are the fan-shape air blades, which do not only target wider spaces, but also releases air blasts at a higher speed. In addition to these great qualities, this air knife also consumes no more than what is standard for a blow off system.
Manufacturers have the choice to shift from electric to fuel generators to reduce on energy cost. One disadvantage though is that they require more fuel in order to blow off streams of air at sufficient pressure levels. More fuel is needed to generate compressed air higher than 15 SCFM. Employing especially designed nozzles as earlier mentioned can be tested on fuel-run generators to see if reduction on utility cost is achieved just the same.
Another way to save on energy cost with an air knife system is to install pressure regulators and solenoid valves. These additional components make provision for instant shut down of air knives when there are intervening pauses during manufacturing. They use compressed air only when the surface that needs drying is on target area of the air knives.
Partially clogged air pipelines can lead to compressed air wastage. Investing in an air knife kit that includes a filter-drainage system will help prevent this. It is no less than non-negotiable in industrial areas that deal with a lot of moisture, oxidation, and chemical reactions in their processes.
