Helping industry save energy with compressed air control and optimisation

Has the price of electricity been a concern for your industrial business?

Today perhaps more than ever before, industry as a whole is looking to save energy. Efficiency is always important, but especially so when the price of electricity is at a record high. 

Compressed air is one of the biggest consumers of electricity in industry by scope and cost. It is also a necessity for many processes, making its availability critical to secure. With such a costly product, users would do well to investigate and identify any opportunities for cost savings.

It is more the rule than an exception that compressed air systems have opportunities for saving energy and optimising use.

Users looking to reduce the electricity consumption of compressed air systems must balance absolute reliability with energy efficiency. Just in case, users often choose to always keep the system at high pressure, because many critical processes rely on compressed air. In addition, systems with multiple compressors often lack central control, which makes it challenging to improve the system’s energy efficiency.

Wasted air output is almost guaranteed in non-centralised systems

The optimisation of compressed air production is quickly reflected as smaller electricity bills. Even if the price of electricity, currently high due to the energy crisis, comes down in the future, the energy savings of industry are important for society. Saving energy is always an act of sustainability that allows you to substantially reduce the carbon footprint of your operations.

The Sarlin Balance compressed air control and monitoring system developed by Sarlin in Finland works with compressors of different makes and models. Its compressor control functionality is based on continuous pressure measurements from multiple areas of consumption. The system is in its element in multi-compressor industrial plants where compressed air is an absolute necessity for the processes.

Sarlin Balance can be used to tune the production of compressed air to guarantee sufficient levels in all situations. As the name implies, the system weighs critical need and energy efficiency.  It balances the network’s pressure and ensures sufficient availability of compressed air during peak consumption as well.

The main advantage of the control system is that it can evaluate the performance of the whole compressed air system. With compressors controlled by the digital Sarlin Balance system, the whole is easy to manage, even if it includes compressors from different manufacturers.

Produce exactly the right amount of air for any need with your system

The purpose of Sarlin Balance is not to maintain continuous maximum output but to adjust output to overall need. This means that compressed air is always readily available without needlessly running the system at maximum power. For example, if the system detects that too many compressors are running or the compressors are running too hard for demand, it can slow down or stop some without compromising system pressure.

This spares energy but also the machinery by minimising the number of stops and starts, only using the optimal combination of compressors for the current demand for compressed air.

Here is how Sarlin Balance saves energy:

• Centralised compressor control allows management and optimisation of the whole.
• Guarantees even pressure levels, even during peak demand.
• Alerts the user to deviations in consumption.
• Allows compressor cooling to be controlled by demand.
• Reports electricity consumption data in real time.

You can use our calculator to see how much you could save with Sarlin Balance

Measurements are key for all energy-saving measures. The functions of Sarlin Balance are also based on collecting data, which allows you to improve any and all measures related to your system.

Sarlin Balance documents the compressed air system by continuously collecting and recording data about the system’s elements, including pressure levels, energy consumption, air consumption, and compressor and dryer operating data, dew points and temperatures. All this data allows you to see where your compressed air is actually going and how much energy you are spending to produce it.

Many compressed air systems have been expanded and modified over time to such an extent that the organisation no longer has a clear picture of the whole. Sarlin Balance brings uniform metrics that make results easy to report.

Collecting data is extremely important for businesses considering investments in additional capacity.  Are you sure you should buy another compressor? Or could you get more out of your current system? The versatile interfaces of Sarlin Balance make it possible to connect to factory automation and other master systems. The data from Sarlin Balance can be transferred to the environment where the rest of your essential consumption data already is. This makes it possible to operate Sarlin Balance from your plant’s automation system, for example.

• Better control and optimisation yields average savings of 10 to 30 per cent.
• Measures and documents the energy savings of your compressed air system.
• Tracks carbon dioxide emissions with an IIoT service.
• Maintains even network pressure.
• Improves compressed air quality and helps with maintenance.
• Compatible with all compressor brands, including systems with different makes and models.
• Straightforward local user interface and tailored implementation.
• Option for a continuous maintenance service.

Learn more about the technical features of Sarlin Balance

We offer the most comprehensive industrial compressed air services in Finland with many decades of experience. We tailor our Sarlin Balance implementations for each case and customer.

Right now, dozens of industrial facilities around the world use the Sarlin Balance system to save energy. Interested in an estimate of your plant’s system compatibility?