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AIRFLOW TROUBLESHOOTING
Chikezie Nwaoha
Control Engineering Asia, Ten Alps Communications Asia, Aladinma, Nigeria
Many industries utilize air for production purposes, as in While many operators are concerned about the risk
mixing, pressurizing, atomizing, and agitating applications. of dirt and dust particles, oil vapor and water vapor in
Applications include oil and gas, food, pharmaceutical, the airstream also pose a problem. During compression,
and others. By managing compressed-air systems and oil and water vapor escape with the compressed air,
controlling airflow in such scenarios, users can improve and after compression the air is cooled in the interstage
production efficiency by up to 50%. Compressed air flows cooler, resulting in condensed vapors. If this condensate
as a result of pressure differential (Fig. II-1). This implies is not removed, it causes corrosion and blockage to
that pressure drop is the major cause of insufficient airflow. the compressed-air systems, hence reducing airflow and
To maintain adequate airflow, much attention should be production efficiency. To prevent this, filters must be
focused on the pressure losses that are caused by obstacles located properly in the system, and an interstage cooler with
in the compressed-air systems [1]. automatic drain traps must be fitted to the air compressor.
2. Air compressor type and operation. The air compres-
II.1 COMMON OBSTACLES TO PROPER sor can also be an obstacle to airflow. Air compressors
AIRFLOW make use of lubricating oil for sealing and lubrication and
use cooling water (mostly applied) for cooling (Fig. II-2).
Obstacles in a compressed airflow system alter the pressure During operation, cooling water and lubricating oil may
of the flowing air. As the push to optimize production seep into the compressed air as a liquid or aerosol. The
continues, it becomes imperative for production personnel resulting leakage causes contamination problems similar to
to identify and combat such problems. those of condensed oil and water vapors [1]. The type of
compresssor also affects proper airflow. A turbine-driven
1. Air quality. Air cleanliness affects the airflow air compressor, for example, utilizes more lubricating oil
required. Atmospheric air contains a large amount of air- and cooling water for operation than does an electrically
borne contaminants: dust, dirt, water vapor, and in an driven compressor, so a turbine-driven compressor is more
oil-related industry, oil vapor in the form of unburned susceptible to lubricating oil and/or cooling water seepage.
hydrocarbons. In many applications, dirt and dust parti- 3. Improper configuration of distribution systems. The
cles can pass through the air compressor and gradually main objective of proper sizing and configuration of
form deposits on the interior surface of the compressor. distribution systems is to transport the maximum expected
As these deposits accumulate, friction increases and the volumetric airflow from the compressor to the point
compressor loses it ability to generate the head required for of use with minimum pressure drop. Poor distribution
airflow [2]. system configuration can lead to insufficient airflow, and
Process Plant Equipment: Operation, Control, and Reliability, First Edition. Edited by Michael D. Holloway, Chikezie Nwaoha, and Oliver A. Onyewuenyi.
© 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
659
660 AIRFLOW TROUBLESHOOTING
Figure II-1 Newly installed air compressor. (Courtesy of Port Figure II-2 The author adjusting cooling water in an air
Harcourt Refining Company, Nigeria.) compressor. (Courtesy of Port Harcourt Refining Company,
Nigeria.)
thus affects the discharge pressure, robbing the user of Thus, it is important always to keep in mind the old truism:
expensive compressed air power. This is not limited “A problem identified is half solved.” Table II-1 provides
to the interconnecting piping from the discharge of the guidance on troubleshooting five common problems.
air compressor to the header. It also applies to the air
storage system and the distribution line conveying air
to production areas. To prevent this, international quality REFERENCES
standards and guidelines must be adhered to strictly when
sizing distribution systems [2]. 1. Nwaoha, C., Airflow troubleshooting strategy: achieving
production efficiency through proper air systems maintenance,
Flow Control , vol. xv, no. 7, July 2009, pp. 28–29.
II.2 TROUBLESHOOTING 2. Nwaoha, C., Process optimization: controlling air flow, Steam
and Boiler Review , vol. 3, no. 11, November 2009, pp. 22–24.
Quickly diagnosing and correcting application issues will
help ensure that small problems don’t become big ones.