Compressed air is used extensively in industry and is expensive to produce. Yet few
Pay attention to wasteful consumption.
An important commodity. In industry, compressed air is produced, for example, with screw compressors.
Compressors can also be used to check tire pressure.
Compressed air is one of the most expensive industrial commodities, as its production takes
a lot of energy. It is widely used in all industries, for example
in machine shops and the forest industry.
“In many industrial sectors, compressed air is even considered the second most important
as a utility right after electricity,” says Sami Uusi-Erkkilä.
He is the CEO of Smartair And Energy Oy, a company specializing in compressed air and its energy savings.
managing director.
Not everyone has yet thought about making use more efficient.
"Its use is sometimes reckless. According to various sources, up to 10–20
percent of the compressed air produced is lost as leaks into the air. You can see this when you look around.
"There is a hissing sound in the factory hall," Uusi-Erkkilä describes.
Uusi-Erkkilä makes a cautious calculation. An estimated 4.4 percent of all Finnish
of electricity consumption is spent on producing and processing compressed air. Approximately 20 percent
with leakage rates this would mean wasted energy of around 757 gigawatt hours
per year.
“It’s a waste of money,” admits Tomi Kiuru, Motiva’s leading expert, whose
Areas of responsibility include industrial energy efficiency and energy production.
Leaks are still a problem, but compressed air production has improved
more energy-efficient solutions, such as speed-controlled compressors.
“With the help of a frequency converter, the compressor continuously produces exactly the compressed air needed, and
"There's no point in going on a weight loss trip," Kiuru points out.
Kiuru estimates that compressed air production accounts for 1.5% of an industrial site's energy consumption.
usually 2–10 percent.
“Compressed air is an important and very often difficult to replace commodity.”
In industry, compressed air is used, among other things, for automation, equipment and machinery.
as a driving force and in various blowing operations.
There are solutions to save energy
Unnecessary consumption can be prevented by identifying and repairing leaks.
Measuring equipment suppliers offer technology for leak detection.
According to Uusi-Erkkilä, it is also important to train employees.
“First, you need to understand the costs of compressed air. For production and maintenance managers
Compressed air is an everyday occurrence. It is worth making monitoring compressed air leaks a part of the factory's routine.
regular maintenance,” he encourages.
As a mechanical engineer, Uusi-Erkkilä knows that compressed air can be used to clean, for example,
objects or surfaces quickly and efficiently. However, compressed air may be used
recklessly.
“Open pipes clean large surfaces, even though there are better techniques for this,” Uusi-
Erkkilä is horrified.
He also tells of a situation where first aid was given to a faulty electric motor.
by cooling it with compressed air.
“It is worth considering how we could reduce the use of compressed air. When leaving the factory floor
The last one does turn off the lights, but the compressed air and the resulting costs are not.
be informed in the same way.”
Energy is being consumed. Sami Uusi-Erkkilä urges industry players to pay attention
compressed air energy loss.
The energy efficiency of compressed air production and use is poor.
“When producing compressed air, more than 80 percent of the energy is converted into heat. Compressed air
"It's best to avoid using it if there are alternative methods," Kiuru encourages.
It is worth recovering and utilizing waste heat. That is the fourth thing that prevents leaks
in addition to taking care of, replacing the variable speed compressor and compressed air
helps save energy in industry.
Support is available for energy audits and compressed air energy efficiency studies.
“Large companies that are part of the energy efficiency agreement are offered
In-depth analysis support. In-depth analysis you can analyze your compressed air system
improving energy efficiency. There are subsidized energy audits for SMEs and
The new focused review allows you to focus solely on compressed air
energy solutions,” says Kiuru.
It has been calculated that in the European Union, of the energy used by industry, approximately
Ten percent is electrical energy consumed for compressed air.
Uusi-Erkkilä regrets that there is still a lack of information on the use of compressed air and energy consumption.
Relatively little reliable research data. Many calculations are estimates.
If the workshop is working in two shifts, compressed air leaks mean
tens of megawatt hours of unnecessary electricity consumption annually. With current
Electricity prices are even tens of thousands of euros.