Previous Situation

A renowned agroindustrial company operated its industrial compressed air system with three lubricated screw compressors, which together demanded a power of 410 kW. During the energy audit conducted by ENEF, a critical issue was detected: the system had more than 400 compressed air leaks, representing approximately 40% of the total generated flow. This situation caused significant energy waste and increased operational load on the compressors, forcing them to run longer hours and at higher power levels to compensate for these losses.

Additionally, the absence of a centralized master control system for the compressors was evident, causing the equipment to operate independently, often at partial loads and with efficiencies below optimal values. This configuration resulted in unnecessary energy consumption, greater mechanical wear, and difficulties in efficiently adapting to demand fluctuations in the system.

In this context, the company faced low energy efficiency in its compressed air system, high operational costs, and the imminent need to incorporate a new compressor for future production expansions.

The Solution

ENEF implemented a comprehensive strategy focused on two key aspects. On one hand, an exhaustive campaign to detect and repair compressed air leaks was carried out, addressing critical points in the network and fixing over 300 significant leaks. This action allowed a considerable reduction in air losses, improving the utilization of the generated flow and optimizing the system.

In parallel, an advanced master control system for the compressors was installed, which automatically manages load allocation and operation sequencing of the equipment. This system adapts in real-time to demand variations, ensuring that each compressor always operates at its point of maximum energy efficiency.

Thanks to these improvements, the average compressed air consumption was reduced from 75 to 52 m³/min FAD, optimizing the overall system performance and allowing one compressor to be stopped and kept available as backup equipment. This avoided the acquisition of a new compressor, improved the system’s energy efficiency, and significantly reduced operational costs.

Results