What is Compressed air leaks?
Compressed air leaks are unintended escapes of air from pipes, hoses, fittings, regulators and drains in an industrial air system, which force compressors to run longer to hold pressure.
Where leaks occur
Any plant with a compressed air network, from packaging and bottling to dairies and automotive suppliers, has some leakage. The US Department of Energy compressed air sourcebook names couplings, hoses, tubes and fittings, pressure regulators, open condensate traps and shut-off valves, and pipe joints, disconnects and thread sealants as the most common problem areas.
How leakage is estimated
For compressors with start and stop or load and unload controls, DOE describes a no-demand test: with all air-using equipment off, time the loaded and unloaded periods. Leakage as a share of compressor capacity equals on-load time divided by the sum of on-load and off-load time. DOE puts leakage in a well-maintained system below 5 to 10 percent, and in poorly maintained systems as high as 20 to 30 percent of air capacity and power.
Finding leak load in Aqueduct data
A compressor's electricity meter tells most of the story. Aqueduct compares compressor kW during non-production hours, when demand should be close to zero, against the same hours in the baseline, so rising night and weekend load flags new leaks between surveys. Load disaggregation separates compressors from other loads on a shared feeder where they are not metered individually.