Compressed Air System Design Services

At Fluid-Aire, we are the experts in compressed air system design and installation. We start by asking a lot of questions. We take the time to understand your goals, your operations and your budget. Then, we design a compressed air system around your unique needs and constraints.

We design your system around four key questions

It is important to “right-size” your air compressor so you're not paying for capacity you don't need and you're not left stranded by a compressor that can't keep up with your demand. We can help you properly size your equipment based on historical or baseline data or using engineering calculations based on the technical specifications of the equipment your compressor will power. We look at average and peak demand (flow), PSI requirements for your equipment (pressure), use cycles and the projected future demand for compressed air in your facility. Some of the questions we ask include: 

• What is the minimum & maximum CFM needed? (Flow)
• What is the minimum PSI that is needed? (Pressure)
• What are the manufacturer's CFM specifications for each piece of equipment?
• What are the use cycles and the amount of time each piece of equipment cycles?
• How many shifts are run and what is the demand per shift?
• What are future demands in the next 1 to 3 years?

How dry does your compressed air need to be? The dew point requirements and ISO ratings for your application are an important part of compressed air system planning. You never want visible moisture in your air. Moisture will lead to damage and rust in the end-use equipment being served by the compressed air system. Proper air drying through the use of wet tanks, inline filtration, refrigerated or desiccant drying, and point-of-use filtration will eliminate any detectable moisture. However, there are also special considerations if ultra-dry air is required or if the application will be operating in an environment that is below 38°F. We can help you choose the right air drying strategy based on your application dew point requirements and use environment.

Clean air increases system efficiency and is vital to many applications. How clean the air needs to be depends on your application and how and where the air will be used. Cleanliness requirements for powering pneumatic tools and other general applications will not be as stringent as applications such as food processing or medical. Compressed air can easily become contaminated by particulate and oil carryover from the operation of the compressor as well as contaminates in the intake air. Inline filtration is used to remove particulate and oil before air reaches its endpoint. Inline filtration can be placed before and after the dryer, plus at point-of-use for particular filtration specifications. The ISO rating for your use will tell you what micron count is acceptable.

The design of the air distribution system is as important as the choice of air compressor for an efficient compressed air system. A poorly designed distribution system will cause excessive pressure drop, requiring you to run your compressor at a higher PSI to compensate for the loss of pressure at the end of the runs. A well-designed distribution system conveys air efficiently to all endpoints with minimal pressure drop along the way. We look at several factors when designing your distribution system.

Piping size: Undersized piping will result in excess pressure drop. Oversized piping will not cause any performance problems, but who wants to pay for more material than they need? We’ll help you properly size your compressed air pipes for your application.

Layout: A loop-style distribution system is the most efficient option in most cases. We make every effort to eliminate excessive elbows and tees which are another leading cause of pressure drop. A loop system ensures that air can flow in any direction and multiplies the capacity of your system by 1.5 compared to a straight-line configuration.

Material: The very best option for compressed air piping material is an aluminum piping system. This option is far less expensive than traditional copper piping, will not rust or corrode like black iron pipe, and is far faster to install than any traditional piping method.

Storage: When planning an efficient compressed air system, you should consider the need for a receiver and storage tanks. A wet tank is used before the dryer to remove the vast majority of the moisture in high-humidity air. Dry tanks are employed to act as storage for air to be used in high volume at sporadic times (like a baghouse).