Four Key IoT Solutions Transforming the Compressed Air Industry

Smart technology brings more functionality for industrial facilities — like “smart” machine management and predictive maintenance. For compressed air manufacturers wanting additional functionality, these IoT applications can have a major positive impact on performance, maintenance costs, and energy use.

Industry 4.0 technology is having a major impact on the compressed air industry. Internet of Things (IoT) devices are having the biggest impact so far. They are providing optimized maintenance strategies to professionals, allowing them to improve performance, reduce maintenance costs, and optimize energy use.

Which IoT applications are compressed air manufacturers currently using and how will the industry evolve in the next few years?

1. Predictive Maintenance

Predictive maintenance, likely one of the most popular applications of industrial IoT devices, uses internet-connected sensors to monitor equipment performance. After building a baseline of equipment performance, these sensors can alert site workers when a machine is behaving outside typical parameters, unusually, or in a way that may signal a machine is about to fail.

Some systems may be able to remotely shut down a malfunctioning machine as well, preventing greater damage or failure. The predictive maintenance approach can be significantly more cost-effective than a comparable preventive maintenance strategy. IoT performance sensors will catch issues that arise in-between regular maintenance checks, helping supervisors prevent issues regular checks wouldn’t have uncovered.

Predictive maintenance can also help technicians detect problems sooner than they would have otherwise — enabling earlier repairs, refurbishment, and replacements that may help reduce the cost of maintenance down the line.

An Intel whitepaper on the use of IoT for predictive maintenance of air compressors found that the technology made a significant impact on downtime and energy consumption. According to the report, air compressor manufacturer Fusheng was able to improve the first-time fix rate by 20% and decrease downtime by 25% with an IoT monitoring solution.

Fusheng’s particular approach utilized four different types of sensors to monitor exhaust pressure, exhaust temperature, oil temperature, and oil pressure. The sensors delivered information to an analytics model via a programmable logic controller.

When the analytics model determined that an operating parameter was indicating abnormal behavior, an email alert was sent to maintenance staff, allowing them to move quickly to manage equipment functionality and prevent damage.

This approach could be built out with additional IoT sensors that can spot process disturbances. A device tracking moisture, for example, could detect condensation buildup that may interfere with other sensors and lead to pipe corrosion.

There are risks to this approach. AI-powered predictive maintenance, for example, will create what is effectively a black-box algorithm that can be difficult to manage and maintain. However, predictive maintenance is one of the most effective applications of IoT data collection and data analytics, and offers significant benefits for air compressor manufacturers and end-users.

2. Energy Savings With Performance Optimization

Consumption monitoring is a customer-side application of IoT in compressed air. Facilities use IoT devices to monitor the energy that site air compressors use and to perform air demand analysis (ADA). This provides them with a more accurate picture of how much compressed air they really need — cutting down on waste.

Because IoT sensors already track energy and use data as part of a predictive maintenance strategy, these energy-tracking and demand-tracking solutions can be easy to implement on top of existing IoT infrastructure.

IoT-powered loss reduction can also help reduce waste and improve energy efficiency. On average, up to 30% of compressed air generated by industrial compressors disappears due to leakages in the supply network. Ultrasonic sensors, deployed near pipes and common leak points, could automatically detect compressed air leaks.

This data helps with overall facility energy management and may help end-users identify relationships between operational variables and energy consumption. Manufacturers may also use performance data in the design of future air compressors.

The Intel report on Fusheng’s application of IoT technology also found that IoT air compressor management could yield significant energy savings, as a result of reduced downtime and maintenance and operational changes that enable end-users to improve air compressor performance.

3. Remote Management and Air Compressor Automation

IoT devices can also help manufacturers and end-users create remotely monitored and controlled systems, allowing site managers to toggle air compressors or change compressor settings without needing to be on-site.

Remote access can work as a stand-alone feature of an IoT fleet or exist as part of a more complex, multi-purpose site monitoring system. Often, remote access is part of a remote monitoring system that may also act as a predictive maintenance solution.

With these devices, it’s also possible to connect to the internet over Wi-Fi or a cellular network, reducing the need for wired connections and helping to make a remote facility management solution more flexible. These systems provide site staff with remote control of a system and enable technicians or managers to check how an air compressor performs without having to be there.

Some highly sophisticated systems may be able to near-fully automate a site’s air compressors and related machinery or equipment. These systems may also help coordinate air compressors with other smart systems on-site — like robotics and facility management solutions.

These systems may be especially valuable in a post-pandemic world, where end-users want to be prepared for a crisis that may prevent workers or supervisors from visiting a site in-person.

4. Instant Service Information

In the event that an air compressor breaks down or needs service, IoT monitoring sensors can provide real-time information on that air compressor to a technician. For example, if a predictive maintenance system monitors critical operational data for a particular compressor — like an air compressor’s oil barrel pressure and temperature — it may provide a technician with clues about what’s causing a particular problem before they arrive.

This can give the technician a better idea of what may have caused the issue, allowing them to gather the right tools or bring replacement parts, thus minimizing the time it takes to complete a service request.

For example, rapidly falling pressure data may alert on-site staff to an air leak. Further information from an ultrasonic sensor may help a technician pinpoint the leak’s location without needing to be on-site. If air is leaking from a faulty tank valve, the technician can bring a replacement valve with them or order one before they even arrive at the facility.

In some cases, this extra information may even enable a technician to guide on-site employees through the repair process with phone support — reducing downtime and eliminating the need for an in-person maintenance call. In combination with the right maintenance approach, this service information can help cut down on the time needed for repairs, further reducing downtime and waste.

How the Compressed Air Industry Is Taking Advantage of IoT

Internet-connected sensors and smart facility management technologies are having a major impact on industry at large.

For manufacturers and end-users of air compressors, IoT technology is useful in a few different ways. Remote monitoring and predictive maintenance both help reduce downtime and improve machine performance — potentially reducing waste and maintenance costs.

Analysis of data collected by IoT devices can also help manufacturers in the design process or allow more effective management of air compressors.