Compressed Air Leak Management with SonaVu™
SonaVu™ is a multi-frequency acoustic imaging camera that blends visual and auditory senses to bring compressed air leaks into focus.
Compressed air is a utility, just like electricity, water, and gas. Millions of manufacturers use it to power their processes. But unlike electricity, water, and gas – which are purchased -- compressed air is typically manufactured onsite. As such, you have complete control over it. You can choose how to create it, how to store it, and how to distribute it to the many points of use throughout your facility. You also have the choice about how to do this in a cost-effective, environmentally sustainable way. But do you?
Compressed air remains one of the most mis-managed, misunderstood utilities used in manufacturing. Most companies are simply unaware of just how much potential waste lives in their compressor room. And if they do realize it, they do a poor job communicating those costs to their employees. Compressed air is wasted on inappropriate applications and poorly maintained, leaky networks.
Fact #1 - Compressed air leaks account for as much as 35-40% of total demand. That's 35-40% of your electricity wasted for nothing.
Fact #2 – The single highest cost in operating your compressed air system is electricity! NOT maintenance; NOT Capex; 75% of your compressor cost is the energy to run it.
Leaking compressed air systems don’t receive a lot of attention from maintenance. Usually they have bigger problems on their hands. But it’s also true that compressed air leaks are not a perceived safety risk, they rarely result in production halts, leaks are odorless, colorless, they don’t make a mess on the floor, and in our very noisy plant habitats, they are completely inaudible to our human senses. Combine that with a lack of understanding of their true costs and it’s easy to see why companies choose to remain complacent about a defect that has six figure implications for savings.
The fact remains however, an initiative that has six figure savings potential is COSTING you six figures for as long as its left ignored.
With SonaVu™ from SDT finding, documenting, and repairing leaks has never been easier. SonaVu™ takes compressed air leak detection to an entirely new level. Equipped with 112 highly sensitive sonic sensors and a precision optical camera, SonaVu™ brings the power of superhuman hearing to focus on its vibrant color screen.
Each SonaVu™ comes equipped with 112 highly sensitive ultrasonic microphones that form a wide field of ultrasound detection. That same field of detection is brought into view through a precision optical camera. With SonaVu™ in hand every compressed air leak is heard and seen simultaneously on the large, 5” color display.
Most compressed air leaks remain inaudible to humans or are masked by the rumble and roar of the factory floor. SonaVu™ is tuned to hear only the ultrasonic component created by turbulence at the leak site. At the same time, it remains impervious to the noise of production. Compressed air leak management projects are conducted at the height of production regardless of background noise.
Compressed Air Leak Finding Procedure
A simple leak detection procedure consists of picking up the camera and powering it on. Connect the high-quality noise attenuating headphones so you can hear what SonaVu™ hears. Then simply point the acoustic sensor array towards any compressed air lines. Listen for the characteristic hissing of the compressed air leaks in the headphones and watch the color display light up with the precise location of the leak.
All controls are found on the SonaVu™ touch screen.
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Set the distance:
• Choose near range (<5m) or far range (>5m) or auto range to let SonaVu™ decide. -
Set the frequency:
• For compressed air leaks choose 25-40kHz -
Set the gain:
• Difference between min/max sound pressure.
Each compressed air leak found must be documented to follow up the repair. Leaks are documented in pictures. Choose to create a still image (camera icon) or a video (video icon) for generating leak survey reports. SonaVu™ saves the leak image in either photo or video format. Download your leak survey and produce actionable reports that actually get those compressed air leaks fixed.
Detect The 10 Most Common Leak Spots in your Compressed Air System
Change the Culture of Waste
Your organizational culture dictates the overall success of any maintenance strategy. Having trouble getting buy-in from management to tackle these compressed air leaks? Contact SDT to discover strategies that educate every stakeholder and empower them to take action. When it comes to ways to eliminate bottom line costs, compressed air leaks must be considered "low hanging fruit." Capitalize on this opportunity to restore economy and efficiency to compressed air manufacturing.
SonaVu™, the world’s favourite ultrasound company. If you are going to buy an ultrasonic acoustic imaging camera for compressed air leak management, doesn’t it just make sense to choose one from an ultrasound company?
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