Pressure losses due to inadequate piping and accessories will result in increased energy costs, variations in system pressure and adverse effects on production. Therefore, it’s important to keep these tips in mind when selecting piping and accessories:
- Use full-size piping whenever practical for filters.
- Do not use bushings to reduce pipe sizes at threaded ports.
- Use full port valves and selecting piping/fittings to minimize pressure drops and reduce energy costs.
- Do not size interconnecting piping based on the connection sizes of components, such as compressors, coolers and filters. Air velocity in connecting and distribution piping should not exceed 30 ft./sec.
- All filters and dryers should be installed with gauges to monitor pressure differential. For gauge replacements, each gauge should be fitted with a gauge cock of valve. Differential pressure gauges, reflecting actual pressure in psi, are preferred over pop-up or color-band types.
- Filters and dryers should be piped with a suitable three-valve bypass to allow continuous plant operation when servicing is required.
- Use duplex dryers and filters in parallel with appropriate isolation valves when working with systems that cannot tolerate any contaminants. This practice allows operators to change filter elements at any time, helping to maintain low pressure drops and reduce energy waste.
Always remember to read the manufacturers’ instruction books for how to optimally interconnect different components of your system. For any additional questions, feel free to leave us a comment below.