Eric Zany, EMEA Channel Manager, Parker Hannifin

February 2016. Leakages in pneumatic systems have been a major problem for virtually as long as compressed air has existed. Like water, air will do its best to escape from every possible area of low resistance. Unlike water, though, air is invisible to the naked eye and poses little health and safety risk, making detection hard and a low priority for many firms.

Though compressed air might be harmless to employees, leakage is waste and can hit a company’s finances hard. The average leakage level may typically be between 25% and 35%. If a company was losing a comparable amount of fuel from its vehicles, it would take immediate steps to rectify the problem. Considering a relatively modest example, losing nearly 550,000m³ of air in one year could cost an organisation over 10,000 Euro: a wholly preventable loss. This financial loss is incurred through increased energy costs to drive larger compressors needed to offset leaks and maintain air flow and pressure to equipment, plus bigger, more robust piping systems. Conversely, in an efficient system without leaks, smaller, lower power compressors and reduced diameter of pipe can be utilised without jeopardising the operation of pneumatically powered equipment.

A key method to mitigate the damage and losses from a compressed air system leaks is to prevent them in the first place, and that involves getting all employees involved in a well-managed leak prevention programme. The more aggressive and pro-active the programme, the greater the chance of keeping leaks to an absolute minimum.

By having the correct air preparation technology in place from the day a pneumatic system is first installed and commissioned, many problems that lead to leakage can be avoided. Appropriate use of filters, regulators, lubricators and dryers can alleviate issues such as pipe scaling (in steel-based systems) that interrupt air flow and put damaging contaminants into the supply. Intrusive fittings can also interrupt smooth airflow and reduce overall efficiency. While aluminium piping systems such as Parker Hannifin’s Transair can mitigate the problem of scaling and, with its innovatively designed push-to-connect fittings, not impede airflow, good air preparation is still vital.

In most work places, however, wear-and-tear are normal and human error can never be eliminated entirely, as such air leaks are regrettable but inevitable consequence. It is then the speed of response that makes all the difference in correcting the problem and minimising financial loss. One study showed that effective leakage detection and repair gave companies savings of around 43 per cent in under six months. The scale of these savings is due to both the speed at which the leak could be resolved and the high cost of compressed air to companies.

There are many areas in a pneumatic air system which are prone to leakages. These include couplings, hoses, tubes, and fittings. Equally problematic are missing O-rings, badly fitted filters, regulators and lubricators, inefficient solenoids, dirty seals, bad welds on pipe joints and flanges, thread sealants not being applied properly, worn control and shut-off valves and worn cylinder rod packing.

As a first step to a solution, the leaks need to be detected, usually using a portable ultrasonic acoustic detector made up of directional microphone, amplifier and audio filter. Using this equipment, most leaks can be seen, heard or both. Clearly, once a leak is detected, it needs to be fixed quickly. This can sometimes be as straightforward as tightening up a joint or connection. But more often than not there is a fault in the couplings, fittings, pipe sections, hoses, joints, drains or traps or pipe scaling / corrosion in the air distribution system.

Whatever the cause, time is of the essence in any maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) environment and this is particularly relevant when dealing with leakages in pneumatic systems. With downtime, and delayed response being undesirable, the service an end user receives from an MRO specialist can make all the difference in achieving vital competitive edge. It is absolutely essential to have a highly efficient MRO supply chain to ensure that equipment and components are available within the shortest possible timeframes and that costs are kept to a minimum.

Parker Hannifin understands these concerns and requirements, and through its network of well over 10,000 distributors and ParkerStores in 80 countries is able to provide the necessary products, knowledge and support to ensure compressed air systems are effective and efficient when first installed, and then maintained correctly such that leaks and reliability issues do not manifest during their operational lives. Parker’s network serves the purpose of trusted advisor and provides a genuinely local source for parts and expertise, as well as a host of other services both on and off site.

Based around the concept of bringing the warehouse to the showroom, Parker’s network aims to offer a powerful MRO resource by combining the benefits of both a trade counter and a retail outlet. The customer benefits from a 'while-you-wait' service for such components as hydraulic hose assemblies, couplings, fittings, valves, filters, tooling and much more.

Any business knows that to be as efficient as possible they need to know that they can rely on key parts, components and services being available as quickly as possible. This is reflected in the services Parker Hannifin offers through its wide network of professional distributors and ParkerStores.

For more information on the ParkerStore service, please visit parkerstore.com. Or, find ParkerStores on Facebook at facebook.com/ParkerStores and on Twitter at twitter.com/ParkerStore.

About Parker Hannifin
With annual sales of $13 billion in fiscal year 2014, Parker Hannifin is the world's leading diversified manufacturer of motion and control technologies and systems, providing precision-engineered solutions for a wide variety of mobile, industrial and aerospace markets. The company employs approximately 57,500 people in 50 countries around the world. Parker has increased its annual dividends paid to shareholders for 58 consecutive fiscal years, among the top five longest-running dividend-increase records in the S&P 500 index. For more information, visit the company's website at www.parker.com, or its investor information website at www.phstock.com.

Issued by:
Pinnacle Marketing Communications Ltd,
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Tel: +44 (0) 20 8869 9339  Fax: +44 (0) 20 8868 4373
Web: www.pinnacle-marketing.com
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