Fluke, a global technology leader in the manufacture of compact and professional test and measurement instruments and software, has announced the addition of a new CO2 emissions indicator to its LeakQ online reporting tool.In addition to the existing estimate of leak size and costs, this new feature adds a third element: the estimated electricity consumed versus CO2 emissions for identified leaks.Maintenance engineers and sustainability managers who work with compressed air and gas distribution systems on a daily basis may not be aware of the exact amount of gas and energy that is wasted due to small leaks in the system.For compressed air applications, the use of LeakQ in conjunction with Fluke's online CO2 Emissions Calculator allows users to quantify the financial value and environmental impact of detecting and repairing system leaks by creating Detailed reports, based on images captured with the Fluke ii900 Industrial Acoustic Imager and the ii910 Precision Acoustic Imager.Approximately 90% of all process companies use compressed air in some of their operations, hence it is sometimes referred to as the fourth supply.It is estimated that, if there were no maintenance systems, the losses caused by leaks in the network would reach 25-30%.Although it would be desirable, the truth is that it is very difficult for a plant to achieve a completely leak-free compressed air system.Air compression is an energy intensive process and therefore any leaks in compressed air systems represent a significant proportion of the electricity consumed by a compressor to compress the gas and should therefore be considered energy waste.As this is an energy-intensive process, and given the potential environmental impact of electricity production, the ability to quantify the environmental and financial value of maintenance is helping companies greatly reduce their energy costs and carbon footprint. carbon.Detailed leak detectionLeaks are usually concentrated at unthreaded joints or connections, at open ends in large holes or open-ended ducts, as well as at threaded joints through metal threads or weld cracks, in addition to leaks in pipes and ducts. rubber, flexible and plastic.Conventional leak detection instruments only measure dB in a narrow frequency band, while LeakQ automatically sweeps the entire frequency spectrum and captures the actual frequency range causing the leak.This makes the estimates much more representative of the actual flow rate of the leak than with more traditional measuring instruments.To develop a report and estimate potential leak costs, the user simply transfers the inspection data from the ii900 or ii910 to a PC, where it can be entered into the LeakQ online report generator.The user then enters operating variables such as gas type, pressure, cost of electricity, and the power rating, which measures the efficiency of the compressor.The generated report will include a summary of all leaks as well as an estimate of their individual and annual volumes, costs and emissions.Leak images are also inserted into the report, which can be shared as a PDF file or downloaded as a .CSV file for import into existing maintenance systems.One option allows users to share their experiences directly with Fluke so that the company can continue to improve and make its leak detection instruments easier to use.Tako Feron, Global Product Manager for Acoustic Chambers at Fluke, says: “Being able to prioritize, quantify and cost leaks in a simple way is a game changer for maintenance engineers, who will be in conditions to analyze the full financial and environmental impact of even the smallest leaks in a compressed air system.The ability to reduce electricity consumption is always a big plus, especially in today's challenging energy cost environment.At the same time, minimizing leaks in compressed air systems is paramount if we are to meet important sustainability goals.”Feron adds: “It is estimated that around 90% of companies use compressed air in some of their operations and most of it is generated on-site.This means that it is up to the user to keep compressed air costs as low as possible, and the LeakQ™ leak detection reporting tool offers an extremely powerful means of helping them achieve that goal.”Learn more about the LeakQ™ report generator here.You must be logged in to post a comment.I have read and accept the terms and conditions© Fakoy Corporation.All rights reserved