MELBOURNE WATER

Brooklyn, VIC Australia

William Chan
Product Manager- Gas and Special Projects

The Problem

Melbourne Water Brooklyn is an underground pumping station which has been operating since 1965. Melbourne water contacted CAPS to validate the energy saving that could be obtained through the energy and leak audit.

The team at CAPS was tasked with conducting an energy and leak audit which had the main objectives of:

Reducing carbon footprint
Reducing operating costs
Minimising maintenance costs

The air leak audit required a 3-hour inspection of the site, in this instance two underground pumping stations, the workshop station and the compressed air room were examined. The site was also attended to install power and pressure event loggers for the energy audit.

Solution

CAPS solution was to conduct a leak audit with the LD500 Leak detector which provides reliable leak detection.

The benefits from using this leak detection equipment are:

Small leaks can be found at large distances
Leakage size and savings can be accurately estimated
Auto level allows the detector to eliminate background noise reliably
Any leaks can be photographed
Leak details can be transferred to desktop

When the air leak audit has been completed, a formulated report can be written analysing all leaks with their location included. Customers can either source their own repair for a leak or they have the option to use CAPS. In this case, Melbourne Water decided to source their own repair.

CAPS used in-house designed equipment for the energy audit. The process involved the audit equipment being connected to the CAPS compressor, and the pressure logging device being connected to the compressed air system. Once both were connected, the compressed air system was returned to normal operating conditions over the next 7 days so that a log of the customer system could be conducted. Once the log was complete, the data was then downloaded onto our proprietary software for analysis so that a summary of the overall system could be provided.

Benefits

Conducting a leak audit can determine if there are any leaks that may lead to costs further down the line. Leakages that are not detected can result in a large waste in energy in compressed air systems. It is estimated that 30% of the cost of compressed air can be saved by eliminating leakages. Melbourne Water benefited from using CAPS and its latest instrument to help locate numerous leaks and verify previous rectified work.

The energy audit compliments the air leak audit as it reinforces the findings, in addition it helps the client to understand their status, enabling them to cater for future expansion. Furthermore, any potential faults with the compressed air system can be identified through an energy audit.

Feel free to contact CAPS Australia on 1800 800 878 or send us an email at info@caps.com.au for one of our compressed air experts to help you maximise your energy efficiency.