A large steel manufacturer was implementing a new caster operation and needed a new compressed air system to supply the new caster. In addition to utilizing two preexisting rotary screw machines, the plant purchased four new 1500 HP centrifugal machines for the caster operation.
The caster operation would have varying demands and likely times that there would be significant blowoff and wasted air. AirLogix controllers were implemented on the centrifugal machines, utilizing the Case DTL algorithms to minimize blowoff.
While some minor blowoff was still present, excess air available on the caster side could be utilized for plant air and thus keep the rotary screw machines offline.
A crossover valve was implemented to allow the two headers to be managed together. This would allow excess capacity in the Caster Air System to be utilized for plant utility air, thus minimizing the waste. The AirMaster system and AirGate software allowed for the optimal scenario to be utilized, significantly reducing energy usage while improving the overall reliability of the system.