An integrated energy simulation model of a compressed air system for sustainable manufacturing: A time‐discretized approach

Abstract

A compressed air system (CAS) is one of the most common and energy‐consuming systems in manufacturing. To practice more economically and environmentally sustainable manufacturing, manufacturers need ways to reduce the energy costs and carbon footprint, resulting from a CAS in their production systems. While preliminary energy studies on a CAS and on machining processes are available separately, existing research studies rarely analyze energy costs using a tool that considers both a CAS and production systems. Therefore, in this study, we propose an energy simulation tool that combines a CAS and a production system to evaluate the effects of a CAS and production parameters on energy consumption and costs at a factory level. In particular, we develop a time‐discretized algorithm for simulating a CAS to accurately consider the dynamics of CAS parameters such as pressure and flow rate. From 48 simulation case studies, we show that changes in a CAS such as proper HP sizing, a reduction in compressed air leaks, and a decrease in the dis-charge pressure can increase productivity and reduce energy costs by up to 11%. The simulation analysis from this study suggests a way to help manufacturers and researchers find more sustainable ways to achieve energy‐efficient configurations for production systems including a CAS.