EMERGENCY COMPRESSED AIR PLANNER
If you plan ahead, your compressed air solutions won’t have to shut down because of a compressor failure or utility outage. With a solid contingency plan in place, you’ll know what to do and whom to call to keep your air compressors up and running and your revenue stream flowing.
This Emergency Compressed Air Planner will help you and your team build a contingency plan. The checklist format will help you cover the key elements quickly and easily; an established supplier of compressed air rental solutions, supplies and service will help you fill in the details.
Your Practical Guide to Maintaining Compressed Air Operations
1. Choose Your Air Compressor Supplier
2. Determine the Type(s) of Air Compressor(s) You Will Need
3. Determine the Air Quality Your Operations Require
4. Select Appropriate Air Compressor Features
5. Determine if Dryers and/or Air Receiver Tanks Are Required
6. Determine the Sizes Required for Hoses and Fittings
7. Provide for Fueling
8. Plan for Delivery and Operation
9. Conduct a Dry Run
10. Designate Emergency Personnel
Sooner or later a compressor will go down or your operation will require additional capacity. The time to plan for the inevitable is now. And Thompson Power Systems is ready to assist you with our compressed air rental solutions.
To implement a successful plan, look for a power system rental dealership that offers the following qualifications and capabilities:
- Well maintained and pre-tested equipment
- Staff qualified to deliver turnkey service and technical support
- Rental units in stock that suit your application requirements
- Experience in your industry
- Modern, emissions-compliant equipment designed for rental use
- Capability to train your staff
- Flexible financial options that include weekly and monthly rental contracts; Rental Purchase Options
- Complete ancillary equipment in stock
- Quick, efficient delivery and pickup to meet your time constraints
- Pre-approved credit arrangements
- Complete fuel service 24-hour response including weekends and holidays
- Spare parts inventory in stock
Portable diesel units can keep you up and running. Once you have determined which air-operated equipment cannot be shut down, make sure you choose the same kind of air compressors you currently use, or units that are compatible with your applications.
You will need to decide which type(s) of air compressor will provide the air quality that best suits your specific applications. For example: if oil-free compressors are currently installed at your facility, you might be able to use oil-flooded equipment that supplies oil-free air quality.
- Standard Compressed Air: General purpose for construction and other non-critical applications
- Instrument Quality Air: Free of oil aerosols, particulates and other contaminants larger than 0.01 microns. Ideal for instrumentation, process equipment and other sophisticated industrial applications
- Oil-Free Air: The purest quality, 100% free of oil contaminants. Ideal for food and beverage, pharmaceutical, chemical, textile and electronics industries where purity is critical
Choose from a variety of features to suit your specific equipment and application requirements, including:
- Auto start-stop: Automatically starts a rental unit if the primary air compressor goes down
- Aftercoolers and filters: Provide instrument-quality air
- Engine block heaters: To keep engine temperature constant for quick start-up
- Cold weather starting aid: To ensure quick start-up
- Cold weather shutter package: Lowers the low-temperature capability of aftercooled compressors to -20°F
- Fuel gauge: Simplifies monitoring of fuel levels
Dryers are used to remove moisture from the compressed air and receiver tanks to hold reserve pressure for use downstream in the air system.
- Dryers: Are dryers used in the primary air system? If yes, can they be transferred for use in the rental system? If dryer(s) must be rented, determine what size(s) will be needed according to compressor cfm.
- Air Receiver Tanks: Are air receiver tanks used in the primary system? If yes, can they be transferred to the rental power equipment? If air receiver tank(s) must be rented, determine which industry standard sizes will be needed.
Most compressors come with 2-inch or 3-inch outlets to accommodate standard 2-inch or 3-inch hoses, and must be bushed to fit. Fittings will also be needed to make hose-to-hose connections.
A reliable fuel supply is an essential part of emergency power systems. You should arrange for fuel service in advance, ideally through your power system rental dealership, or through another source if necessary. Considerations include:
- Tank capacity: Determine the fuel consumption rate of the air compressor. The unit should be able to operate for at least eight hours between refuelings.
- Auxiliary fuel: Having an auxiliary fuel tank enables longer runs between refuelings.
- Delivery access: Make sure you can provide a clear and easily navigable access route for fuel delivery vehicles.
- Spill containment: Regulations typically require containment equal to the tank capacity.
- Credit approval: Prior credit approval from the fuel supplier is essential to keep emergency operations on track.
There are a number of factors you will need to consider and discuss with your compressed air rental supplier, including:
- Approximate length of rental.
- Identification of connection points.
- Environmentally sound location away from drains, work areas and residences.
- Designated access route for delivery.
- Opening for hose access to the building.
- Location with adequate surrounding open space away from traffic, trees and obstructions.
- Planned route for hose inside the building.
- Level parking location.
- Security fencing.
Practice makes perfect. Stage a drill in which your team and, ideally, your equipment supplier run through the emergency power systems plan step by step, just as if an emergency were really happening.
- Make sure that each person fully understands his or her role in the event of an actual outage.
- Time how long it takes to get the emergency air compressor back online after the main compressed air system goes down.
Make a list of the key contacts who will be in charge during emergencies. Make this list accessible to your team members and keep it up-to-date. Be sure to include a primary contact and alternate for each of the following job functions:
- In-house operations / maintenance
- IT, security, data recovery
- Electric utility representative
- Rental equipment representative
- Air compressor hookup
- Air compressor operation
- Systems engineer or contractor
- Fuel supplier
For reliable diesel, electric, & high pressure compressed air rental solutions, get what you need – and the expertise to handle everything from product assessment and selection to easy delivery and fast installation. Thompson Power Systems offers rental solutions for every need, no matter how large, complex, or urgent:
- Diesel driven 1600CFM
- Electric to 3000CFM
- Standard, High Pressure, Instrument Quality, Oil Free
- Full Line of Aftercoolers, Air Dryers, Filtration Packages
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