GOOD PRACTICE CASE STUDY 369

Compressed air leakage reduction

through the use of electronic
condensate drain traps
GKN Sheepbridge Stokes Ltd
■ Annual energy savings
of almost £3,000

■ Payback periods from

8 months

■ Simple maintenance
requirements

■ Suitable for all sites with

compressed air
GOOD PRACTICE CASE STUDY 369

BEST PRACTICE
PROGRAMME
 ELECTRONIC CONDENSATE DRAIN TRAPS

BACKGROUND

Receiver No.12
6 bar Receiver No.6 throughout the compressed air distribution system
nominal
Compressor Foundry
B - 706 scfm low (see Fig 1), saving energy and giving an average
pressure air payback time on total investment of 14 months.
Receiver No.3
Compressor
A - 632 scfm CONDENSATE FORMATION AND COLLECTION
In compressed air systems where the air is treated by
filtration and refrigerated drying, condensate forms in
the air receivers and distribution piping network
L.P. Compressed air to when the air temperature falls below the delivered air
Foundry and No.1 shop
dewpoint. With oil injected compressors, such as
Receiver No.18 those at GKN, the condensate contains water and oil.

Compressor 7 bar nominal Foundry Air quality is important for most plant and processes
C - 631 scfm high
pressure air utilising compressed air. The condensate must be
removed as poor air quality, due to entrained
condensate, may lead to:
Receiver No.28 Receiver No.2
■ damage to plant;
Monitoring Shop numbers
point
Compressor 6 bar nominal 2 and 5 ■ plant failure;
D - 631 scfm
compressed air
New ECDT ■ pressure drop and other systems problems.

Fig 1 The compressed air layout at GKN

BACKGROUND
GKN Sheepbridge Stokes Ltd, Chesterfield, is a large
industrial company engaged principally in the
casting and machining of cylinder liners for
automotive, bus, truck, marine industrial and
locomotive applications.

Cylinder liner manufacturing processes involve the

use of compressed air for instrumentation, control
and gauging.
The 24 hours/day, six days/week operation of the
three systems measured consumed an estimated
1,500 standard cubic feet per minute (scfm) of
compressed air, at an annual energy cost of just
over £85,000.
ENERGY MANAGEMENT
The energy and environmental performance at
GKN is continuously reviewed to ensure the most
energy efficient and cost-effective production.
The potential for energy saving by installing
electronic condensate drain traps (ECDTs) was
identified by a review of the compressed air
systems. ECDTs have now been installed
Condensate can be removed by periodic manual
bleeding, but this operation is not always conducted
consistently. Continuous bleeding, achieved by
‘cracking open’ a receiver drain valve, often becomes
the normal operating practice. Whilst this may
satisfy the air quality requirements for production, it
is extremely wasteful and costly in terms of air
leakage.
Leaving the condensate drains permanently open can
waste of up to 10% of the compressed air demand,
and can also be very noisy. In order to improve
energy efficiency and reduce compressed air costs,
automatic drain traps should be fitted to drain lines
and receivers within a compressed air system.
 ELECTRONIC CONDENSATE DRAIN TRAPS

ELECTRONIC CONDENSATE DRAIN TRAPS

the base of the air receiver. Condensate is

drained from the lowest point on the fitting
through a connecting pipe to a reservoir in the
trap.

The diaphragm valve in the discharge pipe is

normally held in the closed position by the
pressure of the compressed air in the vessel. As
condensate accumulates, a capacitive level sensor
recognises the requirement to discharge liquid
and a low voltage solenoid pilot valve is
operated. The oil-contaminated condensate is
then discharged through a hose or pipeline to an
oil/water separator.

The discharge valve is only held open long

Electronic condensate drain trap on an air receiver
ELECTRONIC CONDENSATE DRAIN TRAPS
There are various types of automatic traps available
which are suitable for the removal of condensate.
Recent developments have seen the introduction of
electronic, level-sensing condensate drain traps.
These have much improved reliability and are
efficient as virtually no air is wasted when
condensate is rejected.
Several manufacturers produce electronic
condensate drain traps, all of which function in a
similar manner (Fig 2). The trap is located close to
Condensate out
GKN Sheepbridge Stokes Ltd’s Diaphragm
site at Chesterfield valve
enough to discharge the accumulated
condensate. When the pre-set lower condensate
reservoir level is reached, the solenoid valve is
operated again and the differential pressure at
the discharge valve is restored, terminating the
flow.
In the event of component failure the trap will
enter a pre-set cyclic draining mode so that
condensate is never allowed to accumulate.
The ECDTs fitted at GKN were of various sizes,
determined by the condensate volume for a
given system air flow, and varied in price
between £200 and £400 each. Operational
experience has shown these to be completely
reliable, with no leakage recurring to date.
MONITORING METHODS AND RESULTS
In order to accurately measure the energy savings
obtained from the installation of ECDTs, the cost
of generating compressed air before they were
fitted was calculated.

Firstly the power consumption for the generation

of compressed air for each system was
Solenoid determined. The leakage from each of six of
Condensate Pilot valve
in GKN’s receiver drain traps was then measured
and the annual loss and associated cost
Lower level Upper level quantified. These, together with the individual
probe probe
sensor sensor cost savings and simple payback, for each of the
six sample installations at GKN, are illustrated in
Dip tube
Fig 2 Schematic of an the accompanying charts (Figs 3-6).
electronic condensate
drain trap
Weir
 ELECTRONIC CONDENSATE DRAIN TRAPS

MONITORING METHODS AND RESULTS

Compressor Power Consumption Measurement 0.4

consumption (kW/scfm)
The specific power consumption of each system 0.35

Specific power
was established by relating each compressor’s 0.3
0.25
electrical power consumption reading to the 0.2
measured system air demand at that time (Fig 3). 0.15
0.1
0.05
Leakage Measurement and Annual Savings 0
The compressed air leakage from each of the Foundry Foundry Shop numbers
low pressure high pressure 2 and 5
compressed air system’s drain traps (Fig 4) was compressors compressor compressor
measured using a test pipe and turbine meter. The
Fig 3 Specific power consumption of the compressor plant prior to installation of ECDTs
annual cost of leakage from each drain trap was
determined, using the specific power consumption.
From this, the annual energy savings resulting
25
from the installation of ECDTs was calculated.
This is shown in Fig 5, together with the cost of 20
Leakage (scfm)

installation. The cost of installation varied with 15

the size of the ECDT and the cost of ancillaries,
10
e.g. cabling and frost protection heaters.
5

Payback depends on the cost of the leakage and 0

this is determined by the pressure, operating 12 6 3 18 28 2

hours, the physical size of the leak, and the cost of Reference number of receiver to which ECDT fitted
electricity (Fig 6).
Fig 4 Leakage from individual receiver drain valves

Compressor Oversizing
Fig 3 shows the particularly poor efficiency of the
1,100
compressor serving the machinery and finishing 1000 Installed cost of ECDT
900
shops. This was due to the machine being too Annual saving
Cost/saving (£)

800
large for the small system air demand. It therefore 700
600
operated inefficiently for long periods ‘off load’,
500
resulting in a disproportionately high cost of 400
300
leakage from the system. Energy savings made
200
from fitting ECDTs were therefore higher than 100
0
would be expected on a system with a more typical
12 6 3 18 28 2
specific power consumption. As a result of this
Reference number of receiver to which ECDT fitted
survey, GKN intend to replace the compressor with
a more appropriately sized machine. Fig 5 Installed costs and annual savings from the installation of ECDTs

25
Payback period (months)

20

15

10

0
12 6 3 18 28 2
Reference number of receiver to which ECDT fitted

Fig 6 Payback periods from the installations of ECDTs

Condensate ejection from a manual drain valve

 HOST ORGANISATION

Compressed air is used in all process stages at GKN,

but is particularly important for our foundry
and finishing processes. We are conscious of the
energy consumption and costs associated with producing
compressed air.

The large distribution system requires careful

maintenance and continuous monitoring for leaks.
Energy consumption reviews identified some poor
operational practices, including the continuous bleeding of
the compressed air systems. The installation of electronic
condensate drain traps completely eliminated waste of
compressed air previously resulting from this practice.

The installations are simple and cost effective, with a good

maintenance record.

We will continue to install electronic traps on

this site and our other sites.

Ian Mottishaw
Site Facilities Manager, GKN Sheepbridge Stokes Ltd

GKN SHEEPBRIDGE STOKES LTD

GKN Sheepbridge Stokes Ltd produces a wide range of precision-machined
cylinder liners for automotive, marine, industrial and locomotive applications.
The GKN client portfolio includes world-leading engine manufacturers.

In 1917 Mr F W Stokes pioneered the centrifugal casting process employed at

GKN. The Sheepbridge Centrifugal Casting Company was formed in the 1920s,
and GKN plc acquired the company in 1979.

This project was monitored independently by Cadogan Consultants. Tel: 0141 270 7060.

The equipment was supplied by Automated Industrial Services Ltd. Tel: 01484 719921.

There may be other suppliers of similar energy efficient equipment on the market. Please consult your
supplier directories or ETSU who may be able to provide you with more details.
 ELECTRONIC CONDENSATE DRAIN TRAPS
CONCLUSIONS
SAVINGS SUMMARY
The total electrical saving was estimated to be
74,400 kWh of electricity, worth £2,972/year at
the average GKN site cost of 3.9 p/kWh. The
total capital invested to install six ECDTs was
£3,439. This comprises £1,723 for the ECDTs
and a further £1,716 for heaters, cabling and
labour costs.
The average payback period for the whole
installation was 14 months, ranging from 8 to
24 months for individual ECDTs.
CONCLUSIONS
The GKN project demonstrates that:
■ the installation of ECDTs is an easy and
effective means of reducing compressed air
leakage and energy costs;
■ the installation of ECDTs is an investment
option which can give excellent paybacks;
■ mechanical installation is very
straightforward. In most cases, installation
could easily be undertaken by a company’s
own engineering staff;
■ electronic drain traps are reliable in
operation and require little maintenance
other than occasional cleaning;
■ the installation of ECDTs may facilitate
easier condensate collection for safe
environmental disposal.
The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions’ Energy Efficiency Best
Practice Programme provides impartial, authoritative information on energy efficiency techniques
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BRECSU
Building Research Establishment
Garston, Watford, WD2 7JR
Tel 01923 664258
Fax 01923 664787
E-mail brecsuenq@bre.co.uk
ADDITIONAL BENEFITS
The installation of ECDTs allows the
condensate to be collected in a more
controlled manner than may otherwise
have been achieved. The water and oil
emulsion mix can easily be transferred to
an oil-water separator for the removal and
safe disposal of the oil content. The
cleaned water can be disposed of directly
to the drain.
Controlled condensate removal and
collection is a measure which may be used
by the industry to assist compliance with
the acts and regulations relating to the
discharge and disposal of trade effluent.
The principal acts and regulations at the
time of writing were:
■ The Water Resources Act 1991;
■ The Water Industry Act 1991;
■ The Environmental Protection
Regulations 1991.
The reduced electricity consumption also
has an environmental benefit, with CO2
emissions being reduced by approximately
70 tonnes/year.
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For industrial and transport topics please contact:
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© CROWN COPYRIGHT FIRST PRINTED APRIL 1998
REPRINTED JULY 1999