Cost Saving Opportunities with Industrial Gas Delivery Systems

Let's look at opportunities to save by taking a systematic approach to distribution of industrial gases within your facility.

Many of you use compressed air, oxygen, nitrogen, and/or argon in your facilities. Use of helium, hydrogen, other gases, and special mixtures are common too. When an Edmonton Valve Field Service Technician examines a customer's gas distribution system, they often find opportunities to reduce costs and environmental impact. Then the customer gets a report (see example) detailing how to draw less energy and lower operating, maintenance, and repair costs. 

This graphic shows the four key components of a gas distribution system in an example lab. Get the guide this graphic is drawn from, here:

Gas distribution systems deliver gases from a high-pressure source to the facility at the pressure and flow rate required by each application. Doing so efficiently and safely is at the core of operations for the many oil & gas, chem refining, power, midstream, and steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) companies we serve.

Nevertheless, the overall system for gas distribution is often viewed one small section at a time. (Thought experiment: if asked, could you diagram your facility's gas distribution system?)

Gas can be an expensive budget item, so leaks in gas distribution systems or unused gas in supply bottles means wasted money. Also, replacing or maintaining gas panels that leak or do not function properly use up time and money that could go into other projects.

Threaded connections are common, and often costly

Threaded connections, while a popular choice for gas distribution systems, can be prone to leakage. And as we have written before in other posts, even when the only gas involved is compressed air — a seemingly free resource — a leak still means using extra power to keep the pressure up. A leak with an orifice of only 1/16 of an inch at 100 psig will waste 280,000 cubic feet in a month.

The cost of leaks soars, of course, if a facility uses gases like helium, hydrogen, nitrogen, argon or special mixtures. Leaking connections are a very common source of fiscal losses within gas distribution systems. 

The cost of not optimizing the full contents of your bottle

Another source of lost money can be not fully utilizing all the gas in your cylinders. You wouldn’t throw away a bottle of pop that is only ¾ gone, but you are doing that with your gas bottles if you aren’t optimizing the changeover point. The Swagelok SCO panel is designed to allow you to customize the changeover point to maximize the amount of gas that you use in each cylinder prior to replacing it. A Swagelok field advisor can review your current systems and help with recommendations for operating procedures and product selection that will ensure you get the most out of every cylinder.

The right components are key

Even the best maintained gas distribution systems can have issues if the correct components aren’t installed and if the system is not operated correctly. Check your system to see if there is a filter ahead of the regulator. Even ultraclean gasses can have contamination introduced to the system during cylinder changes or other maintenance processes. Adding a filter will dramatically increase the life of your regulator. That is why the Swagelok panels have filters as part of the assembly.

Another potential issue is not having the correct shut off system for the regulator. If you are currently using your regulator as a shut off point you are decreasing the life of the regulator. Adding a ¼ turn ball valve to your system will again increase the life and performance of the regulator.

A systematic approach to gas distribution

Swagelok gas distribution systems help maximize efficiency of gas usage and minimize costly leakage. Above is an overview. Assembled with leak-tight Swagelok components and tested before delivery, these systems are constructed to provide long-lasting performance while helping you reduce operating costs. 

Learn more

Edmonton Valve invites you to learn about the new Swagelok Gas Distribution Program. Combining services and tailored products, it's designed to be a cost-effective way to upgrade plants' gas distribution systems. Get details here:

(Need technical help right now? Call our 24x7 Field Advisory Services On-Call Technical Support: 780-237-7109.)

Also see:

• How a Chemical Firm Improved Safety While Cutting Gas Panel Maintenance Time by 75%
• FAQ: What if we need Swagelok parts or expertise at 2:00am?
• With Augmented Reality Headsets, Swagelok Field Service Technicians Assist from Miles Away