One of the notable highlights of this year’s Hannover Messe trade show in Hannover, Germany, was a focus on enhanced efficiency and reliability of compressed air systems. Product improvements, including wireless and cellular communications links, were showcased seemingly everywhere, from the most complicated compressor controllers to lowly but important condensate drains. Particularly exciting developments were found in the control and monitoring of air compressors.
Compressor controls and sequencing controllers have been steadily advancing over the years from simple relay logic to complicated microprocessor-based systems. These devices typically operate on an internal design logic that will control compressors based on preprogrammed set points, with the control making a change to system operation based on one or more parameters that might vary past a programmed limit. These controls have various other functions to monitor and report faults in the system or to remind operators when maintenance is due based on some internal timer function.
At Hannover, four companies featured noteworthy product developments. All four have developed or enhanced control, analysis, and communications tools that can help compressed air users keep their system running reliably and at the highest efficiency.
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