Diesel vs electric compressor running costs

[andy82]

I am looking at a 130cfm 22kw Hydrovane to run a blast pot for my blasting room. I am unsure what would workout cheaper.

To buy a road compressor or run such a big motor from the hydrovane.

Whats your thoughts, was hoping to run a 6mm nozzle for prepping wheels.

 

[mike os]

Do you have the electrical supply to run that?

 

[andy82]

Yes i have 3 phase, i run a powder coating business and only using a small blast cabinet with coupled piston compressors but they are being hammered everyday. I am having to constantly replace head gaskets on them and they are now starting to struggle, at the moment all my bigger items are going to a local blasting company and want to bring it all in-house and build a blast room so i need a compressor to cope with that.

 

[chris pruteanu]

I would say buy a large fini 3 phase compressor, they do a twin motor, twin pump air compressor which will take all you can throw at it...model FINI BKT 20-1000

https://www.olx.ro/oferta/compresor-fini-bkt-20-1000-IDe1GLB.html

 

[dobbslc]

@brightspark has a diesel road compressor. He'll know the score with those.

 

[mike os]

Electric will be less maintenance

 

[8ob]

Do you have the electrical supply to run that?

I bought a big leccy screw compressor a few years ago without first reading the power requirements, it needed 63 amps of my 100 amp supply to run so it went in the scrap.

Bob

 

[Spark plug]

If it’s going to be doing lots of work an electric screw compressor will be the most economical power source for blasting.

Diesel is a good option when power isn’t available but can’t compete with electric.

 

[andy82]

i think the newer screw compressors are supposed to be energy efficient, but i dont have the funds for a new one. Unsure how efficient the 30hp hydrovane would be, cant find much online with enegy usage on these older machines. I presume when producing air they are using more electricity.... as they have no air reciever you can just turn them off when not in use.

 

[andy82]

My electric company will love me, at the moment i have an electric oven running 4x 3000w heating elements and its on all day every day plus numerous extractor fans with big motors.

 

[voipio]

There's a bit of a comparison made here:

https://www.air-components.com/compressor-standoff-diesel-vs-electric

The energy cost is given as fourfold more for the diesel, compared to an electrically powered system.

 

[brightspark]

it realy depends on your air requirement and how much its getting used also what your supply is. single or 3 phase . smaller comps are best electric and will run fine for average use , spray shops etc are best with a decent belt driven 3 phase motor up to about 20 hp and 90 cfm and freely available second hand at a cheap price not needing any maintenance apart from belts and oil. diesel screw comps are good for large amounts of air and portable if u can get a good one with low hours they are virtualy maintenance free apart from oil and filters and can run for a few thousand hours before there clapped out . hydrovanes are very good and reliable if u get a good low hours one but costly for service parts .I got my screw comp for 150 quid it has a 3 cylinder perkins engine in it and its very low hours in mint condition even though its 60 years old it was just used as a standby in a chemical works the only thing wrong with it was the radiator leaking and full of crap between the water and big oil radiator stripped it apart power washed it offand fixed the leak and its a 1st time starter even after 6 month stood

 

[armalites]

I've got a 130cfm Ingersol Rand, I would say it will drink a fair of diesel if running all day every day. You also have the noise issue, they aren't too bad unless you are right next to them but they will ramp up and down.

Big electric hydrovanes can be bought reasonably cheap as they have a very limited market but they will often have many many hours on them.

 

[mtt.tr]

I bought a big leccy screw compressor a few years ago without first reading the power requirements, it needed 63 amps of my 100 amp supply to run so it went in the scrap.

Bob

Was that not 63amps total spread across 3 phases?

 

[brightspark]

I bought a big leccy screw compressor a few years ago without first reading the power requirements, it needed 63 amps of my 100 amp supply to run so it went in the scrap.

Bob

whys. that depending on what your other requirements are power wise and how often the comp is going to be used the supply will take it no bother

 

[brightspark]

as above it would only be just over 20 amp each phase

 

[magicgrotto]

Hi Andy82 Hope your well The CHEAPEST way to run a blast room is with a road comp BUT you have to run A LARGE air tank BETWEEN the comp & the blast pot That way when you start to blast the comp duz not get thrashed to death on start up because of the air demand of the blast pot, Large air cooled 6cyl with a screw comp used all day 12hrs at most 10gal of fuel , HOPE this HELPS

 

[8ob]

as above it would only be just over 20 amp each phase

That's the way I thought it worked, it would have left the rest of the place short. When everything in this place is in full swing the fly cutter on the mill makes the lights flicker, the compressor would kill it.

Bob

 

[brightspark]

I am looking at a 130cfm 22kw Hydrovane to run a blast pot for my blasting room. I am unsure what would workout cheaper.

To buy a road compressor or run such a big motor from the hydrovane.

Whats your thoughts, was hoping to run a 6mm nozzle for prepping wheels.

a 130 comp will run bigger than a 6.0mm jet my 90cfm runs a 6.0mm no bother or an 8.0mm nozzle @ 90psi with a 125cfm comp

 

[andy82]

thanks for the replies, thats a good point on nozzle sizing. I was looking at nozzle sizes and had 6mm in my head when i was bidding on an 18kw hydrovane. Suppose the 8mm would be a good step up in production times, more worried about passing so much media through in a small blast room... lets hope my extractor is up to the job lol.