Is the Utilization Rate of Compressed Air of the Equipment the Same as That of the Required Coefficient?

Concept Analysis: Utilization Ratio vs demand coefficient

in industrial gas supply system design and energy efficiency evaluation, “compressed air utilization rate” and “demand coefficient” are often confused, but the two are essentially different.

Compressed air utilization rate

refers to the percentage of effective gas volume actually used for process or drive to total gas production, reflecting the degree of energy waste caused by system leakage, no-load, pressure mismatch, etc. The formula is as follows:utilization Rate = (effective gas consumption ÷ total gas supply) × 100%. This indicator focuses on the evaluation of operational efficiency.

Demand Factor

it is a concept in electrical/power system design, definedratio of maximum simultaneous load of equipment group to rated total load, used to determine the capacity margin of the gas supply system. It is based on statistics and experience and does not directly reflect real-time energy efficiency.

Key differences

• different uses: The utilization rate is used for energy efficiency diagnosis; The requirement coefficient is used for capacity selection.
• Different time dimensions: The utilization rate focuses on the actual operation period; The demand coefficient is based on typical working conditions or design peaks.
• Different calculation basis: The former relies on measured traffic data; The latter relies on equipment nameplate parameters and usage probability.

Therefore, the two cannot be used interchangeably. To optimize the compressed air system, attention should be paid to setting the coefficient of demand reasonably (avoiding over-configuration) and continuously improving the utilization rate (reducing waste).