Leak Prevention Program – What’s the Payback?
October 2, 2019
Save money when you invest in the right tools.
Referencing an example from the Department of Energy, a Chemical plant completed a compressed air audit of their facility and identified 160 leaks of various sizes throughout their air compressed system. Fixing these leaks would result in an annual electric utility savings of $55,378 per year. The referenced example is well documented with detailed calculations. It includes assumptions and clear equations that can be referenced for estimating potential savings at other industrial plants.
With this example in mind, what would be the estimated project payback timeline if the Chemical Plant had purchased a Fluke ii900 and completed the audit in house?
| Total Cost | $27,999 | Fluke ii900, plus estimated labor and material |
| Fluke ii900 Cost: | $19,999 | Fluke ii900 Sonic Industrial Imager cost. |
| Labor Cost: | $5,000 | Estimate of 100 hours of work at $50 hourly rate. |
| Materials Cost: | $2,500 | Estimate for materials to fix leaks. |
| Monthly Savings: | $4,615 | Per DOE example, annual savings is $55,375. Divided by 12, the monthly savings is $4,614.58. |
| Project Payback Timeline: | 5.95 Months | Total cost ($27,999) Divided by Monthly Savings ($4,615) is 5.95 months. |
The project payback timeline for the investment in the Fluke ii900 Industrial Sonic Imager is approximately six months. Another useful ROI calculation tool is Fluke’s Air leakage Calculator. This calculator will assist in a quick project ROI calculation.
With in-house access to the Industrial Sonic Imager, your organization can now integrate a Leak Audit Process into your Predictive Maintenance Calendar. With this disciplined process you can guarantee that your plant is operating at its top efficiency.