Listen carefully!

• Innovative tool detects compressed air leakage while maintaining production
• The investment reduces CO2 emissions by 1.6 tonnes and saves € 2 400 annually

Merck is a French chemical and pharmaceuticals manufacturer. As part of its CO2 emissions-reduction programme (Edison Programme), the company decided to address compressed air leakage at its industrial site.

The addition of new equipment on the site has led to a proliferation of compressed air junctions and collection points, and increased the risk of leaks. The Merck site is vast and relatively old, which means the compressed air network is also ageing. Annual reports indicated that leaks of 181 m3 per hour were causing more than € 10 000 in losses. Something had to be done to address this.

For Merck, it was difficult to take action on compressed air leaks while the site was operating: the production noise masks the sound of leaks and it was necessary to wait until the summer maintenance period to measure the leakage rate. Merck brought in experts who used specialised equipment to identify normally inaudible leaks on its compressed air system during normal production time.

Key benefits

Thanks to the repairs of large leaks, Merck was able to save some € 2 400 per year and cut CO2 emissions by 1.6 tonnes. Based on this positive outcome, the company has chosen to invest in a continuous improvement approach. The maintenance team is looking to secure further savings by setting up a systematic leak-detection system and monitoring the leakage rate annually.