Pressure Drop 101: How Smooth-Bore Piping Reduces Your Energy Bill

In the world of compressed air, there is a “silent thief” lurking in your rafters. It doesn’t steal tools or materials; it steals energy. Engineers call it pressure drop.

If your compressors are working overtime but your tools feel sluggish at the end of the line, you aren’t just losing air—you’re losing money. Here is the breakdown of why pressure drop happens and why the internal surface of your piping is the secret to a lower utility bill.

What is Pressure Drop?

Simply put, pressure drop is the loss of operational pressure as compressed air travels from the discharge of the compressor to the point of use.

Imagine trying to run through a hallway filled with people versus an empty one. The friction of bumping into others slows you down and exhausts your energy. In a piping system, air molecules bumping into rough pipe walls create friction, which converts flow energy into wasted heat.

The “Friction Factor”: Rough vs. Smooth

Not all pipes are created equal. The internal surface the “bore” determines how much resistance the air encounters.

• Traditional Steel/Iron: These pipes are inherently rough. Over time, moisture in the air causes pitting, scaling, and corrosion. This creates friction that the air must fight through.
• Infinity Smooth-Bore Aluminum: Our piping features a mirror-smooth internal finish. This “smooth-bore” design allows air to glide through the system with minimal turbulence.

The Cost of 1 PSI

Many facility managers overlook a small drop in pressure, but the math is unforgiving. As a general rule of thumb in the compressed air industry:

Every 2 PSI of pressure drop equates to a 1% increase in compressor energy costs.

If your system loses 10 PSI due to rough, corroded piping, you are effectively paying a 5% “tax” on your energy bill every single month. For a large plant, that adds up to thousands of dollars a year spent on air that never actually does any work.

Why Smooth-Bore Matters for Your Bottom Line

1. Lower Generated Pressure

Because smooth-bore piping minimizes friction, you don’t have to “over-pressurize” at the compressor to get the required PSI at your workstations. You can dial back your compressor’s set point, leading to immediate energy savings.

2. Laminar vs. Turbulent Flow

In rough pipes, air becomes “turbulent”—it swirls and crashes against the walls. In an Infinity smooth-bore system, air maintains laminar flow, moving in straight, efficient layers.

3. No Corrosion

Unlike galvanized or black iron pipe, aluminum doesn’t rust. A system that is efficient on Day 1 will remain just as efficient on Day 1,000. You won’t see your energy bills creep up as the pipe ages and the interior degrades.

The Infinity Advantage

The Infinity piping system is engineered specifically to eliminate the bottlenecks that kill efficiency. By combining high-performance aluminum with a bore that offers the lowest friction coefficient in the industry, we help you keep your pressure—and your profits—where they belong.

Stop paying for friction. Start flowing with Infinity.