Predictika · compressed-air systems: capacity, dryer sizing, air quality, lead time, discount and total price
An AI sales agent prepares a compressed-air system quote for a fictional plant, with the total price it expects. Before the quote goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika’s validator, which checks it against capacity at pressure, redundancy, dryer and air-quality, service, lead time and discount rules, compares the total the agent states with the one it computes, and returns a verdict with every reason.
This validator models fixed-speed R-i and variable-speed R-n rotary screw compressors with refrigerated and desiccant dryers, filtration and PackageCARE service plans. It handles any combination of compressor, dryer, filter, pressure, demand, application, service plan, quantity and discount choices the model supports, not just the scenarios shown below.
It does not cover other Ingersoll Rand product lines such as reciprocating or centrifugal compressors and vacuum systems, standalone parts orders, real list prices or contract terms, or any real customer.
8 scenarios in 4 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch
Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.
Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)
Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run
What this means
Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ or Revenue Cloud) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.
| What the validator catches | Typical rules-based CPQ | Predictika |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity derated for pressure, redundancy and low load in one pass | Only with workarounds Each of capacity at pressure, N+1 and the low-load threshold becomes its own rule, and the threshold changes with the drive type. | All conditions are evaluated together on every call, and the same derated figure feeds capacity, redundancy and the message. |
| Dryer sized to compressor output, not demand | Only with care The dryer rating has to be compared with what the compressors can deliver at the pressure asked for, which is easy to compare with the wrong figure. | The output is computed once per compressor and used for both the dryer size and the energy checks. |
| Air quality rules by industry | Only with care Food and pharmaceutical requirements on filtration and dewpoint are simple alone but interact with the dryer chosen. | Dewpoint, dryer type and filtration are checked together, and every miss is returned. |
| Service plan as a prerequisite for extended warranty | Easy A dependency between two options is a standard product rule. | The same rule, returned with the other findings. |
| Lead time across several components | Only with care The longer of compressor and dryer lead time must be compared with the need date. | Lead time is computed once from the chosen items and compared with the weeks needed. |
| Discount authority that scales with system size | Only with care Rep and manager limits that depend on the size of the quote are doable but tend to be hard-coded per tier. | Limits come from the same computed list price, so approval and block follow the system size. |
| The total price the agent states | Only with workarounds Comparing a stated total with a computed one means a separate rule per quote layout, and price rules rarely run on stated figures. | The stated total is a field in the request and is checked against the computed total. |
| Every problem returned in one answer | Only with workarounds Rules tend to fire as the quote is saved, so a rep often fixes one error and meets the next. | All findings come back together, whatever order the choices arrived in. |
Every rule is checked on every call, in whatever order the choices arrive, and one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the quote; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.
| Rule | Effect | What it checks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | block | Delivered air flow falls 0.5 percent for every psi above 100 psig, and each compressor has a maximum discharge pressure |
| 2 | block | System capacity at the required pressure must meet the plant peak demand |
| 3 | block | N+1 redundancy: the peak must still be met with one compressor out of service |
| 4 | approval | Low-load energy review when average demand is under 60 percent (fixed speed) or 30 percent (variable speed) of installed capacity |
| 5 | block | 208 V supply is offered only up to 50 HP |
| 6 | block | The dryer must be rated for the full compressor output, not just plant demand |
| 7 | block | The dryer dewpoint must meet the pressure dewpoint the plant requires |
| 8 | block | Food and beverage air needs high-efficiency coalescing or carbon filtration |
| 9 | block | Pharmaceutical air needs a desiccant dryer (-40 F dewpoint) and carbon filtration |
| 10 | block | Ambient above 104 F needs the high-ambient package, which is priced per compressor |
| 11 | block | Extended airend warranty requires a PackageCARE service plan |
| 12 | block | Lead time is the longer of compressor and dryer and must fit the weeks the customer needs |
| 13 | approval, then block | Discount authority: a rep can give 5 percent; the maximum is 8 percent, or 15 percent on a system of $150,000 or more |
| 14 | computed | Total price is compressors, dryer, filtration and high-ambient package, less discount, plus PackageCARE per horsepower |
| 15 | block | The total price the agent states must match the validator total within $1 |
The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.
The agent's request. A compressed-air system quote for a packaging plant: one Ingersoll Rand R55i rotary screw compressor on 460 V supply, delivering air at 125 psig for a 320 acfm peak demand and a 250 acfm average, general industry, standard filtration, needed within 8 weeks. Total price $52,900.00. Ready to send.
Verdict: Blocked.
The agent's request. A compressed-air system quote for a packaging plant: one Ingersoll Rand R75i rotary screw compressor on 460 V supply, delivering air at 125 psig for a 320 acfm peak demand and a 250 acfm average, general industry, standard filtration, needed within 8 weeks. Total price $66,900.00. Ready to send.
Verdict: Allowed.
The agent's request. A compressed-air system quote for a plastics molder: one Ingersoll Rand R75i rotary screw compressor on 460 V supply at 110 psig for a 380 acfm peak and a 300 acfm average, with an Ingersoll Rand D300IN refrigerated dryer, general industry, a required pressure dewpoint of 35 F, needed within 8 weeks. Total price $74,300.00. Ready to send.
Verdict: Blocked.
The agent's request. A compressed-air system quote for a plastics molder: one Ingersoll Rand R75i rotary screw compressor on 460 V supply at 110 psig for a 380 acfm peak and a 300 acfm average, with an Ingersoll Rand HL600 heatless desiccant dryer, general industry, a required pressure dewpoint of 35 F, needed within 8 weeks. Total price $92,900.00. Ready to send.
Verdict: Allowed.
The agent's request. A compressed-air system quote for a cold-storage operator: one Ingersoll Rand R90n VSD rotary screw compressor on 460 V supply at 100 psig for a 500 acfm peak and a 300 acfm average, general industry, standard filtration, needed within 6 weeks, 20 percent discount. Total price $71,120.00. Ready to send.
Verdict: Blocked.
The agent's request. A compressed-air system quote for a cold-storage operator: one Ingersoll Rand R90n VSD rotary screw compressor on 460 V supply at 100 psig for a 500 acfm peak and a 300 acfm average, general industry, standard filtration, needed within 12 weeks, 7 percent discount. The sales manager has approved the discount. Total price $82,677.00. Ready to send.
Verdict: Needs approval.
The agent's request. A compressed-air system quote for a food plant: two Ingersoll Rand R55n VSD compressors on 460 V supply in an N+1 arrangement at 110 psig for a 300 acfm peak and a 250 acfm average, one D1000IN refrigerated dryer for a 40 F dewpoint, high-efficiency filtration, a 5-year PackageCARE plan with the extended airend warranty, needed within 10 weeks. Total price $137,360.00. Ready to send.
Verdict: Blocked.
The agent's request. A compressed-air system quote for a food plant: two Ingersoll Rand R55n VSD compressors on 460 V supply in an N+1 arrangement at 110 psig for a 300 acfm peak and a 250 acfm average, one D1000IN refrigerated dryer for a 40 F dewpoint, high-efficiency filtration, a 5-year PackageCARE plan with the extended airend warranty, needed within 10 weeks. Total price $171,700.00. Ready to send.
Verdict: Allowed.
The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.