Compressed air supply upgrade
22 Jan 2014
Packaging company opts for Atlas Copco energy-saving compressor.
Grower and packer firm Glinwell has installed an Atlas Copco energy-saving GA VSD+ compressor at its latest packaging facility to meet the increased process air demand the company needed.
The packaging line, which initially comprised two 11kW compressors, a separate dryer and a 200 litre receiver, combines a high pressure ram that requires a 13bar air supply for its operation, which was found to exceed the capacity of the existing compressor installation.
With this combined operation, we are experiencing a 50% increase in energy efficiency
Matthew Simon
As a result, Glinwell replaced the compressor system with a unit that meets the higher pressure demand and provides optimum energy savings of 50% and an average reduction of 37% in the lifecycle cost of a conventional fixed-speed compressor.
Similarly, the GA Variable Speed Drive plus (VSD+) technology automatically adjusts the compressor’s motor speed to match the air supply to the air demand.
Glinwell technical manager Matthew Simon said: “We opted for Atlas Copco’s new GA 15 FF VSD+, a full-feature machine with an integral dryer, to provide the volume and pressure we needed, keeping one of the old units on standby duty.
“With this combined operation, we are experiencing a 50% increase in energy efficiency which is making a major contribution to our carbon footprint reduction efforts.”
