How a machine manufacturer became more flexible and reliable while reducing compressed air energy costs by 10%

Summary

The customer

Specialist machine manufacturer in Germany

The challenge

Increasing flexibility and reliability of the compressed air system while reducing its energy use and costs.

The solution

Two variable speed GA 45 VSD⁺ FF machines and a GA 37 VSD⁺ FF variable speed compressor managed by a central control system.

The result

Much greater flexibility and reliability of the system combined with a significant reduction of energy costs… and all of that subsidized with a government grant.

The customer & their challenge

MachineManufacturer_Energy cost savings case study_D2.1

A German manufacturer of premium special machines was looking for a tailor-made solution to replace its old 90 kW fixed-speed compressor.

In the past, it had been backed up by a spare 75 kW compressor. However, that machine was unable to meet the entire compressed air demand, which means maintenance on the main compressor had to be carried out on weekends.

Furthermore, the backup model took up too much space and had to be located in a separate room. To accommodate its production, the company was looking for a solution with a small footprint that provided greater reliability and flexibility while also reducing energy costs.

Solution & results

Instead of replacing the old unit with a single, large model, Atlas Copco proposed the installation of three smaller oil-injected screw compressors from its GA VSD⁺ compressor series, one 37 kW modeland two 45 kW units.

This allowed the company to better accommodate the fluctuating demand throughout the day. All units are Full Feature (FF), which means they come with a built-in refrigeration dryer to ensure air quality.

This setup has reduced the amount of energy needed for compressing air by 18%. This translates into €29,336 cost savings per year (assuming an electricity price of €0.21 per kWh).

In addition, a sophisticated Equalizer 4.0 control system coordinates the interaction of the compressors. It thereby ensures that they always operate at their optimum operating point. Furthermore, the system automatically switches between the machines to evenly distribute the workload and increase operational reliability.

Thanks to the use of the control system in combination with the VSD units and a 5,000-liter buffer tank, the pressure fluctuations in the system are extremely low at ± 0.05 bar.

And because the new models have a small footprint, all of them can be installed in the same place.

Finally, because the compressors are so efficient, they were also subsidized by a government program seeking to incentivize the investment in greener technology. Therefore, the company not only saves on every energy bill but also had the German government pay for a sizeable part of the investment cost.

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