When you do a load of laundry, do you ever stop to consider how that laundry detergent was manufactured? At one branded goods company in Vienna, Austria, approximately 230,000 tons of laundry detergent are produced each year. With such a large production of liquid laundry detergent, the facility requires a correspondingly high amount of compressed air during operations.
Varying Demand Means Three Compressed Air Networks
Throughout the facility, the demand for compressed air varies depending on the following applications:
- Loading and unloading tank trucks requires low pressure network of 3 bar
- Control air that drives units on the plant premises requires 7 bar working pressure
- PET bottle molding production area requires 11 bar operating pressure
Operating the entire network using 11 bar would mean wasted energy because each 1-bar reduction leads to an energy saving of 7 percent. Because of the variation in demand across the facility, the manufacturer established three separate compressed air networks with different operating pressures with the goal of achieving cost efficiencies and energy savings.
Saving Energy across the Plant’s Footprint
Due to the high demand for compressed air, the facility is operated with both oil-injected screw compressors, such as the GA 160 with variable speed drive (VSD), as well as oil-free low-pressure Class 0 ZA/ZR screw compressors.
At the production facility, drive outputs vary between 75 and 315 kW respectively. Both the GA and ZA/ZR compressor series feature a variable speed drive, which reduces energy costs by up to 35 percent on average by automatically adjusting the air supply to meet demand. In addition, when speed-controlled compressors are used in the winter months, the waste heat from the air-cooled compressors is used to heat the high rack, saving even more energy and contributing to the facility’s sustainability initiatives.
Likewise, cold-air absorption dryers and compressed air filters ensure a clean and safe production, contributing to a non-contaminated end-product and a smaller environmental impact.
Global Company Seeks Global Service Partner
With additional production plants in Central and Eastern European countries, including Turkey, Serbia, Hungary, and Poland, the company requires a reliable partner who can deliver supplies and project development support anywhere. With our worldwide presence, Atlas Copco offers on-site service and equipment and technology support in even the most remote locations.
Learn more about Atlas Copco’s global service network by visiting the Atlas Copco stationary compressors service page or by filling out our Request a Quote form.
