FEATURE COMPRESSED AIR


COMPRESSED AIR MANAGEMENT next ‘big energy win’ for factories


A completely fresh approach to compressor technology has been taken by Lontra with a simple design which has delivered energy savings of 21% under factory conditions


piston wrapped into a ring doughnut shape. The design is simple and there are no advanced materials or complex parts to manufacture. The benefits have already been proven. Severn Trent Water trialled the Blade


Compressor in 2012 running as a duty blower. Over the seven-month period the company made energy savings of an average 21.2%. The compressor has been rolled out across all of its wastewater treatment works following the results showing the technology could save over £1.8 million in electricity costs a year.


The Blade Compressor’s geometry is best


imagined as a piston and cylinder but with the piston wrapped into a ring doughnut shape


C


ompressed air is an essential utility in manufacturing plants across the


world. Businesses have made great strides in reducing water and electricity usage, delivering huge benefits to their operations as well as to wider society. Compressed air usage is the next big ‘win’ for factories in terms of keeping costs down and positively impacting profits while helping to meet social responsibility targets. Traditional methods have come with trade-offs, increased energy efficiency being possible at the expense of reliability for example but new technology will offer plant managers far more. Air pumps are used widely in manufacturing: vacuum pumps and blowers for pneumatic conveying, vacuum pumps for specialised dust removal and conveyor cleaning. Such compressors (including the lower


pressure ‘blowers’) consume 10% of the industrial energy used in Europe (Compressed Air System Audits and Benchmarking Results from the German Compressed Air Campaign Druckluft effizient). Given the high cost of electricity and associated CO2 emissions manufacturers are seeking the triple win: an oil-free, energy efficient and reliable air compressor to minimise maintenance and energy costs and reduce their CO2


14 MAY 2016 | FACTORY EQUIPMENT


emissions. Today’s blowers are still based on designs dating from 1935 and even earlier. They can be expensive to manufacture and maintain while energy consumption remains a key challenge. Recent improvements have been made


including the incorporation of higher efficiency electric motors and controllers (eg variable speed drives to match site demand patterns) but the triple win has been elusive.


ADVANTAGES OF A BLADE COMPRESSOR The first clean-sheet compressor design in over half a century has come from Lontra, a fast-growing British firm with an innovative design. The Blade Compressor’s geometry is best imagined as a piston and cylinder but with the


MATCHING SUPPLY WITH DEMAND There is an increased awareness by plant managers of how air usage can be better managed by matching the supply side (delivered from the blower/compressor room) with the demand side (production air requirement). Energy and cost-saving benefits result


Lontra founder and CEO Steve Lindsey who invented the Blade Compressor technology


from operating the blowers to the minimum pressure level required. Pressure flow controllers, improved and sophisticated control systems and use of air storage all contribute to energy savings when properly applied. Over a 10-year product life cycle energy costs can account for 70-80% of the total life cycle costs of a blower. Consequently, financial pressures, green thinking and recent regulation such as Article 8(4) of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive (which requires all EU countries to use energy more efficiently at all stages of the energy chain from its production to its final consumption) are all raising the profile of industrial blower energy use. This has encouraged many air users to measure their consumption and look for ways to improve its management and minimise use. As energy demands escalate across all aspects of our global society, as energy costs rise and businesses face increased competition, fast-adopted technology breakthroughs will provide industry with a triple win operations opportunity: a blower which is oil-free, energy efficient and reliable.


Lontra T: 01926 811102


www.lontra.co.uk / FACTORYEQUIPMENT


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