PETpla.net Insider 05 / 2019

COMPRESSORS PET planet Insider Vol. 20 No. 05/19 www.petpla.net 22 COMPRESSORS addressed this problem in issue 1+2 with its SIS (Smart Inverter Starter). Developed by Ateliers François Liège, this inverter system for starting pur- pose only, ensures that the starting current never exceeds the nominal current and that the full load power never exceeds 100%. Another way to save energy is to adjust the air flow in cases where less than full air capac- ity is needed. AF’s Adjustable Air Flow System (AFS) does this by deploying a special working protocol around the acting compressor cylinder. In Issue 8, Atelier Francois announced improvements to its “L-shape” design compressors: the compressor cylinders themselves have been redesigned, new piston ring technology has been intro- duced, and improvements to the interconnecting pipework and inter- coolers have increased air capac- ity and output. In the same issue, Bellis & Morcom explained the advantages of the shaftless motors, which are built directly onto the compressor crankshaft to ensure direct transfer of the power into the running gear. Kaeser Kompressoren demon- strated in the same issue possible energy savings that can be real- ised through analysis by its energy saving system, KESS. Air treatment systems, which recycle the warm exhaust air from the compressors, were also presented. Compressors – Voices from the industry What developments in bottle processing over the past two decades have been particularly influential to you as a compressor manufacturer and have most influenced your R&D work? And what trends do you expect in the coming years? Trevor Perry, Sales Director, Gardner Denver (Belliss & Morcom): Air Recovery back from the bottle blowers has been a significant initiative from the SBM’s (Stretch Blow Moulders), in addition to the reduction in blowing pressures required, these changes have seen us develop our own solution for accommodating air recovery back to the compressor, in addition to us installing new materials for prolonged life of wearing parts, leading to both energy reductions and a lower cost of ownership for the end user. For the coming years we see a continuation in the drive to lower energy costs through more efficient use of both LP and HP compressed air and the recovery of the heat generated, we have further developed a heat recovery system that will add to the customers savings of potentially 20% to 30%. Pascal Heyden , Marketing Manager, AF Compressors: Between 1999 and 2009, AF saw a rise in compressed air require- ments due to an increase in cavitation and speed of the SBM machines. Some of the larger production lines had such large air consumptions, that the customer often placed orders for “twin’’ or “tandem’’ compressor units, capable of providing up to 5,200m³/h to satisfy the needed air demands. At the time, a great majority of these projects also required pressure setting between 35 and 40 bar. As a result, AF reached a total order intake of 449 units in 12 months during 2011 due to the markets high demand for com- pressors. In recent years, the R&D of blowing technology has reduced air requirements by reducing the weight of the container. The light weighting of the containers has led to a significant reduction in blow pressures. Today, some applications require pressures below 25 bar thus having a huge impact on capacity requirements. Furthermore, the SBM machine manu- facturers developed air recovery systems to recapture the air during the blow process to further reduce demands. The direct effect was a reduction in the size and quantity of compressors needed for current blow moulding applications. Giovanni Brignoli , Compressors Division Food & Beverage Product Leader, Siad Macchine Impianti S.p.A.: The daily research in terms of efficiency improvements made by the SBM producers had a high impact in our compressor R&D activity. The continuous reduction of the “old” blowing pressures (which were, until a few years ago, up to 42 bar) to lower values and the reduction of the dead volumes inside the blowing machines finally led to a reduction of the size of the compressors and to the optimisa- tion of all components of a compres- sion line, in order to perform properly at a lower pressure. We expect in the next few years an even greater pressure reduction that will result in one radical redesign of the high pressure compressor. Siad Macchine Impianti is already pre- pared to face such a challenge with its innovative solutions. Another impor- tant efficiency improvement required by blowing machine producers is the reduction of stops and the increase of the mean time between mainte- nances. Nowadays, an extremely reliable compressor, easily maintained (in terms of easiness and rapidity of operation and maintenance ergo- nomic features), and with a very long time between maintenances, is the market standard. Gonzalo Gabarain , Sales & Marketing Manager, Arizaga, Bastarrica y Cía, SA (ABC): Clearly one of the most important development has been the new moulding designs that allow the blowing machine to use a much lower pressure. Our machines are prepared