PETpla.net Insider 05 / 2019

COMPRESSORS PET planet Insider Vol. 20 No. 05/19 www.petpla.net 24 COMPRESSORS (SIS) significantly reduces the starting current and keeps it low. Variable Speed Drive packages adjust com- pressor operating speeds to meet actual production needs. A fully integrated system is capa- ble of recovering up to 80% of the input shaft heat produced by a recip- rocating compressor and recycling it to supply water at up to 90 °C. Further savings can be found by decreasing the size of the cooling system needed to maintain water temperatures to the compressor. “Automation 4.0” boosts customer ability to control, manage, and monitor equipment, and optimise efficiency. AF’s DX1 and DXB PLCs use Sie- mens S7 controllers and HMI inter- face for local control, which enable operators to manage multiple com- pressors within specific installations, modify pressure settings from the blow moulding machine, and allow remote monitoring of the system from anywhere in the world, via 3G/4G. Giovanni Brignoli , Compressors Division Food & Beverage Product Leader, Siad Macchine Impianti S.p.A.: Currently, and much more than in the past, the air demand is not constant but highly “intermittent” due to the influence of many factors: change in bottle sizes; change of production rate – thus blowing speed; the possibility of having different blowing machines working together; the possibility of relocating the blowing facility to a different site, with different conditions. Given this, it is imperative that the compressor should be flexible in the compressed air production rate, in order to be able to constantly follow the ever-changing air demand. A compressor with a variable speed drive (VSD) , also known as VFD (Variable Frequency Drive) or frequency converter, or inverter system, could drastically reduce the waste of energy given by the traditional “load/unload” compressor working mode, used in the past as the only way to face this chang- ing compressed air request and adapt its working mode (and consequent energy consumption) to the real-time air demand, without any waste. Furthermore, the continuous reduc- tion of the “dead volume” of the blowing machine, combined with increased air recovery, can significantly reduce the air rate requested. It means, in practical terms: a smaller compressor with con- sequently lower energy consumption. Gonzalo Gabarain , Sales & Marketing Manager, Arizaga, Bastarrica y Cía, SA (ABC): As I mentioned in the above question, installing a VSD helps to avoid the off-loading situation (where you consume energy but don’t compress any air). It even allows to have different pressure set points in order to be ready any time to blow at the correct pressure and the requested flow. In the above mention Etherplus Package we added the e-ntelligent system, which allows to install more than one VSD at the same time (1 VSD per compressor) in order to reach the best energy performance. Installing also a compressor man- ager for the whole compressor room to drive it properly and decide auto- matically which compressor should be running is also a must, and we are working on that. Compressor must be linked to blowing machines and technology allows us to do so. Communication between each other is out of question and we are working it to be standard- ised. Do you see energy savings potential among your customers that are already possible but often remain unused? Trevor Perry, Sales Director, Gardner Denver (Belliss & Morcom): We regularly witness inefficiencies on customer’s sites, however we are quick to support, advise and recommend improvements that can be made to the complete compressed air system, (LP and HP) such as optimum control of the compressors through reduced pressures, reduction in no load running time, all with the introduction of our AirPET Control Systems, installation of our new VP Valves in to the compressors that can reduce energy consumption by up to 20%, combinations of utilising VSD (where it makes sense to do so) to again reduce energy consumption through optimising the load patterns and reduced pressure set points and differentials. Pascal Heyden , Marketing Manager, AF Compressors: For the most part, we actually see just the opposite. With the technological advancements made on our current compressors, customers are now coming back to us to see what improvements could be made to older compressors to increase their effi- ciency. Years ago, AF developed the “L-series” with an improved and more efficient cylinder design that can be adapted to older units in the field. By upgrading to the new “eco-cylinders”, customers can see immediate benefits. Furthermore, existing compressors can be retrofitted with our Adjustable Air Flow System (AFS) and Smart Inverter Starting (SIS) options to further reduce operating costs. Older PLC controllers can be converted to the newest DX1 or DXB PLC’s to ensure proper monitoring and control of the system. The fact that our customer’s see a huge benefit with the upgrades available for older machines has led AF to create a new department to work with customer’s wanting to improve their total cost of ownership by enhancing their older compressor with the latest energy saving equipment and automation that is available to them.