COMPRESSORS PETplanet Insider Vol. 25 No. 09/24 www.petpla.net 32 up as much as in conventional systems; heating air is a waste of energy. Traditional compressors address this issue by cooling the air between compression stages. The slow liquid piston process provides ongoing heat exchange between the compressed air, the water, and the ground the tanks are buried in; the air is kept at a near-constant temperature, so energy consumption remains low throughout the process. The concept has been successfully validated, and the company is looking at prospect sectors, including glass blowing and mainly PET bottle production. Water for compression Compressors in traditional air system use an electric motor to rotate metal pistons that pump to compress air, these motors are replaced by hydraulic water pumps. The ‘liquid piston’-water is pumped into a chamber and compresses the air in it over 20% more efficiently than conventional compression. This is due to the inherently higher efficiency of water pumps, and the near-isothermal process that results in negligible energy losses, according to Dr Yogev. A demonstration system, built in 2023 at Augwind’s R&D site in the Arava area in Israel, is made up of three pumps, two compression chambers that serve as the liquid-piston, and another chamber as a reservoir of compressed air, typically held at 7bar, although 42bar is theoretically possible by adding two pumps in series. When pressure falls, the upstream elements are called upon to replenish the reservoir. This happens automatically and pressure is maintained at a constant level, enabling fluctuating demand to be met without inefficient surges and shutdowns. Compression happens slowly, so the air does not heat Water Compressor setup COMPRESSORS Water Compressor demo site
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