One of our partners in the paper manufacturing industry was looking for ways to reduce their energy consumption. They identified that their air compressor was a major contributor to their energy bill.

SITE ANALYSIS:

They had many decade-old compressors placed in various locations of their plant. The older compressors consumed higher energy. The machines were also becoming difficult to maintain due to short consumable replacement cycles and an increase in maintenance costs. And any new compressor would have to be rugged in to run in harsh temperatures with minimal maintenance checks.

SOLUTION:

After a comprehensive study, we recommended that two of their existing 75kW machines be replaced with newer, larger 160kW compressors as a preliminary change to accommodate their budget and to increase efficiency.

RESULT:

It has been 1 month since we replaced the machines, and the paper manufacturer has recovered over 55% of their investment only through power. The newer compressors which offer more features also operate with less noise and are built to handle harsh temperatures and conditions of the site.

Every equipment in use needs an upgrade. Not only does an upgrade bring changes to the equipment in terms of performance but also features.

When it comes to the environment, both the consumer and the manufacturer understand the impact of a product on the environment. Hence, there is significant effort taken to reduce the environmental impact of products.

Over the past decade, a lot has changed in compressors. The air-ends which are the heart of the compressors have been improved to provide higher compressed air flow and consume lower power. The primary mover of the air-ends, the electric motor’s minimum efficiency has been incrementally upgraded as well. The unload power and power consumed by the cooling fan has also been reduced significantly by controlling the flow of oil into the air-ends and the cooler. The controllers have become smarter and can identify running patters. They can also control multiple other compressors as well.

After analysis, ELGi recommended replacing 2 machines with a larger one as a preliminary effort.

Two 75kW units were replaced with one 160kW improved state of the art oil lubricated screw compressor. Not only did it help increase the compressed air output but also helped save electricity. this effort helped reduce CO2 emission (in tonnes). The details of the savings are as below:

ELGi has been focused on ensuring that its products are energy efficient and therefore have minimal impact on the environment, at no additional cost. With a first-of-its kind heat recovery system, ELGi is using 96% of the waste heat generated by air compressors to heat air (space) and water. This in turn eliminates the need for additional equipment to heat water and reduce CO2 emissions.

Apart from this, ELGi has been involved with several projects around the world to help conserve natural resources.

Cleaning Mirror Lake in the US

When the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control in the US wanted to clean the historic Mirror Lake in Dover, they partnered with ELGi air compressors.

ELGi’s Rotair D300K compressors were used to fire carbon pellets to the bottom of the lake to trap contaminants.

Bhagirathi, a turbulent Himalayan river and one of the headstreams of the Ganga, flows through the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. Its headwaters form at the foot of the Gangotri glacier in the Garhwal Himalayas at a place called Gaumukh perched at 12,700 feet. The river flows down with enormous force due to its high altitude. All that power, however, was draining unutilised into the Bay of Bengal until the Government of India decided to harness it for irrigation and power. The result was the Tehri dam and hydel project.

This is not the first time an Asian country has had to roll out emergency measures and issue a ‘Red Alert’ on account of air pollution. Beijing, China’s capital city, has made its way to global headlines for several years and is cited to have the poorest air quality in the world. Although, researchers believe that New Delhi may have surpassed its Asian counterpart in 2016.

The key factor contributing to Beijing’s pollution is coal consumption. The city relies heavily on electric heat generated from coal power plants. Especially in winter, the peculiar geography of Beijing further aggravates the dismal air quality. Surrounded by mountain ranges, a phenomenon known as ‘inversion’ is at play. A layer of cold air settles on top of a warmer air mass, trapping the pollutants inside.