Why recover heat? 

All the electrical power used during the compression process is converted to heat. This heat, if not recovered, causes a waste of energy- which contributes to global warming. When heat is recovered, the cost of power is reduced, which, in turn, reduces the overall cost to companies. When heat is not recovered, it is released into the atmosphere, thus causing wastage. 

When the heat recovery system is plugged into an air compressor, the energy recovered can be used to heat water for use in showers and boilers.  

How is the heat generated in the compressor system used? 

In an average compressor, 96 per cent of the heat can be theoretically recovered – this includes heat from the oil cooler, the after cooler, and the drive Motor. The heat released by the oil cooler can be used for the purpose of heating water. On the other hand, the heat generated by the aftercooler and the drive motor are used for supplemental space heating.  

Why choose ELGi’s heat recovery system? 

ELGi’s heat recovery system recovers upto 78 per cent of the heat generated. This eliminates the need for additional equipment that would lead to more energy consumption and CO2 emissions. With ELGi you are also assured of a greater return on investment.  

ELGi’s Heat Recovery System is an accessory that can be plugged into the EG series rotary compressor – owing to its fully enclosed design. This system is crucial to the functioning of various industries- automotive, cement, textiles, and steel making, to name a few.  

In line with ELGi’s efforts towards sustainability, the Heat Recovery System leads to extra savings and reduced carbon emissions 

The HRS from ELGi saves 69% of the fuel and provides faster ROI* 

 A thorough understanding of how your compressed air system works helps in improving its performance. To know more about  the energy management solution or the heat recovery system, please contact our sales team. 

*this may vary as per site conditions and end-use. 

Executive summary 

ELGi Compressors Europe, supported the Italian Red Cross with its urgent compressed air requirement. In line with ELGi’s corporate philanthropic approach, ELGi Europe swiftly and comprehensively made a charitable contribution of an air compressor package for one of Italy’s Red Cross logistic hubs serving the Turin area.

Background 

In February 2021, Italy commemorated the first anniversary of the country’s first COVID-19 case. Vo, a township in the province of Padua in the Veneto region, had registered the country’s first COVID-19 death on February 21, 2020.

During the first wave in 2020, the surge in infections was fast and relentless, as the virus spread from northern Italy to the rest of the nation. Strict lockdowns followed soon after, and several restrictions remained in place to curb the spread of the virus. By the end of the year, the country had registered over two million cases, and the virus continued to have a massive impact on health and society. 

The country-wide lockdown led to a situation the modern world had never seen before. Humanitarian aid in the form of food, medicine, clothing and other essential supplies became a priority as millions required help to secure basic necessities. 

About IFRC 

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the largest humanitarian network globally, helping people in times of crisis. With more than 13.7 million volunteers across the globe, the organization supports over 150 million people facing disasters and health emergencies. 

The Red Cross’s strengths are its vast volunteer network and ties with the community and corporations that assist vulnerable people. Its community-based expertise helps improve the living standards of people in distress, while partnering with stakeholders who can sustain development efforts. The Red Cross volunteers work with multiple stakeholders to shape disaster responses and build resilient communities.

The Italian Red Cross, established in 1864, has been coordinating its COVID-19 response with national and international parties. From March 2020, it has been working with Italy’s Ministry of Health and looked for donations to handle medical supplies and other equipment.

The Red Cross Italy’s Polo Logistico Valle di Susa facility, located in Bussoleno, has been supplying the metropolitan region of Turino with medicines, meals, and supplies during the ordeal. In addition to traditional rescue and ambulance activities, the Red Cross Italy catered to the needs of people in isolation, sanitation of public spaces, evacuation of patients, while assisting withscreening. . 

Furthermore, the facility was fulfilling the accommodation needs of healthcare staff, handling support requests, and running a call centre to investigate seroprevalence.

The challenge 

The COVID-19 pandemic pushed the Italian Red Cross’ efforts to the limit. While the network has experience dealing with first-aid and emergency response, the speed with which the pandemic spread, was unprecedented and caused a stretch on resources and equipment. 

To meet the rising demand for humanitarian aid and bolster the work of its volunteers, the Red Cross Italy requested for various equipment, parts and supplies to keep operations running. With hundreds of thousands of items such as medicines, groceries, clothing, and more, passing through the logistics centre, industrial-grade equipment was needed to maintain vehicles and tools. 

The Italian Red Cross’ existing piston compressor could not meet the demand for high-quality compressed air, and the situation demanded an immediate upgrade. This prompted the Italian Red Cross team to contact ELGi Europe, who immediately responded with an air compressor that addressed and enhanced the operational capacity of the Italian Red Cross logistics centre.

The solution 

ELGi Europe delivered and installed an EN series air station comprising a receiver and fridge dryer, in just a matter of days. The plug and play solution enabled high reliability, ease of maintenance and a small footprint. These features came in handy at the Red Cross’ logistics centre in Italy, as volunteers needed all the time and space they could get for sorting supplies. 

“The COVID emergency has placed pressure on all people and equipment. We contacted ELGi and other companies asking if they could support us with a new air compressor to enhance our operational capacity at the logistics centre. ELGi responded immediately, visited our Centre, analysed our compressed air needs and within days, provided not just an air compressor, but a complete system including a tank and dryer,” said Michele Belmondo, Site Manager at the Red Cross Bussoleno.

The ELGi EN Series is a complete solution for obtaining high-quality compressed air and requires very little maintenance as there is zero leakage due to integrated components and connections. The compressor contains ELGi’s unique assembly design, ensuring energy efficiency and minimal pressure drops. The compressor also has the lowest noise level in the industry, making it the perfect addition to the Italian Red Cross facility. Finally, with cleaner suction air keeping internal components clean and low oil-fill needs, the EN series compressors’ long-lasting life enabled the Italian Red Cross volunteers to focus on what they do best i.e., uninterrupted, critical humanitarian work.

Benefits

 With the high-quality ELGi EN series Air Station, the Red Cross Italy was able to achieve the following:

• Meet the gruelling humanitarian and supply needs of the metropolitan city of Turin 
• Be available 24/7 with transport and equipment that can be mobilised quickly 
• Assist local city authorities with sanitation and monitoring activities, preventing the spread of the virus 

Conclusion 

“At ELGi Compressors Europe, we aspire to be ‘Always Better’ in everything we do – and this includes building long-lasting partnerships with our employees, customers, channel partners and the local communities where we operate. We are grateful for the opportunity to support the Italian Red Cross in its tireless efforts with caring for the local community during these challenging times,” said Chris Ringsletter, President at ELGi Europe.

ELGi catering to the Red Cross needs in Italy, when it mattered most represents its fundamental values. The COVID-19 virus has known no borders and while we strive to emerge from the pandemic, we’ve seen individuals, companies, and governments come together and offer their expertise to help each other. ELGi is championing this by doing what it does best – supplying high-quality air compressors to meet emergency demands and enabling the Red Cross Italy to fulfil its humanitarian commitments.

Why ELGi Airmate Filters? 

Here are the three key values that the customers gain with the ELGi’s AF Series Filters.  

1. Best-in-class performance: These filters are third-party tested for performance of residual oil as per the class stated and handle capacity they are rated for with high efficiency (99.99%). 

1. Best-in-class energy efficiency: The AF series filters have the lowest pressure drop in their class and significantly save energy wastage. The lowest pressure drop of 0.35 bar (combination of wet saturated pre-filter, fine-filter, and dry carbon filter) at rated capacity with next-gen elements is about 30% lower than average competition.  

1. Best-in-class ten years warranty for housing:  The common problem with most housing is corrosion. While this corrosion doesn’t affect the filter’s performance itself, it adds particles of its corroded body (Al or Fe) to the air, thus making it unfit for sensitive applications. With this warranty, customers can have a reliable, pure operation for the entire life of the filter. 

The above value proposition is backed by tests (as per ISO 12500 standard), validation data, and third-party certification. The maintenance of these filters for changing the elements is made reliable and simple. The differential pressure gauge gives the actual condition of the element, i.e., three coloured indicator helps in easy identification of filter element life and planning the maintenance activity. They also come with an element-time strip indicator that helps alert the user for on-time replacement of elements, thus never missing the reliability and quality of air needed by any user. You can contact ELGi application engineers or the nearest sales representative to select the right product for your application.

Application of Downstream Filters

How to remove contaminants from your compressed air system?

The atmospheric air comprises of moisture, particle contaminants, microorganisms, and gases. When this air gets compressed, the concentration of such particles increases by 6-10 times. However, when an air compressor compresses this atmospheric air, other contaminants like oil and metal traces get added during the compression process. This is why it is important to remove these contaminants from the compressed air before using them for any application.

These contaminants can be categorized into:

1. Particles
2. Water (Liquid, vapour, and aerosol)
3. Oil (Liquid, vapour, and aerosol)
4. Microorganisms
5. Other gases

According to the International Standard, ISO 8573-1:2010, compressed air contaminants like particles, water, and oil are segregated as per purity classes. In this standard, microorganisms and other gases are not included. As a result, the air purity is indicated as [P, W, O] and is ordered as per the number of particles, water, and oil.

Based on the application requirement, contaminants are to be removed from the compressed air using suitable downstream equipment. For instance, particle, water, and oil contaminants can be removed from the compressed air using downstream filters.

• Bulk moisture separatorsare recommended for removing the water from the compressed air. It is mandatory to have a proper automatic drain along with the moisture separator, as they are mostly used after the cooler. The optimal removal of condensate will ensure that no bulk water carry over to the downstream equipment. It is recommended to use a level sensing zero loss drain along with a moisture separator to get this done with minimum loss of air.

Downstream filters are available in various configurations/types. These can be categorized as per the residual oil and particle after filtration and are as follows:

1. The Coalescing filters are recommended to remove the wet particles and aerosols (water and oil) from the compressed air. Different types of coalescing filters are available based on residual oil and particle content at the filter outlet after filtration. Coalescing filters are classified into pre filters and fine filters.

• • With the Pre-filter, class 3 or 2 purity of particles and oil can be achieved, i.e., ISO 8573-1:2010 [2:-:2]

• The recommended sequence of installation is the bulk moisture separator followed by pre-filter

• With the fine-filter, class 2 or 1 purity of particles and oil can be achieved, i.e., ISO 8573-1:2010 [1:-:1]
  • The recommended sequence of installation is bulk moisture separator, pre-filter, dryer followed by a fine filter

2. The particulate filters are specialized to remove the dry particle and microorganisms from compressed air. This filter is mostly used after a desiccant dryer to ensure that the desiccant particles are not carried to the compressed air line.

• The class of purity of particles made possible with this filter is 3,4,5&6, i.e. ISO 8573-1:2010 [3:-: – ]
  • The recommended installation sequence is the bulk moisture separator, pre-filter, desiccant dryer, followed by the particulate filter.

3. The Carbon filters are recommended to remove the oil vapor and other gases present in the compressed air that are not removed by the coalescing filters.

• The class of purity achievable with carbon filter is “1”, i.e., ISO 8573-1:2010 [-:-:1]
  • The recommended preceding with carbon filter would be pre-filter, dryer, fine-filter, followed by carbon filter

Important factors to consider for having the right selection of filters to ensure optimal performance

• The filter capacity is based on the operating pressure of 7 bar/100 psi (nominal condition). In case the operating pressure is different, it is important to use the correction factor and select the filter model accordingly.
• The correct sequence of installing filters must be followed so that the performance is optimal. As a thumb rule, the level of filtration should be in sequence, ranging from 20 ppm to 5 microns or from 10 microns to 1 micron to 0.01 micron. Carbon filters should always follow after the 0.01 micron filter. Absence of this sequence will reduce the life of the filters.
• Please note that the lowest pressure drop across filters happens when the filter elements are dry. If the filter element gets wet, delta P will increase. This is another reason why we should follow the above sequence.

• It is recommended to have a proper drain along with the pre-filter since the pre-filter is mostly used before the dryer. The regular removal of condensate will ensure that no moisture carries over to the downstream equipment.

• The replacement of the filter element at the recommended service interval is important. The filters have an indicator of saturation level, and it is recommended to replace the filter element in case of indication. Saturated filter elements will not give the required class of purity. This will have a higher pressure drop, creating an extra load on the compressor. As a thumb rule, 0.14bar/2 psi pressure drop will have 1% additional load on the compressor. Carbon filters function on the adsorption method and need to be replaced on a timely basis.

This approach has primarily contributed to “what we are’’ and ‘’where we are’’ today. A broad spectrum of our customer’s manufacturing facilities has been evolving rapidly while adopting new technology that improves their existing processes. Today, we’re proud to see our high-value, customer-centric products in great demand in over 120 countries across the globe!

Innovation is a continuous journey – a race that has no finish line, and so is the case with our business aspirations. ELGi stands tall as one of the global leaders in the compressed air industry. Over the years, customer value and quality have been intrinsic to our DNA and we believe innovation will help us  in achieving our growth goals.   

With an in-depth understanding of the “know-how” and the “know-why” of compressors, it gives us the ability to build globally competitive products.

In the current dynamic technological arena, the speed and effectiveness of innovation are critical to be ahead in the game. A systematic and focussed approach will enhance the speed and effectiveness of innovation. Which brings us to the initiative –  State of The Future Art, where we aim to identify, develop, and nurture innovation systematically.

Celebrated every year on the 15^th of December, the ‘State of The Future Art’ themed Technology Day brings together young engineering minds from the ELGi Global Technology Center, the academia and industry experts, and provides a robust platform for them to ideate and showcase breakthrough technology through a series of presentations, product displays, knowledge sharing and interactive panel discussions. This year’s focus is on Energy Efficiency.

Our work extends to expanding the range and incorporating region-specific features to handle challenging environmental factors and associated needs. We believe this will attract many more global customers and enhance our strengths while we march towards our aspirations.

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There are several parameters to keep in mind while buying an air compressor. Apart from deciding the size, rating expressed in CFM (for airflow), and bar (for air pressure), you also have to choose between an oil-free and oil-lubricated system.

The choice depends on the kind of applications where you intend to operate your air compressor. This is why, it is good to understand how these compressed air systems work and the applications that they’re used for.

That is because, most would have gone with the rule of thumb, the usual recommendation for a typical compressed air system. But the reality is that there is more to receiver tank sizing, customized to the application than just one size fits all

Imagine a water tank at an elevated height, supplying water to residences in an area. This is analogous to an air receiver supplying to various industrial demands. Let’s understand the need for an air receiver and its function in the compressed air system.

It is a proven fact that about 70% of an air compressor’s lifetime cost comes from power consumption, which then increases your overall power consumption However, due to the effectiveness and capacity of production support extended by compressed air systems, that it is now an indispensable part of the factory setup, especially in the case of sensitive industries including healthcare, pharma, food & beverage, etc.

Many opportunities exist to reduce the energy used by compressed air systems, beginning with air assessment and air audit. Here are 10 expert tips to help you keep a tab on your electricity bill.

1. LOWER THE PRESSURE: We all know that working under pressure can be hard. Every additional bar of pressure can increase your power consumption by 7%. Set your air compressor at the lowest possible pressure for a specific application. Remember that increasing pressure does not compensate for a pressure drop in the system caused due to leaks, faulty piping, or choked filters. Install a pressure regulator for better control. It’s also important to calibrate your pressure gauges at quarterly intervals.
2. CHANGE FILTERS ON TIME: While replacing air filters, it is mandatory to maintain the quality of air, it is also an energy-saving opportunity. Delaying an air filter change may cost you a lot. Clogged filters can lead to pressure drops and also hamper efficiency. Ensure on-time service for a healthy compressed air system.
3. INVEST IN PRE-FILTERS: Not only do pre-filters (also known as coalescing filters) help purify the air by removing oil and water, but they also help remove the particulate matter to a certain extent. Installing pre-filters for suctioning the air, and for its cooling, can extend the life of your compressor and its consumables.
4. CLEAN UP: Besides keeping your air clean, ensure that you give your compressed air system a thorough dusting every few months. The presence of sludge, dust, or grime can have a big impact on the efficiency of the compressed air system. Pay special attention to compressor coolers and heat exchangers. Consider investing in a dedicated low-pressure air compressor, and airline for cleaning, to save power.
5. PICK THE RIGHT DRYER: Selection of the right sized air dryer for your compressed air system is crucial. Make sure the energy consumption of the dryer is in proportion to the demand. An oversized dryer can add to your electricity bill significantly.

The use of compressed air spans rudimentary mechanic shops powered by decades-old reciprocating compressors to large scale textile units powered by high volume centrifugal compressors.  While the basic technology has remained fairly simple — powered pistons, screws, or impellers compress a volume of atmospheric air to a required pressure  — the design and use of compressed air systems have evolved to suit the industry needs.

Compressed air and power consumption

For manufacturers, achieving optimal efficiency is always a challenge as compressed air is inherently inefficient. Fossil fuels are more efficient in getting work done for the same amount of energy.  However, compressed air is among the best ways to safely store and use energy.  Thus, compressed air has remained a prevalent energy source for industry.  Manufacturers have innovated to reduce lifecycle cost, improve reliability, and improve air quality.

The Table below shows the typical lifecycle of a compressor.  Nearly 75% of the cost incurred over a ten year period comes from the power consumption.

In talks with Managing Director, Dr. Jairam Varadaraj, The Textile Magazine unearths the determinants of ELGi’s powerful claim in the compressed air business –– “we provide the lowest lifecycle cost in the world.”

In Part One, we followed ELGi’s evolutionary journey in manufacturing and design which makes a compelling case for sales of their air compressors. But ELGi’s approach to after-sales service is what makes them valuable partners for customers in the long-term.

Commenting on ELGi’s relationship with the Indian textile sector, Dr. Jairam Varadaraj said: “As a group we know textiles better than our competitors. This is because we have our own spinning mill in the group. We have been in the business of textiles for 40-odd years now. We know the pain points and challenges. Plus, we are based out of Coimbatore, a premier textile hub. Wherever you go across the country, people in the textile industry know ELGi.”

The company has a strong sales and service network spanning the length and breadth of the country. ELGi has an extensive team of more than 500 sales and service personnel with a maximum response time of eight hours. Elaborating on this, Dr. Varadaraj pointed out: “For us it is not just about responding when a customer calls. It is about restoring air. Today 96-97% of our customers get their air back in less than six hours. That’s a record nobody can beat. In fact, even our competitors acknowledge this strength of ours. We deliver uptime.

Generally we are there in about an hour. That’s the physical infrastructure. We also have a strong system in place where every defect, however small it may be, is registered at the factory by evening. We are also coming out with a SIM card based device which is incorporated in our compressors. It is in the testing phase. While others have also been offering similar services, we are doing it with a difference. The device talks to the compressor and gives a comprehensive performance report through an algorithm. The software then starts predicting. See, any mechanical device will degrade with wear. Failure takes place when you don’t notice this wear. With this monitoring, you will be able to get there before the failure. Predictive maintenance is what we offer. We have supplied about 55 machines with the device. By the end of this year, we will make it standard on all our machines. Many of our competitors offer it usually for large machines and invariably tied up with a service contract. We don’t want to follow that path. We firmly believe that the device is meant for us. More than our customers, we want to know how our machines are performing, for it will help us keep improving and stay ahead of the curve.”