ELGi’s Oil-Free Air Expert addresses query frequently asked by users from various industries. 

Q1. I am setting up a new pharmaceutical bulk drug manufacturing plant. Which compressor should I select? 

The quality of compressed air is critical in applications where the air comes in direct contact with the end product. It should not contain contaminants like oil particles. One more requirement of the pharma segment is uninterrupted operation. Hence, the most suitable solution will be an Oil-Free screw air compressor which is best suited for continuous duty application and delivers compressed air, free from oil contaminants. 

Q2. How is an Oil-Free compressor different from a lubricated compressor? 

In the lubricated compressor, oil is injected into the compression chamber, also called the Airend, during the compression process. This lubricating oil mixes with air, and this Air-Oil mixture is further treated. 

Whereas in an Oil-Free compressor, during compression, there is no injection of oil into the Airend.  Hence, the compressed air does not contain any traces of oil. 

Additionally, Oil-Free air compressors are also eco-friendly since there is no oil spillage from the compressor drain or oil carryover in compressed air. 

Q3.I have fluctuating airflow demand. How can I reduce my operating cost? 

While some setups have a fixed airflow requirement, many factories might be experiencing fluctuating demand. This situation allows us to reduce our operating costs significantly. 

As a best practice, if your airflow demand is not constant, we recommend installing a VFD-equipped air compressor. If you have a fixed air compressor installed already, you can opt for a Retrofit VFD kit matched to your compressor power, which can help regulate the airflow as per plant requirements and reduce power costs. 

Q4. What are the different cooling methods used in Oil-Free air compressors? 

Electrical energy is converted into thermal energy during the compression process. Cooling systems are designed to maintain the system temperature within acceptable limits. 

ELGi offers Oil-Free air compressors in both Air-cooled & Water-cooled variants. 

Q5. My application is critical. How can I be sure that the compressor delivers Oil-Free air all the time? 

The compression process occurs in the compressor chamber called the Airend. An Airend has two sides, the airside and the oil side, which are completely isolated by air & oil seals, which prevent oil from mixing with air. 

ELGi Airends have an additional safety arrangement, wherein even if the seals, for some reason, malfunction, the oil will go back into the sump and not mix with air. Thereby always guaranteeing 100% Oil-Free compressed air. 

Q6.  What all industries use Oil-Free compressors? 

Specific industries require air that directly contacts the end product or is used for sophisticated machines. The presence of oil traces in such scenarios is highly undesirable. 

ELGi offers 100% Oil-Free compressed air solutions to Pharmaceuticals, Food & Beverage, Textile, Automobile, Electronics, FMCG, Oil & Gas, Power, and many more. 

Q7. How does ELGi ensure the high quality of its air compressors? 

Air compressors from ELGi are designed to offer the highest product quality & system reliability to our customers. 

We are one of the very few manufacturers in the world who have their Airend design and build them entirely in-house. 

 Another example of our efforts to go the extra mile is our state-of-the-art foundry set-up to achieve the highest quality in casting. 

Q8. How do I select a suitable air compressor for my application? 

Air compressor selection depends on several factors. A few questions to ask before finalizing one for yourself are – 

– What is the airflow or SCFM required by your pneumatic machines? 

– What is the operating pressure? 

– Does your application need Oil-Free air? 

– Is your airflow demand fluctuating?  

With so many factors to consider, the selection process might seem overwhelming. ELGi offers a wide range of air compressors – Oil-Free and lubricated piston and screw air compressors.  

ELGi’s compressed air experts can help you identify the right solution for your application. We also conduct extensive air audits to map airflow demand accurately to get the most efficient solution. 

To know more, click here.

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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Typically, energy costs contribute to more than 75% of the total life cycle costs of a compressor. Appropriate selection of compressors will result in optimal energy utilization, thereby reducing energy costs significantly for the user.

You would find literally everything you need or did not know you needed at a supermarket. Choices of brands, products, sizes, weights, you name it! And while you find yourself spoilt for choice, there is one thing common with all these offerings and that is the packaging. Each of these products is ready and safe for use because of compressed air.

Compressed Air in Packaging Industry

As online shopping continues to rise, the packaging sector sees an expansion in its industry. Compressed air assumes a pivotal role in the manufacturing and packaging operations across various global sectors. Its applications span from cleansing, aligning, shaping, to sealing a wide array of packaging items.

Compressed Air in Food Industry

Last year, the global food packaging market crossed over US$ 302 billion in market value. Compressed air plays a vital role in safely transporting food items and other products around the factory or to their desired location, without any contamination or deterioration in quality. Compressed air is used to shape and seal cartons and boxes, manufacturing products like PET bottles and thoroughly clean all containers before they can be filled with liquids.

Oil-free compressors are indispensable in the food and beverage industry, ensuring product safety and quality by delivering contaminant-free compressed air. They are utilized for tasks like pneumatic conveying, bottling, and packaging, where maintaining a pristine and hygienic production environment is paramount.

Use of Compressed Air in Pharmaceutical Industry

In the pharma industry, oil-free compresses are used to manufacture products including pills and tablets. These tablets or pills are then safely placed in bottles, after the moisture has been removed, and then sealed airtight- maintaining the highest level of clean and sterile compressed air.

Please know more about the significance of oil free air in pharmaceutical industry.

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.

ELGi, a 1960 born organization promised to be research intensive, innovative and customer service centric. ROTAIR on the other hand was born right out of the ashes of the second world war in 1945. Starting with design and production of piston compressors in a small unit, ROTAIR soon graduated to small engines. It didn’t take too long for ROTAIR to start distributing all over Europe, especially France, Switzerland, Belgium and Germany.  Early 1970s saw the introduction of rotary vane air compressors with twin-cylinder VM engines. ROTAIR quickly expanded compressor capacities 25 cfm to 300 cfm. The 1970s brought new additions of screw compressors and opened up distribution vistas outside of Europe. The progress didn’t stop there. ROTAIR’s inventiveness saw capacity enhancement to the current 900 cfm. Additionally, ROTAIR is a regulatory compliant ISO 9001:2000 certified organization. The company controls design, production and testing via lean quality management procedures.

But what exactly is an air audit? Simply put, an air audit is a thorough examination of the usage of compressed air in an operation; followed by actionable inferences that could help realize energy savings for a company. Air audits identify energy saving opportunities from better compressor selection, improved line design, arresting leaks, and optimizing usage.

Air audits can be conducted by compressor manufacturers as well as independent air audit experts. While methods vary, an air audit expert will use flow meters, power analyzers, water flow meters, digital pressure gauges, anemometers, infrared thermometers and condition monitoring equipment to evaluate an operation’s air usage.

Following the analysis, the team submits a report with a summary of potential savings along with recommended changes and associated costs. Typically, they will spend sufficient time to gain a representative understanding of varying demand conditions. Following the analysis, they will issue a report with a summary of the potential savings along with the recommended changes and associated costs to realize the savings.

Some common problems the team encounters are incorrect compressor size, inadequate air distribution, incorrect positioning of downstream accessories and air receivers, and poor regulation of pressure.

While compressor selection, line design, and line monitoring have been discussed, air auditors will also review the nature of use. For instance, operators in compressed air intensive operations such as textiles will often use a higher than required pressure to operate their machinery. An air auditor might test these machines at lower pressures, and if there is no disruption, the mill operators can continue to operate at a lower pressure, thereby enjoying energy savings. In addition, an air auditor may also recommend against using compressors for energy-wasting applications such as cleaning.

ELGi’s expert air audits in the Indian textile industry have achieved tremendous results in terms of energy savings and efficiency. The following graphs summarize the air audit reports for five leading textile mills in India along with the savings accrued.

Started in a humble way in 1960, ELGi Equipments has today transformed to become the seventh largest compressor manufacturer world over, with business presence in over 70 countries. The company has now set its ambitious goal of becoming the Number Two compressor manufacturer globally in a decade. In the last four years, after the completion and working of its sprawling 2,00,000 sq ft facility at the Kodangipalayam village in Coimbatore, ELGi can proudly claim that the foundation to reach its goal has been well laid.

Anvar Jay Varadaraj, Senior Manager – Marketing & Corporate Communications, elaborates on the company’s approach, “Our mission is to establish the ELGi brand. Today with many companies giving technical details and characteristics of their products, we focus on a content-driven approach. The compressor works in the background, and the challenge is to make the customer understand how important are its reliability, power conservation, etc.”

A Facility of Global Standards

ELGi has two factories in Coimbatore – the 20,000 sqm Singanallur facility for the final assembly line, and the Kodangipalayam facility, which includes the airends plant and the foundry. The young Kodangipalayam facility has technologically advanced imported machine tools to ensure the highest accuracy and quality standards. Recently ELGi has also started developing its own machines-for profile milling, grinding and polishing. This is aimed at bringing down the manufacturing cost without compromise on quality.