Swedish food plant recovers 98% of compressor energy

As a result of installing a new oil-free compressed air plant, with 98% energy recovery, Swedish food company Dafgård Foods has been able to make big energy savings as well as reduce costs and carbon dioxide emissions. The short payback period and increased capacity made the choice for Atlas Copco an easy one.

Oil-free compressors for increased air quality

During 2010, Dafgård Foods expanded its production by building a new bakery, where the company’s famous sourdough bread is baked.

Dafgård Foods Technical Manager Anders Dafgård explained, “With the expansion of our production, our demand for compressed air increased. Our compressed air system at that time was not up to the task. For that reason, we contacted Atlas Copco to review the potential for a new and larger plant,” he said.

It became apparent that potential energy savings and increased compressed air quality could be made by switching from oil-injected to oil-free compressed air.

“Atlas Copco performed an air-energy audit,” said Dafgård, “and we began to discuss the oil-free air alternative, dew points, energy recovery, a new compressor room, life cycle cost calculations, control systems for multiple compressors…”

“The compressed air quality of the oil-free compressor with internal MD dryer, together with the short payback period, became the deciding factors for the choice of the new oil-free air compressor,” said Klas Johansson, Sales Engineer at Atlas Copco.

Dafgård commented that “When upgrading our production, we always strive to improve our energy use, which means that we always choose the most energy-efficient alternative. That was a major factor in the choice of the new air compressor.”

Cost savings

Dafgård Foods installed a ZR 160 VSD FF oil-free air compressor with variable speed drive, internal MD dryer and an ES8 control system for multiple compressors.

“We have decreased our energy costs by approximately $140,000 per year and lowered our carbon dioxide emissions by 117 metric tons per year,” said Dafgård.

Energy savings

Atlas Copco’s system for energy recovery enables surplus energy to be used for heating. Dafgård Foods recovers approximately 98% of the compressor input energy, which is used for preheating diluted water for the production’s boilers.

“We have many processes in our production where we use direct-acting steam. In order to use the energy recovered from the compressor, we have installed a heat exchanger, which transfers the heat to the diluted water.”

Dafgård Foods Processing Compressed Air Manager Jan-Ake Karlsson said that the plant saves approximately 1100 MWh/year.

“In addition to all this we have also gained drier compressed air with higher quality,” he said.

Making oil-free compressors work for your business

Decades of experience

For over 60 years Atlas Copco has pioneered many new developments in oil-free air technology and is claimed to be the first manufacturer to be awarded ISO 8573-1 CLASS 0 (2010) certification.

Smart air solutions

The wide range of compression and drying technologies from Atlas Copco allows for optimal solutions, proving the required air quality at the lowest operating cost. Compressors, dryers, filters, controllers and energy recovery are all optimised to work better together.

Quality assurance

Atlas Copco designs and builds its products to the highest standards to ensure total satisfaction. The oil-free production facility in Antwerp has ISO 22000 certification, which applies to all Z range oil-free air compressors. OHSAS 18001, ISO 9001, ISO14001, ISO8573-1 CLASS 0.

Environmentally friendly

Atlas Copco is committed to sustainable productivity, delivering clean air and creating less waste compared with oil lubricated compressors. Customers will need less oil and filter elements to dispose of after maintenance.

Operating costs

Atlas Copco understands the need to keep operating costs as low as possible. Innovation has resulted in some of the most energy-efficient products on the market, keeping energy costs low. The company’s commitment to helping clients increase productivity has resulted in longer class-leading service intervals with superior reliability.

Air quality

For 60 years, Atlas Copco Z compressors have set the benchmark for durability. Built using long-standing internal engineering practices, the compressors are designed and manufactured according to the following standards: ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 22000 and OHSAS 18001. The high-end ZR uses time-proven state-of-the-art screw technology, cooling and pulsation dampers to provide the highest reliability.

100% oil-free compressed air

The ZR offers 100% pure, clean air that complies with ISO 8573-1 CLASS 0 (2010) certification. This means zero risk of contamination; zero risk of damaged products; zero risk of losses from operational downtime; and zero risk of damaging clients’ hard-won professional reputations.

Maximum energy efficiency

The ZR’s superior oil-free screw elements provide the optimum combination of high free air delivery (FAD) with the lowest energy consumption. Ample sized cooling, low pressure drops and an extremely efficient drive train result in the highest compressor package efficiency.

The most complete package

With the ZR compressor, Atlas Copco provides a superior solution without hidden costs. The totally integrated, ready-to-use package includes internal piping, coolers, motor, lubrication and control system. The full feature version even integrates an IMD absorption dryer for an impeccable end product. Installation is fault free, commissioning time is low and no external instrument air is required. Simply plug and run.

Global presence — local service

Atlas Copco’s aftermarket product portfolio is designed to add maximum value for its customers by ensuring the optimum availability and reliability of compressed air equipment with the lowest possible operating costs. A complete service guarantee is provided through extensive service organisation.

For more information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqEHXbfa1U0