The most reliable choice
Hyundai Motor’s manufacturing plant in Piracicaba, Brazil, produces around 210,000 vehicles per year. The three-shift production goes around the clock, and must not stop.
Although still a young facility with relatively new equipment, the plant experienced compressor breakdowns and high energy consumption. A blow off occurs when a centrifugal compressor produces more compressed air than the network consumes, and must release the excess.
It happens when the net has a lot of variation and/or when the compressor is oversized. This can cause waste of electricity in the form of compressed air.
Variable speed drive does the trick
Atlas Copco Compressor Technique worked closely together with Hyundai to analyze the needs and alternatives. The analysis showed that Variable Speed Drive (VSD) screw compressors would be the best choice, allowing flexibility for high and low pressure.
The customer ultimately chose to install four Atlas Copco VSD compressors. If a problem occurs, the machines now switch to the other condition to ensure uptime and production capacity.
“Our VSD screw compressors are equipped with a frequency inverter that enables a faster response time and greater turn down rate, which in turn means improved energy efficiency,” says Cleberson Oliveira, Product Manager, Atlas Copco.
Delivering a complete solution
“We have experienced 1.2 million savings per year in energy alone. In addition, we have reduced our maintenance costs by 40% to 50%. In terms of reliability and breakdowns, our rates have dropped to zero,” says Cesar Henrique dos Santos.
