report - Kaeser Compressors
report - Kaeser Compressors
report - Kaeser Compressors
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eport<br />
A Magazine for the Production Industry 2/12<br />
Dolphin-friendly<br />
Compressed air for offshore noise protection<br />
In the spotlight:<br />
Bergisches Land<br />
High tech<br />
with history<br />
Compressed air for Delphi<br />
Sigma Air Utility<br />
in Wuppertal<br />
Picard: Hard as steel<br />
Durable tools<br />
from Remscheid<br />
Interroll<br />
Conveying systems<br />
made in Wermelskirchen
2<br />
Editorial<br />
<strong>report</strong><br />
Contents Issue 2/12<br />
Report 2/12 – www.kaeser.com<br />
4-7<br />
8-11<br />
16-19<br />
3 Editorial<br />
4 Car parts aplenty<br />
In the spotlight: Bergisches Land<br />
Wuppertal – Car parts made by Delphi<br />
8 This sheet won’t blow away!<br />
In the spotlight: Bergisches Land<br />
Remscheid – Durable tools made by C.A. Picard<br />
12 On a roll<br />
In the spotlight: Bergisches Land<br />
Wermelskirchen – Conveying systems from Interroll<br />
15 Proper planning cuts costs<br />
Compressed air for automotive workshops<br />
16 Shhhh!<br />
Mobilair 350 provides noise protection for marine mammals<br />
20 High-tech tubing<br />
Compressed air and vacuum at Uniwell<br />
22 News<br />
DHS air main charging system<br />
<strong>Kaeser</strong> Kompressoren at the 25th international<br />
Shipbuilding, Machinery & Marine Technology trade<br />
show: SMM 2012<br />
23 Mobilair 31 with PE enclosure<br />
Imprint:<br />
Publisher: KAESER KOMPRESSOREN AG<br />
Editors: Klaus D. Bätz<br />
Translation: Context Marketing, Canada<br />
Photographer: Marcel Hunger<br />
Print: Schneider Printmedien GmbH, Weidhausen<br />
Reproduction, even in part, is only allowed with the written permission of KAESER KOMPRESSOREN.
Compressed air audit for long-term success<br />
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. The<br />
same applies to sophisticated compressed air systems<br />
comprising multiple compressors, dryers, filters, master<br />
control systems, heat recovery, intake and exhaust air<br />
systems and much more. Optimisation of individual<br />
components does not necessarily result in optimisation<br />
of the system as a whole. This can be realised only by<br />
taking a systematic approach, by performing detailed<br />
analysis of every component and examining how they<br />
interact with one another.<br />
The aims of a compressed air system audit are to<br />
maximise uptime, reduce total operating costs (energy,<br />
service and maintenance costs) and to define the optimum<br />
compressed air volume and required compressed<br />
air quality for the given application. To achieve these<br />
objectives, it is necessary to identify potential for improvement<br />
and to understand what measures need to<br />
be taken in order to make those improvements a reality.<br />
The first step is to assess the current situation. This<br />
consists of an inspection of the compressed air station<br />
during which the installation and piping plans are<br />
documented. Any potential for improvement is also duly<br />
noted (for example, lack of heat recovery, no master<br />
control system, insufficient intake and / or exhaust air).<br />
The second step is to measure the actual compressed<br />
Dipl.-Wirtsch.-Ing.<br />
Thomas <strong>Kaeser</strong><br />
Chairman,<br />
Managing Board<br />
Dipl.-Wirtsch.-Ing.<br />
Tina-Maria Vlantoussi-<strong>Kaeser</strong><br />
Managing Board<br />
<strong>report</strong><br />
air demand at various times using advanced ADA<br />
(Air Demand Analysis) data loggers. In most cases,<br />
a representative demand profile can be produced by<br />
conducting an analysis over ten days of typical business<br />
operations.<br />
The third step is to evaluate the efficiency of the station<br />
using <strong>Kaeser</strong>’s specialised KESS (<strong>Kaeser</strong> Energy Saving<br />
System) software. This valuable tool makes specific<br />
recommendations regarding the most suitable machine<br />
configuration. The results of the audit regularly determine<br />
average energy savings of thirty percent – often<br />
even more.<br />
The fourth step is to generate a concrete action plan<br />
that outlines the best solution for minimising energy<br />
consumption and maximising uptime for the recommended<br />
machine configuration.<br />
Once complete, these efforts result in more air, more<br />
savings and maximum uptime.<br />
Technical innovation and an ‘in the field’ approach to<br />
achieving real-world customer benefits are amongst the<br />
most important drivers to ensure long-term business<br />
growth as the basis for sustainable economic wellbeing<br />
for all.<br />
Report 2/12 – www.kaeser.com 3
The German headquarters of one of the world’s elite automotive parts suppliers, Delphi, is located<br />
in Wuppertal-Elberfeld. <strong>Kaeser</strong> Kompressoren recently provided a contract compressed air station<br />
designed to supply compressed air for the development and manufacturing facilities fronted by the<br />
ultramodern office building at the site.<br />
In the spotlight: Bergisches Land, Wuppertal – Compressed air for Delphi<br />
Car parts aplenty<br />
In 1994, American carmaker General<br />
Motors merged its entire component<br />
manufacturing activities into a single<br />
entity called the Auto Components<br />
Group. In 1995, the name was changed<br />
to Delphi Automotive Systems, and in<br />
1999 the business unit went public as<br />
an independent company.<br />
Development and manufacturing<br />
in Wuppertal<br />
Delphi Deutschland’s headquarters<br />
was once the site of the<br />
long-established Wuppertalbased<br />
company Kabelwerke<br />
Reinshagen. This is<br />
where Delphi conducts<br />
some of its R&D, primarily<br />
in the field of automotive<br />
electrics and<br />
electronics, an ever increasingly<br />
important<br />
sector for systems integrators<br />
and subassembly<br />
suppliers. The proliferation<br />
of digital technology in cars<br />
is driving demand for components<br />
and networking into<br />
previously unheard-of territory.<br />
Starting with safety systems such as<br />
ABS, ESC, autonomous cruise control<br />
or automatic emergency braking, driver<br />
assistance systems such as road sign<br />
recognition, lane departure warning or<br />
lane change assistance or driver awareness<br />
systems, the list goes on and on.<br />
More and more vehicle, entertainment<br />
and information features are now networked<br />
via the Internet, and many carmakers<br />
are buying complete solutions,<br />
which they then integrate seamlessly<br />
into the rest of the car. This includes onboard<br />
networks or wire harnesses that<br />
are not only increasingly complex, but<br />
are becoming heavier and heavier, eas-<br />
ily weighing in at 50 kg for a mediumsized<br />
vehicle.<br />
Quite often we are talking about what<br />
at first glance seem to be very ordinary<br />
components, in spite of all this complexity.<br />
Take seals, for example. After<br />
all, the ubiquitous electronic parts are<br />
not located centrally on a circuit board<br />
in a cosy environment; instead, they are<br />
installed on wheels and axles, exposed<br />
to the heat of the engine block and exhaust<br />
system or the icy chill of winter<br />
winds hitting the fast-moving car. In<br />
spite of all these hazards, every single<br />
device, sensor or actuator must remain<br />
reliably connected under all operating<br />
conditions, sending and receiving data<br />
with 100% accuracy and remaining<br />
equally reliably connected to its power<br />
supply – and of course over the entire<br />
span of the vehicle’s many years of operation<br />
and the hundreds of thousands<br />
of kilometres it travels.<br />
So, if they are to continuously do their<br />
job of sending and receiving without<br />
being impacted by external factors, not<br />
only must the quality of the wires and<br />
connections be first class, but so too<br />
must the ports through which the wires<br />
run. Each of these openings – in the<br />
floor panel, the bulkhead between the<br />
engine and car interior, and the doors,<br />
etc. – requires a precisely fitted seal.<br />
Hatches battened<br />
The shape of these seals varies widely<br />
depending on the job to be done, as<br />
do the properties of the material used.<br />
They are made using a two-component<br />
silicon production process at Delphi’s<br />
Delphi’s Wuppertal headquarters is<br />
home to both the main development<br />
centre and a production plant.<br />
4 Report 2/12 – www.kaeser.com<br />
Report 2/12 – www.kaeser.com 5
second production facility at the Wuppertal<br />
site. The seals are automatically<br />
produced from special silicon blends in<br />
all colours of the rainbow on injection<br />
moulding machines packed closely together.<br />
Some seals are subsequently<br />
deburred in huge tumbling machines.<br />
This is where the main air take-off point<br />
for a new compressor station is located<br />
and where three <strong>Kaeser</strong> ASD 57 rotary<br />
screw compressors do their job. The<br />
compressed air they generate passes<br />
to three TD76 <strong>Kaeser</strong> energy-saving<br />
refrigeration dryers and on to an air receiver<br />
which acts as a buffer. From there<br />
it flows via the air distribution network<br />
to the air consumers that use the air for<br />
work, control and cleaning applications.<br />
Delphi buys the compressed air at<br />
a fixed price. The compressed air<br />
station itself is operated by <strong>Kaeser</strong><br />
Kompressoren under the terms of a<br />
Sigma Air Utility contract. The user,<br />
Delphi, is guaranteed availability of the<br />
most energy efficient and reliable compressed<br />
air supply possible at all times.<br />
Furthermore, this type of agreement<br />
saves money. Delphi has no investment<br />
costs other than the floor space required<br />
and no associated assets to book on<br />
the balance sheet. The cost of the compressed<br />
air purchased under the fixed<br />
price contract can immediately be written<br />
off as an operating expense. And the<br />
icing on the cake: The company needs<br />
no staff to operate the station, enabling<br />
it to focus on its core competencies. It<br />
goes without saying that <strong>Kaeser</strong> Kompressoren<br />
looks after all maintenance<br />
and service, true to the promise <strong>Kaeser</strong><br />
makes to its customers: More air, more<br />
savings.<br />
Author: Klaus Dieter Bätz<br />
Contact: klaus-dieter.baetz@kaeser.com<br />
The new compressed air station mainly supplies the many<br />
automated silicon seal moulding machines.
8<br />
In the spotlight: Bergisches Land, Remscheid – Compressed air for C.A. Picard<br />
This sheet won’t blow away!<br />
Report 2/12 – www.kaeser.com<br />
Fit for the future –<br />
a Bergisches Land tradition:<br />
What started as a small<br />
grinding mill on the banks of<br />
the Morsbach River is now<br />
a global enterprise offering<br />
durable machine tools, extrusion<br />
systems and associated<br />
services.<br />
Ironworking is deeply rooted in the history<br />
of Bergisches Land. The same goes<br />
for the Morsbach River valley. Since the<br />
late Middle Ages, the region has hosted<br />
countless water-driven grinding mills<br />
that were once used to put the finishing<br />
touches on the iron and steel tools<br />
forged using local ore and coal, mostly<br />
under contract, before being sent on<br />
their way. The river itself flows between<br />
the Remscheid district of Hasten and<br />
Cronenberg in Germany to the Wupper<br />
River – the lifeline of Bergisches Land –<br />
forming the border between Remscheid<br />
and the Wupper valley (avid readers<br />
may remember that this district became<br />
a borough of Wuppertal in 1929, and is<br />
also where machine-tool maker Stahlwille<br />
is situated – ref. <strong>Kaeser</strong> Report<br />
1/2009).<br />
Carl-August Picard was amongst those<br />
who operated a grinding mill here in the<br />
mid-nineteenth century. He was so successful<br />
in fact that he soon began buying<br />
up adjacent grinding mills. His company<br />
eventually became a renowned global<br />
player, yet remains privately owned and<br />
firmly rooted in Bergisches Land. The<br />
unfaltering high quality of the company’s<br />
products and services has made it<br />
one of the best-in-class internationally.<br />
One type of product Remscheid-Hasten<br />
Durable machine tools and moulds<br />
are Remscheid-Hasten-based C.A.<br />
Picard’s specialty.<br />
is known for in particular is durable<br />
machine-tool components for the limesandstone<br />
industry and for foundries.<br />
Others include stamping tools with<br />
unique properties and wear characteristics<br />
and press tools for the electronics<br />
industry, all of which guarantee users<br />
reliability and production uptime they<br />
can count on.<br />
Fit for the future:<br />
The founder’s spirit can be sensed in<br />
every factory workshop. This was clearly<br />
evident the minute we entered the<br />
plant with Lutz Pflugrad, the Energy and<br />
Technical Procurement Manager. We<br />
see a young lady concentrating intensely<br />
to move glowing metal components<br />
from an annealing oven into a quench<br />
bath using a push rod, and evidently<br />
satisfied she is able to perform the task<br />
perfectly every time under the watchful<br />
gaze of her teacher.<br />
“Well you know, that’s just the way we<br />
do things here,” says Lutz Pflugrad.<br />
“Sales apprentices should learn about<br />
manufacturing. Knowing what goes on<br />
there strengthens ties to the company<br />
as a whole.”<br />
Granted, only small, specially shaped<br />
tools are hardened in the particular annealing<br />
ovens installed here. Larger<br />
components are hardened in automated<br />
annealing ovens and are subsequently<br />
oil or air quenched.<br />
We also notice gas flames flicker behind<br />
the small metal oven; it’s a flare of residual<br />
gas. Semi-finished iron products<br />
are hardened here by adding carbon<br />
in a gas-fired oven to make them suitable<br />
for their particular application later<br />
on. These ovens are part of a high-tech<br />
manufacturing system, with sophisticated<br />
sealing and cooling systems for the<br />
mechanical turning equipment.<br />
After walking only a few steps through<br />
the factory, it becomes quite clear that<br />
considerable expertise and decades of<br />
experience are embedded in this sheet<br />
steel by the time it has reached the final<br />
stage of manufacture and has the<br />
right shape and surface finish. Just so<br />
that there is no misunderstanding: The<br />
sheet steel we are talking about here is<br />
Report 2/12 – www.kaeser.com 9
The compressed air station is<br />
installed in a production room and<br />
supplies air on a contracting basis<br />
for the factory’s equipment, including<br />
grinding centres that have their<br />
own air receivers (right).<br />
up to three or four centimetres (1 1/8 to<br />
1 1/2 inches) thick.<br />
Some stress relief please!<br />
The supplied sheets, which come as<br />
plates directly from the rolling mill, must<br />
first be relieved of the inevitable tension<br />
induced by the rolling process. Plates<br />
still under tension are dimensionally<br />
unstable and can therefore not be used<br />
as stock to be shaped in forges and<br />
presses.<br />
Straightening machines that can take<br />
thicknesses up to 3.1 millimetres (just<br />
under 1/8 inch) are used to relieve<br />
stress, but human experience is still<br />
needed when they turn out the work<br />
pieces. Only a trained specialist can determine<br />
whether the sheet steel emerging<br />
from the machine is actually stressfree.<br />
Thicker plates must still be handled<br />
manually. This work is done in the manual<br />
straightening area, where highly experienced<br />
personnel use special tools<br />
to hammer out the tension in the steel<br />
plates on anvils, exactly the same way<br />
it was done when the company was<br />
founded. Automated systems that can<br />
replace the knowledge and expertise<br />
these specialists have are yet to be developed.<br />
Moreover, the same applies to the operators<br />
of the wide variety of grinding<br />
centres. This is where the sheet steel receives<br />
its specified surface finish before<br />
final processing. Some of the grinding<br />
centres operate according to principles<br />
that were borrowed from particleboard<br />
manufacturing systems. The work piece<br />
is shifted back and forth under the compressed<br />
air driven grinder to make it as<br />
smooth as possible. These systems are<br />
amongst those that use the largest volume<br />
of compressed air, which is why<br />
they come with their own top-mounted<br />
air receiver. And when the sheet steel<br />
leaves the grinder, it’s time once again<br />
for the traditional Bergisches Land human<br />
touch. No machine can emulate<br />
the expertise required to simultaneously<br />
clean the grinding oil off the sheets and<br />
examine the quality of the grinding work<br />
using trained eyes and hands.<br />
Compressed air is everywhere<br />
– and economical thanks to<br />
contracting<br />
Whether the application be hardening,<br />
grinding, milling or assembling<br />
– nothing works without compressed<br />
air. That’s why compressed air is at<br />
the heart of all of the action. The new<br />
compressed air station is situated right<br />
beside the hardening shop. Three ASK<br />
47-T <strong>Kaeser</strong> rotary screw compressors<br />
with integrated energy-saving refrigeration<br />
dryers deliver compressed air to the<br />
facility. Because they replaced a number<br />
of old compressors, the capacity of<br />
which no longer met requirements, a<br />
number of critics voiced concerns about<br />
higher powered compressors generating<br />
more noise than the existing ones.<br />
These fears were quickly allayed however<br />
by the super-silent performance<br />
of the <strong>Kaeser</strong> units. In fact, the background<br />
noise from the adjacent factory<br />
workshops is significantly louder than<br />
the almost inaudible compressed air<br />
providers. <strong>Kaeser</strong> Kompressoren owns<br />
and operates the station – which is<br />
controlled by a Sigma Air Manager for<br />
maximum energy efficiency – under the<br />
terms of a Sigma Air Utility contract and<br />
delivers the omnipresent and essential<br />
compressed air as transparently as<br />
possible.<br />
Because the user receives air under the<br />
terms of <strong>Kaeser</strong>’s contracting service,<br />
there are no upfront costs – in this case,<br />
not even for a dedicated building – and<br />
no assets to be booked on the balance<br />
sheet. Better still, the compressed air<br />
costs represent an immediate tax writeoff.<br />
A further advantage is that the user<br />
does not need to allocate valuable resources<br />
for system maintenance and<br />
operation. Last, but not least, it is in the<br />
contracting service provider’s best interests<br />
to ensure that the compressed air<br />
system operates as efficiently and reliably<br />
as possible.<br />
Author: Klaus Dieter Bätz<br />
Contact: klaus-dieter.baetz@kaeser.com<br />
Stress-relieving of thicker plates is<br />
still carried out manually<br />
10 Report 2/12 – www.kaeser.com<br />
Report 2/12 – www.kaeser.com 11
A new <strong>Kaeser</strong> compressed air<br />
station ensures that everything<br />
rolls smoothly at Interroll in<br />
Wermelskirchen<br />
On a<br />
roll<br />
In the spotlight: Bergisches Land, Wermelskirchen –<br />
Compressed air for Interroll<br />
Interroll is one of the world’s leading suppliers of key internal<br />
logistics and automation products for applications in food<br />
processing, airport logistics, postal services and many other<br />
sectors.<br />
Almost everyone comes across Interroll<br />
conveying products on a daily basis,<br />
without even knowing it. Whether you<br />
are placing milk, bread, cheese, sausages<br />
or tomatoes on the belt<br />
at your local grocer’s<br />
checkout counter,<br />
empties<br />
for recycling<br />
on the roller conveyor or your bags on<br />
the belt when checking in at the airport,<br />
the conveyor is most likely made by<br />
Interroll. Internal logistics systems used<br />
to move tools, semi-finished goods and<br />
components from one work station to<br />
another are yet another Interroll specialty.<br />
The company can also offer “that bit<br />
more” when it comes to goods conveying,<br />
as evidenced by the fact that the<br />
drum motors Interroll manufacturers<br />
to drive the conveyor belts have diameters<br />
up to 800 mm (about 30 inches)<br />
and are rated as high as 132 kW (about<br />
100 HP). They start at 113 mm and<br />
0.18 kW respectively. In other words,<br />
Interroll products are not only used to<br />
move small parts, modules and containers<br />
in say the food industry or electronic<br />
goods manufacturing sectors, but also<br />
in the automotive industry. The products<br />
made in Wermelskirchen, Germany,<br />
and Interroll’s other worldwide facilities<br />
are generally classified as “conveyor<br />
belts”.<br />
And just like compressed air systems for<br />
large factories, transportation systems<br />
used in manufacturing can only be effective<br />
and efficient if they are a) individually<br />
tailored to suit the application and<br />
12 Report 2/12 – www.kaeser.com<br />
Report 2/12 – www.kaeser.com 13
) designed, planned, manufactured<br />
and installed as a complete system.<br />
No wonder Interroll relies extensively<br />
on vertical integration with individual<br />
manufacturing facilities specialising in<br />
clearly defined product categories.<br />
For example, the factory in Wermelskirchen,<br />
the small town in the Bergisches<br />
Land region of Germany where<br />
the company was founded, primarily<br />
makes the rollers that are synonymous<br />
with the company’s name, from both<br />
light alloys and plastics. These rollers<br />
are then used in other operations areas<br />
to provide the basis for a whole host of<br />
conveying and transportation solutions.<br />
Manufacturing is largely mechanised<br />
and automated, and the work is done<br />
in bright, spacious, recently renovated<br />
and expanded plants. Sophisticated<br />
machining centres, most of which were<br />
developed in-house and built to the production<br />
engineers’ specifications (as is<br />
almost always the case in such situations)<br />
work quickly to cut, shape and<br />
flange the raw materials.<br />
The cycle of these machines determines<br />
the facility’s compressed air<br />
demand, which is now met by a new<br />
<strong>Kaeser</strong> compressed air station. Four<br />
<strong>Kaeser</strong> rotary screw compressors are<br />
installed in a dedicated building constructed<br />
during the recent modernisation<br />
program. Three ASD 37 (22 kW)<br />
compressors and an ASK 27 (15 kW)<br />
unit deliver air to a TE 141 series energy-saving<br />
refrigeration dryer for treatment<br />
before it enters the compressed<br />
air network via a 2000-litre air receiver.<br />
The Sigma Air Manager 4/4 master<br />
control system ensures that all of the<br />
components within the compressed air<br />
station operate in harmony and deliver<br />
maximum efficiency at all times. Moreover,<br />
the exceptional performance of the<br />
new compressed air system has helped<br />
achieve annual energy cost savings in<br />
the five figure range compared with the<br />
previously installed equipment.<br />
From a humble garage to the<br />
rest of the world<br />
Founded in a garage in Wermelskirchen,<br />
Bergisches Land, Germany, the company,<br />
which now boasts 1,500 employees<br />
and a global network of development,<br />
Interroll products are ubiquitous – although not always<br />
immediately noticeable<br />
manufacturing and sales expertise, is<br />
a world market leader in the materials<br />
handling market. Interroll is listed on<br />
Switzerland’s SIX Swiss Exchange.<br />
What began with the making of small<br />
injection-moulded rollers in the garage<br />
of the company’s founders, Hans<br />
vom Stein and Dieter Specht (who<br />
were 22 and 23 years old respectively<br />
at the time), grew to become a global<br />
enterprise with over 23,000 customers<br />
throughout the world. The company<br />
mainly supplies conveying systems<br />
components to regional systems<br />
manufacturers and OEMs and delivers<br />
modules and subsystems to numerous<br />
international companies. In the internal<br />
logistics arena, Interroll focuses on the<br />
food industry, airport logistics, courier,<br />
express and postal service companies,<br />
logistics service providers, as well as<br />
other industry sectors.<br />
Author: Klaus Dieter Bätz<br />
Contact: klaus-dieter.baetz@kaeser.com
Proper planning<br />
cuts costs<br />
Compressed air for automotive workshops<br />
Inflating tyres, changing wheels, car body work, painting<br />
– without compressed air, an automotive workshop comes<br />
to a standstill. Reason enough to closely examine the compressed<br />
air supply and make sure it meets the shop’s needs.<br />
Compressed air accounts for the lion’s<br />
share of energy costs in any workshop<br />
setting, regardless of how it is generated.<br />
Therefore, in view of continuously<br />
soaring energy prices, compressor<br />
and air treatment system efficiency is a<br />
key consideration, alongside reliability,<br />
when choosing the right compressed<br />
air solution for your needs.<br />
Needless to say, the volume and quality<br />
of the air required are determining<br />
factors for the compressed air supply<br />
system. Rotary screw compressors are<br />
the best choice for applications that require<br />
high quality compressed air; for<br />
example, for painting. If necessary, they<br />
can be operated at full load around the<br />
clock, unlike reciprocating compressors.<br />
And thanks to modern controllers<br />
like the Sigma Control 2, rotary screw<br />
compressors also operate efficiently at<br />
partial load.<br />
However, workshops that require more<br />
sporadic use of smaller volumes of<br />
compressed air, for tasks such as inflating<br />
tyres, changing wheels and car<br />
body work, are better served by stationary<br />
reciprocating compressors such<br />
as <strong>Kaeser</strong> Kompressoren’s Eurocomp<br />
series.<br />
Compressor sizing<br />
Different rules apply when sizing a<br />
rotary screw compressor and a reciprocating<br />
compressor for an identical<br />
compressed air demand. For example,<br />
a <strong>Kaeser</strong> SX 6 rotary screw compressor<br />
with a rated motor power of 4 kW and<br />
a free air delivery of 480 l/min at 10 bar<br />
(optimum duty cycle: 100%) would be<br />
suitable to cover an assumed compressed<br />
air demand of 475 l/min.<br />
If a reciprocating compressor was to<br />
be used, a <strong>Kaeser</strong> EPC 1100-500 with<br />
a rated motor power of 5.5 kW would<br />
be suitable. Due to its optimum duty<br />
cycle of 70% its displacement capacity<br />
of 715 l/min would meet the required<br />
compressed air demand of 475 l/min<br />
(475/0.7 = 678.6).<br />
Compact and ready to use<br />
Complete packages are attractive for<br />
compressed air demands between<br />
300 and just over 1000 l/min. <strong>Kaeser</strong><br />
Aircenter packages, which comprise a<br />
rotary screw compressor, refrigeration<br />
dryer and an air receiver, save significant<br />
effort and expense when it comes<br />
to design, planning and installation.<br />
Because Aircenter packages have an<br />
exceptionally compact footprint, there<br />
is always a niche somewhere on site<br />
where they can generate, treat and<br />
store compressed air. The reciprocating<br />
compressor equivalent of an Aircenter is<br />
the Airbox Center package.<br />
<strong>Kaeser</strong>’s Easy-fit-System is a preassembled<br />
package that combines a rotary<br />
screw compressor, refrigeration<br />
dryer and 150 L to 500 L internally coated<br />
Easy-fit air receiver. All valves are<br />
<strong>Kaeser</strong> offers a wide range<br />
of application-tailored reciprocating<br />
compressors for automotive<br />
workshops<br />
preassembled and leak tested. The<br />
package also includes two precisely<br />
fitting hoses.<br />
Report 2/12 – www.kaeser.com 15
16<br />
Shhhh!<br />
Mobilair 350 provides noise protection for marine mammals<br />
Offshore wind farms play a valuable role in the so-called energy shift.<br />
However construction of the wind turbines, which are over 150 metres tall, can have a serious<br />
impact on sound-sensitive marine wildlife due to the noise associated with pile-driving work for the<br />
foundations. This is where compressed air, and a lot of it, is making a real difference.<br />
Close to 30 German wind farms have<br />
now been approved for construction<br />
and countless others are in the planning<br />
stages. Standard practice in Germany,<br />
unlike other European countries, is to<br />
build the systems far out to sea in re-<br />
Report 2/12 – www.kaeser.com<br />
gions where the water is very deep. This<br />
requires driving steel piles into the seabed<br />
for the foundations. The aim is to<br />
minimise the noise generated during the<br />
construction phase of these offshore<br />
wind farms in order to better protect ma-<br />
rine wildlife, particularly porpoises (harbour<br />
porpoise). Porpoises can hear frequencies<br />
between 1 and 150 kHz and<br />
use ultrasound to navigate.<br />
The sound waves produced by the piledriving<br />
operations for the wind turbine<br />
foundations can disorient the creatures<br />
and permanently damage their hearing.<br />
Up until now, there was no truly effective<br />
noise mitigation method that could<br />
be suitably integrated into this sophisticated<br />
approach to installation, which<br />
is particular to Germany. To obtain construction<br />
approval in other European<br />
countries that have already installed<br />
major wind farms off their coasts, builders<br />
need only use various temporary<br />
measures to keep the marine mammals<br />
Report 2/12 – www.kaeser.com 17
at bay during construction. For example,<br />
buoys equipped with sonar (pingers)<br />
emit acoustic signals prior to installing<br />
foundations and allegedly keep the marine<br />
mammals away. Observers monitor<br />
the construction areas and check the<br />
effectiveness of the buoys.<br />
Sound-protection with bubbling<br />
Since air bubbles reduce the propagation<br />
speed and intensity of sound waves<br />
in water, bubble curtains surrounding<br />
the pile-driving operations can effectively<br />
mitigate noise propagating to the<br />
surrounding area. Weyres-Offshore<br />
technicians onboard a special vessel<br />
place compressed air hoses around the<br />
underwater construction site. <strong>Kaeser</strong><br />
M 350 series portable compressors installed<br />
onboard pump compressed air<br />
into the hoses lying on the seabed. The<br />
compressed air escapes from holes<br />
along the entire length of the hoses, creating<br />
a curtain of air bubbles that forms<br />
an effective acoustic barrier for sound<br />
waves.<br />
The Weyres-Offshore system was tested<br />
for the first time in September 2011<br />
during installation of the met mast for<br />
the North Sea East project. Prepara-<br />
tions are currently underway to construct<br />
48 foundations for this project.<br />
Weyres-Offshore owns two vessels,<br />
Beka-3 and Jestan-5, each equipped<br />
with two 1,100-metre long bubble curtain<br />
hoses. The hoses are pressurised<br />
prior to installation. Four of <strong>Kaeser</strong>`s<br />
new Mobilair 350 portable compressors<br />
are installed aboard each ship<br />
and deliver thirty-four cubic metres of<br />
compressed air per minute at 8.6 bar<br />
gauge to each system. The airend, with<br />
energy-saving Sigma Profile rotors, is<br />
driven via a loss-free direct coupling by<br />
a Mercedes-Benz diesel engine with a<br />
Weyres-Offshore makes the<br />
compressed air hose reels in<br />
Daleiden/Eifel, Germany. The<br />
M350 compressors were installed<br />
on Beka-3 in early summer<br />
(bottom and right)<br />
rated power of 260 kW at 1650 RPM.<br />
This engine also features low carbon<br />
emissions technology and an exhaust<br />
scrubber equipped with an SCR catalytic<br />
converter, which means that it is already<br />
compliant with the COM 3B emission<br />
standard.<br />
The bubble curtain can be activated as<br />
soon as the gigantic self-elevating working<br />
platform known as a jackup vessel<br />
is firmly standing on its movable legs,<br />
which on modern rigs can reach down<br />
to the seabed up to seventy-five metres<br />
below. After the pile-driving operations<br />
have been completed, the equipment<br />
can be hauled back into the vessel without<br />
disrupting any of the wind farm’s<br />
other construction operations.<br />
Prepared by: Weyres-Offshore/<br />
Klaus Dieter Bätz<br />
Contact: Klaus-Dieter.Baetz@<strong>Kaeser</strong>.com<br />
10 18 Report 2/12 – www.kaeser.com<br />
Report 2/12 – www.kaeser.com 11 19
High-tech tubing<br />
Compressed air and vacuum at Uniwell<br />
Uniwell Rohrsysteme GmbH &<br />
Co. KG develops and manufactures<br />
high-quality cable<br />
protection and fluid handling<br />
systems for the automotive<br />
industry and the mechanical<br />
OEM and plant engineering<br />
sector.<br />
Just north of the former Lower Franconian<br />
county town of Ebern, in a rural<br />
setting on the eastern border of the<br />
Haßberge region, lies a spick-and-span<br />
industrial operation which at first glance<br />
seems as unassuming as its products.<br />
The latter, although largely invisible, can<br />
be found in anything to do with cars and<br />
in many household appliances, from the<br />
washing machine to the coffee machine.<br />
And even when you can see them, for<br />
instance hand-held shower hoses or the<br />
lines to the wash basin tap, it’s hard to<br />
believe the sophisticated manufacturing<br />
technology that is embedded in these<br />
products.<br />
One look inside the Uniwell facility is<br />
enough to convince anyone - the variety<br />
of multi-faceted products that can be<br />
created, almost like magic, from thermoplastics<br />
is simply amazing.<br />
That the cable protection and fluid handling<br />
systems cover a vast number of<br />
applications is reflected in their shape<br />
and design. It would be impossible to<br />
make them without an equally diverse<br />
array of custom-designed production<br />
processes. The latter have one thing in<br />
common though – they require a lot of<br />
air and vacuum.<br />
The lion’s share of the compressed<br />
air literally flows “into the tube”, which<br />
would not even exist without the supporting<br />
effect of compressed air. In simple<br />
terms, the air presses the walls of<br />
the more or less endless hollow body<br />
that emerges from the extruder nozzle<br />
against the contour of the tool, thus<br />
creating the desired shape. Where it<br />
becomes really interesting is wherever<br />
the tubes or hoses require complex multiple<br />
layers, reinforced walls, enormous<br />
electrical insulation capabilities or noncircular<br />
cross-sections.<br />
All the products are subject to the strictest<br />
quality specifications, from stability<br />
under load and the ability to maintain<br />
their shape, right down to the durability<br />
of the labelling.<br />
The input material for all products ranges<br />
from extrudable polymer granulates<br />
to high-temperature materials. In order<br />
to meet more stringent material specifications<br />
related to UV stability, fire protection<br />
and electrical insulation characteristics<br />
(e-/hybrid cars), as well as to<br />
improve environmental properties, Uniwell<br />
constantly develops new recipes<br />
that are subjected to rigorous testing.<br />
A new compressed air station, recently<br />
installed during a major expansion<br />
of the manufacturing facility, includes<br />
three <strong>Kaeser</strong> rotary/vacuum blowers<br />
that work tirelessly to reliably convey<br />
the granulate to the extrusion systems.<br />
The raw material, driven by vacuum,<br />
flows into the respective extruder line<br />
reservoirs, where compressed air mixes<br />
it one more time to ensure that it flows<br />
as evenly as possible during production.<br />
Compressed air and vacuum<br />
from two combination stations<br />
The rapid growth of the company,<br />
which was founded in 1990, is clearly<br />
evident from the various construction<br />
phases in the manufacturing and storage<br />
halls – plus the fact that a second<br />
compressed air station, complete with<br />
vacuum systems, had to be added to<br />
upgrade the production facility’s existing<br />
compressed air system. In the new station,<br />
three <strong>Kaeser</strong> ASD 47 rotary screw<br />
compressors deliver compressed air to<br />
two energy-saving TE 141 refrigeration<br />
dryers for treatment before it is temporarily<br />
stored in a 2000-litre air receiver.<br />
Three <strong>Kaeser</strong> BB68c vacuum blowers<br />
generate the vacuum required to convey<br />
the granulate. Jens-Peter Saße is<br />
responsible for operating supplies and<br />
plant construction at the site. An experienced<br />
compressed air specialist, he<br />
is much more satisfied with the performance<br />
of these machines than with the<br />
one in the first “hybrid compressed air/<br />
vacuum station”, a somewhat long-inthe-tooth<br />
side channel blower whose<br />
operating noise is unmistakable. In contrast,<br />
the <strong>Kaeser</strong> rotary screw compressors<br />
operating in the same room hardly<br />
make a sound – not even the veteran<br />
CS 76, which continues to be tied into<br />
the “team” via the Sigma Air Manager<br />
and was installed when the factory first<br />
opened. Its year of manufacture, 1992,<br />
can be deciphered from the nameplate,<br />
and the number on its operating hours<br />
counter passed the 50,000 mark quite<br />
some time ago. It was initially the sole<br />
source of compressed air for the first<br />
production hall. Nowadays its workload<br />
is shared by two additional <strong>Kaeser</strong> BSD<br />
72 rotary screw compressors, whilst two<br />
TD 51 refrigeration dryers are responsible<br />
for treating the air.<br />
After touring Uniwell’s manufacturing facilities,<br />
you view the many inconspicuous<br />
parts used in cars and mechanical<br />
equipment, not to mention things we<br />
use daily, through different eyes. And<br />
you can’t help knowing a little bit more<br />
about how much development work and<br />
high-tech manufacturing goes into “simple”<br />
hoses, pipes and tubing.<br />
Author: Klaus Dieter Bätz<br />
Contact: klaus-dieter.baetz@kaeser.com
eport – News<br />
Permanently reliable compressed air quality<br />
DHS air main charging system<br />
Compressed air dryers and filters are<br />
designed to accommodate the flow<br />
velocities in the compressed air system<br />
at load. After the system has been<br />
shut down for a while, there is little resistance<br />
from air main pressure when<br />
the compressors are restarted. The<br />
compressed air flow velocity may then<br />
be higher than the design rating of the<br />
filters and dryers. <strong>Kaeser</strong>’s new DHS<br />
series air main charging systems prevent<br />
loss of pressure and are therefore<br />
essential in order to reliably maintain<br />
Compressed air ahoy<br />
specified compressed air quality.<br />
They ensure that the air<br />
treatment components<br />
operate at optimum performance<br />
at start-up following air system<br />
shut down.<br />
One of two operating modes can be selected:<br />
1. for stations with several treatment<br />
lines and 2. for systems with only<br />
one treatment line.<br />
The integrated electronic control unit is<br />
designed to communicate with master<br />
control systems. A high visibility LED<br />
<strong>Kaeser</strong> Kompressoren to attend SMM 2012, the 25th international shipbuilding trade fair.<br />
The prestigious international SMM trade<br />
fair (Shipbuilding, Machinery & Marine<br />
Technology) was held from the 4th –<br />
7th of September 2012 in Hamburg,<br />
Germany. <strong>Kaeser</strong> Kompressoren was<br />
amongst the many exhibitors and was<br />
showcasing its wide range of products<br />
designed specifically for use on oceangoing<br />
vessels.<br />
Whatever the purpose, service air or<br />
compressed air for special applications<br />
such as nitrogen generation, there is<br />
always lots to do for compressors installed<br />
on ships. Reliability is of course<br />
a key feature of <strong>Kaeser</strong>’s marine compressors<br />
which are also certified by all<br />
marine industry authorities. In addition<br />
to reliability, the need for optimised energy<br />
efficiency is becoming increasingly<br />
important, especially in view of continuously<br />
rising diesel fuel prices. <strong>Kaeser</strong>’s<br />
marine-duty DSD, DSDX, ESD and<br />
HSD series rotary screw compressors<br />
meet all of these requirements and<br />
more.<br />
<strong>Kaeser</strong> Kompressoren also has specially<br />
adapted rotary blowers in its marine<br />
product portfolio, which can be used,<br />
for example, to supply air to wastewater<br />
treatment systems onboard cruise<br />
ships. Rotary blowers are also used in<br />
anti-heeling systems that serve to maintain<br />
trim during loading and unloading.<br />
displays operational status and potential<br />
alarm indications.<br />
The control algorithm developed by<br />
<strong>Kaeser</strong> Kompressoren gradually opens<br />
and closes the system using pulsewidth<br />
modulation and thereby suppresses<br />
pulsation in the compressed air<br />
distribution network.<br />
Britain’s coastline<br />
Photographer Michael Marten has been travelling along Britain’s coastline since 2003 to take<br />
pictures from the same spot at high and low tide at intervals of sixteen to eighteen hours.<br />
The photos show how the cliffs along the coastline, sandy beaches and industrial estuaries<br />
have evolved under the influence of time. His photo essay “Sea Change” is well worth a<br />
look: fifty-three pairs of photos document the changing tides on a clockwise journey around<br />
the island.<br />
Michael Marten, Robert Macfarlane: Sea Change<br />
Hardcover, 30 x 24.5 cm, 126 pages, 115 colour photos<br />
Kehrer Verlag, Heidelberg, EUR 40.00<br />
New: Mobilair M 31 with PE enclosure<br />
Versatile compressed air powerhouse<br />
Lightweight , powerful and efficient: The new Mobilair 31 (M 31) portable compressor.<br />
A true powerhouse hides beneath the<br />
M 31’s scratch and corrosion resistant<br />
rotomolded polyethylene sound enclosure.<br />
Directly driven by a water-cooled<br />
Kubota turbo-diesel engine, the rotary<br />
screw compressor airend, with its energy-saving<br />
Sigma Profile rotors, delivers<br />
3.15 m³/min of air at 7 bar – more than<br />
enough to operate two twenty-kilogram<br />
breakers or other tools, such as pneumatic<br />
chisels, spaders, impact moles<br />
or sandblasting equipment. 7, 10, 12<br />
and 14 bar versions of this easy to manoeuvre<br />
compressor are also available<br />
to meet a wide range of requirements.<br />
The options don’t stop there however:<br />
The Mobilair 31 can be equipped with<br />
an integrated aftercooler and centrifugal<br />
separator to provide a dependable supply<br />
of cool dry air and even a 6.5 kVA<br />
generator if required.<br />
There are no worries when it comes to<br />
those cold morning starts either: Fitted<br />
as standard, <strong>Kaeser</strong>’s patented Anti<br />
Frost Control protects air tools from<br />
potential damage caused by freezing<br />
and corrosion.<br />
In addition, the wide-opening soundproof<br />
enclosure allows quick and easy<br />
access to all maintenance points.<br />
A stationary version of the versatile<br />
M 31 with a sheet steel enclosure is<br />
also available for specialised applications<br />
and can be easily installed, for example,<br />
on the cargo bed of a truck.<br />
Report 2/12 – www.kaeser.com 23
KAESER KOMPRESSOREN AG<br />
P.O. Box 21 43 – 96410 Coburg – GERMANY<br />
Tel.: +49 9561 640-0 – Fax: +49 9561 640130<br />
www.kaeser.com – e-mail: productinfo@kaeser.com<br />
MOBILAIR 31<br />
Versatile compressed air power for construction sites<br />
Compressed air quality<br />
You choose, depending on your application:<br />
Use the standard patented Anti-Frost-<br />
Control to prevent freezing or the optional<br />
compressed air treatment package to provide<br />
a dependable supply of cool – or reheated –<br />
dry, compressed air.<br />
Compact power plant<br />
An optional on-board brushless 6.5 kVA<br />
synchronous generator turns the M 31 into<br />
the perfect construction site power plant.<br />
Compressed air and electricity are supplied<br />
in parallel.<br />
Powerful and efficient<br />
A powerful energy-saving team comprising<br />
a durable Kubota diesel engine and a<br />
KAESER rotary screw compressor airend<br />
delivers 3.15 m 3 /min at 7 bar. 10, 12 and<br />
14 bar versions are also available.<br />
Compact. Powerful. Versatile.<br />
www.kaeser.com<br />
Elegant and tough<br />
The advanced double-walled soundproof<br />
enclosure made of no-corrosion, rotomolded<br />
polyethylene is impact-resistant, scratchproof<br />
and durable. The wide-opening sound<br />
enclosure ensures excellent component<br />
accessibility.<br />
Classic styles<br />
A stationary version with a slim zinc<br />
phosphate, powder-paint-coated steel<br />
enclosure is also available. Its operating panel<br />
is positioned lower down on the unit, making it<br />
easier to use from a truck cargo bed.