Compressed air as a utility

Energy outsourcing provides significant advantagesCompressed air as a utilityGerresheimer Group’s Essen factory sources the compressed air that is so essential to itsglass production process from energy provider Mark-E under the terms of a tailored outsourcingcontract – to the complete satisfaction of both parties.Gerresheimer is a leading internationalmanufacturer of specialty highqualityglass and plastics products forthe global pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. With forty-five locationsthroughtout Europe, North and SouthAmerica and Asia, the corporation generatessales of around one billion Euroand employs approximately 10,000 peopleworldwide.From the 280 tonnes of glass currentlyproduced daily, the Essen glassworks,founded in Steele, Germany in 1723,produces glass containers for the pharmaceutical,spirits and cosmetics industries.Almost 400 employees areinvolved in forming approximately threemillion bottles per day on nine productionlines from the plant’s molten glass.Their job is to ensure that the productsare made to the highest quality, hygieneand process reliability standards, and toguarantee that their customers’ needsare met to complete satisfaction. Theproduction facility’s considerable energyand resource requirements consistmainly of electricity and gas for theglass melt, electricity for compressedair and water for cooling circuit purificationand treatment. Compressed airis needed for control and work air forthe production, testing and packagingmachines, as well as for glass cooling.Gerresheimer’s Essen plant startedsourcing its compressed air from utilityprovider Mark-E Aktiengesellschaftabout a year ago.Buying only compressed airPrior to modernisation of the compressedair supply system, the situationwas less than satisfactory explainsGerresheimer Essen’s managing director,Stephan Arnold: “The compressedFrom raw material to finished goods:glass container production reliesmainly on compressed airReport 1/12 – www.kaeser.com 15

Upgrading the compressed air supply system on the basis of a contract hasdefinitely been worthwhile.air supply equipment had become outdated.Moreover, maintenance, repairsand high energy consumption led tospiralling costs. One of our key goals,therefore, was to achieve meaningfulcost savings through significantlyimproved energy efficiency. Followingdetailed analysis of the facility’s compressedair situation, the company notonly decided to completely upgrade thecompressed air system itself, but alsochose to outsource its operation.” SaysStephan Arnold: “The new compressedair supply system provides many advantagesfor Gerresheimer. The hugeimprovement in energy efficiency andvastly better compressed air quality areparticularly worth mentioning. There isnow much less oil and moisture in thecompressed air. We’ve improved uptime,are installing standby systems andare feeding excess air from the highpressure to the low pressure network,which prevents a pressure drop in thefour-bar distribution system. The newcompressors are air-cooled, which cutsthe volume of cooling-water needed byabout half. Furthermore, GerresheimerEssen incurs no capital costs; neitherfor construction nor for maintenanceand repairs. The associated expensesare part of the contract with Mark-E andare billed monthly. Continuous measurementand analysis provide furtheradded value and allow rapid responseto potential deviations from operationalparameters. Better yet, none of our personnelare required to operate the systemand the old heating installation hasbeen completely replaced by a heat recoverysystem that utilises 1,400 kW ofrecyclable exhaust heat from the compressors.”One-stop-shop: Mark-EMark-E Aktiengesellschaft is part ofENERVIE – Südwestfalen Energie undWasser AG, a German utility that suppliesheat, electricity, gas and domesticwater to approximately 1,200 industrialclients and 600,000 private homes andbusinesses. The company’s portfolioincludes both modern contracting solutionsand transregional marketing ofproducts and services via the Internet.With a tradition dating back 100 years,Mark-E is one of North Rhine Westphalia’smajor energy suppliers.Every aspect of Mark-E’s price to performanceratio is impressive:• Best possible supply reliability• Compressed air volumes of 185 millionm³ (4 bar) and 40 million m³(6 bar)• Guaranteed specific performance• Integrated solution includes construction,facility installation and provisionof transformer and supply lines.Mark-E built the new compressed airstation, consisting of floor slab, steeland building enclosure, 10 kV transformersubstations, piping and ventilationin only fifteen weeks. The companythen brought in the compressors, connectedthem, installed refrigeration dryersand filtration systems, as well as themaster compressed air control systemthat manages the machines. It took upto thirty workers on-site simultaneouslyto bring in the components, some ofwhich weigh up to 7.5-tonnes. The glasswork’s new compressed air systemcomprises two separate stations: Thesix-bar working pressure station consistsof four Kaeser rotary screw compressors(one each of type ESD 361,ESD 441, DSDX 302 and DS 172) andthree TI 751 energy-saving refrigerationdryers. Eight Kaeser rotary screwcompressors supply the four-bar controlair. The setup consists of seven typeFSD 571 rotary screw compressorsand one ESD 301. Eight type TI 751energy-saving refrigeration dryers arealso installed for air treatment. The newdouble station compressed air supplysystem went into service on June 1,2010, and has reduced GerresheimerEssen’s energy needs by approximatelytwenty-one percent and CO 2emissionsby about 3,100 tonnes annually.Author: Klaus Dieter BätzContact: klaus-dieter.baetz@kaeser.com