ZS Oil-Free Screw Blower for Pasta conveying

Barilla Hellas is a family-owned Italian food company present in over 100 countries. This company is a world leader in the markets of pasta and ready-to-use sauces in Europe. The company values and prioritizes sustainability as it aims to improve the efficiency of production, “reduce the environmental impact in terms of CO2 emissions and water consumption and promote farming and livestock breeding practices with a lower impact for all our supply chains”

Atlas Copco’s oil-free screw blower can help Barilla Hellas to produce their finest quality pasta to consumers efficiently. Barilla Hellas commissioned Buhler for pneumatic conveying of the flour. Barilla uses four-lobe blowers provided by Buhler which resulted in more energy consumed, increased noise levels, and outdated technology as it is a 15-year-old installation. In comparison to lobe blowers, the oil-free screw blower reduces energy costs by 35-40%. Further costs can be saved if used “variable frequency drive (VSD) technology.” The question can be raised, “how exactly can Atlas Copco reduce the energy costs?” This can be done easily by conducting an energy audit, which will test the energy consumption and air compressors and based on that Atlas Copco will provide specifics on how much energy costs will reduce. Our compressed air stimulation will present potential optimization of energy savings on a yearly basis. This could also mean that the payback period will be shorter (potentially less than two years). Thus, this is a safe, efficient and sustainable investment. Atlas Copco offers a much more efficient solution in terms of costs and energy consumption, and protection of delicate bulk goods from any sort of damage and segregation of blended materials. Opting for a ZS screw blower will result in a payback of your investment because a design like the VSD technology of the ZS can maximize energy savings and uptime of the production process. Additionally, because the VSD compressor is smaller, it produces less carbon dioxide emissions which contribute towards a positive environmental impact, which Barilla values. Screw blowers, specifically, the oil-free screw blower offered by Atlas Copco have a variety of different applications such as wastewater treatment, pneumatic conveying, fermentation, etc.

Pneumatic conveying is an efficient way to transport goods/materials. If the material requirements are known, there will be a guaranteed product quality that will avoid blockages and avoid any risk of combustion. In the case of Barilla Hallas, which produces pasta and thus requires flour as one of the key ingredients to produce the product, a pneumatic conveying will be useful/ efficient in unloading the flour or moving it around production and process facilities.

Hoffmann Mineral also favors the ZS screw blower. Hoffmann Mineral, a German mining company, relies on the Atlas Copco ZS 132 because it provides clean, efficient oil-free air for pneumatic conveying and air separation. This company required 5000 standard cubic meters of oil-free compressed air per hour with a pressure of 0.8 bar at a defined temperature. Atlas Copco offered the ZS 132 screw blower as a solution as it provides the specific regulation required for the process.

Furthermore, the ZS screw blower is the first to receive ISO 8573-1 CLASS 0 (2010) in the industry standard of air purity. Meaning, with Atlas Copco, there are no risks of contamination or damage/unsafe products. Rest assured, with Atlas Copco, there is, therefore, no risk of jeopardizing your company’s respected reputation and quality products. There are factors such as safety as well that need to be considered. For example, pneumatic conveying involves dust as hazardous in the working environment as that could be explosive. In order to ensure safety, dust mustn't be in the working environment (note: not every type of dust is dangerous), or if there is, a customized solution could be built that ensures an efficient solution. Choosing the right equipment is also important as that contributes toward safety so that there are no risks of explosions. Especially, given the fact that flour is a flammable material when moved in bulk, there is a risk that it could combust. However, if the right equipment for pneumatic conveying is chosen, which includes the physical safety of the production /processing facility as well as the issue of food safety, then there is the elimination of risks. Additionally, quality standards must be maintained to the utmost level. Thus, wheat flour needs to be transported at a temperature not exceeding 40°C. Anything above could trigger an explosion or diminish the quality of the flour. Given the safety factors, oil-free blowers serve as an advantage in terms of making sure that there is no oil contamination of the product, which further reduces risks. Knowing that Atlas’s ZS screw blowers are class zero certified, customers can be “stress-free”.