Going to extremes
The Dakar Rally is one of the world’s toughest off-road endurance races. Stage after stage competitors speed over mountain, valley, desert and coastline routes to win the coveted trophy.
The most reliable choice
When Hyundai Motor in Piracicaba, Brazil, wanted to find a highly reliable and energy efficient compressed air solution they turned to Atlas Copco. By installing four flexible Variable Speed Drive (VSD) screw compressors, Hyundai managed to improve their performance and production volume.
Replacing inefficient compressors
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 strong blow-off noise was observed around the utility area. It was a nuisance and a waste of money. We contacted Atlas Copco to help us understand how we could improve the energy efficiency in our compressed air equipment, and that’s how it all began,” says Cesar Henrique dos Santos, Facilities and Utilities Senior Manager at the Hyundai plant. 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.
“Atlas Copco don’t just sell the machines, they deliver a complete solution, including training and constantly analyze the performance and maintenance needs together with our engineering department. These factors are the most important to us because they ensure reliability,” says Cesar Henrique dos Santos.
