Kitchen maker saves money with BOGE compressor
March 24, 2017
By upgrading its compressed air system with BOGE variable speed drive technology, a leading kitchen manufacturer in north west England is saving £6,500 a year. It has also dramatically extended the intervals between compressor overhauls, cutting costs and avoiding interruptions to its manufacturing operation.
The customer previously ran two fixed-speed 22kW compressors to serve its 24/7 manufacturing operation. This equipment had only been operating for 3.5 years and already needed major maintenance because the manufacturer recommended overhauls (changing the bearings in the airend and motor) after just 24,000 hours. The compressors also required servicing four times a year (since service intervals were just 2,000 hours). This was proving expensive and disruptive to the manufacturing operation.
On top of this, because they were fixed speed, the compressors were operating with high offload running hours. Dean Urmston, of BOGE platinum partner Airflow Compressors, explained: “Offload running meant the machines continued to run when they weren’t needed, but didn’t produce any air, so they were wasting energy (and therefore money), and producing unnecessary carbon emissions.”
The customer wanted a more practical, industrial unit that would also save it money. Airflow Compressors data logged the system and identified that a BOGE C30FD screw compressor was the ideal solution.
Mr Urmston said: “The data loggers record the performance of the system – air and power consumption – twice a second. We can then simulate the system to work out which is the best energy saving combination and the return on the investment.”
The company also signed up to BOGE’s five-year maintenance plan on the new system to strengthen its after-sales service and support. This is linked to a ‘no-quibble warranty’ for the full five years, with the option of extending the warranty to 10 years.
The space-saving BOGE C30FD screw compressor is designed for long-term-performance. It offers optimised output volumes with minimal energy consumption, is whisper-quiet, and the frequency inverter on the compressor matches energy consumption to compressed air demand, which makes it extremely cost-effective to run.
Mr Urmston added: “The variable-speed drive BOGE system operates on a transducer rather than a pressure band. It’s a bit like a car in cruise control – it will speed up and slow down to match demand.”
The BOGE C30FD only requires servicing at 3,000-hour intervals and only requires overhauling at 42,000 hours, leading to further savings.
The customer has been so impressed by the build quality, savings and durability of the BOGE compressor that it has bought two more for its other factories in the United Kingdom.