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FAQ / Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions

What is being announced on March 8, 2010?

Atlas Copco is announcing the introduction of a complete range of energy efficient screw type blowers. Since Atlas Copco introduced the ZS screw type air blower in 2008, the company has focused on optimising and extending the range even further. By using screw type blowers instead of the widely used ‘Roots’ type rotary lobe blowers, customers can reduce energy consumption of their air blowing application by up to 30 per cent.
 
After the positive feedback following the introduction of the ZS in 2008 and the results of the TÜV test, Atlas Copco has decided to withdraw its ZL lobe technology blower range. The manufacturer believes the traditional ‘Roots’ type rotary lobe blower is no longer suitable in today’s low carbon economy.

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How old is lobe technology?

The Roots brothers discovered the principle of the positive displacement blower in 1854. Small developments to reduce pulsation noise and vibrations were implemented when tri-lobe technology was introduced. Over time, only minor efficiency improvements have been made.

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What do we mean with screw type blower technology?

Atlas Copco refers to technology as the core compression component of an air compressor or blower such as piston, lobe, screw, scroll, centrifugal, tooth or vain. At the heart of a screw type blower is a screw compression element, consisting of a male and female rotor contained within a housing. Screw type technology should not be confused with twisted lobe technology, sometimes offered by other manufacturers.

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Is the screw compression element by itself responsible for reducing energy consumption by up to 30 per cent compared to a ‘Roots’ type rotary lobe blower?

The screw compression element has a big impact on energy-efficiency but is not solely responsible for the total amount of energy savings. Atlas Copco also includes a direct drive integrated gearbox instead of a belt/pulley system to reduce transmission losses. Furthermore, by using its experience in integrated components design, it is able to produce a complete blower package with minimal pressure drops across the air circuit. The combination of all these elements, which are all fully optimised and specifically designed for its use, result in a reduced energy consumption of up to 30 per cent.

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For what industries, sectors and applications can screw type blowers be used?

Screw type blowers will have an impact on a wide variety of segments and industries that rely on low pressure air blowing applications operating within a pressure range between 0.3 and 1 bar. Some specific industries/segments and corresponding types of applications that will benefit from screw type blowers are:

Industry/SectorApplication
Municipal wastewater treatmentAeration System
Industrial wastewater treatmentAeration System
Power generation (coal-fired)Flue Gas Desulphurization
ChemicalsPneumatic Conveying
PharmaceuticalsPneumatic Conveying, fermentation
Food & BeveragePneumatic Conveying, drying
Non-woven textilesSpunbond Meltblown Spunbond (SMS)
Pulp & PaperProcess Air
CementPneumatic Conveying, Silo Fluidization
MiningPneumatic Conveying

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How much money can a customer typically save by using screw type blowers?

For this example we will use a typical municipal wastewater treatment plant that replaces lobe type blowers with screw type blowers and has a population equivalent to 100,000. Population equivalent expresses the strength of organic material in wastewater.
 
Such a plant normally has four working blowers and one additional blower on standby. A lobe type blower uses 75 kilowatt per hour (kWh). With four working blowers this adds up to 300 kWh. The typical running time of a municipal wastewater treatment plant is 8,000 hours. When we set the price of one kWh on a realistic 0.07 € this creates the following calculation:
 
300kWh * 8,000 hrs * € 0.07 = € 168,000
 
Typical energy savings with a ZS are up to 30 per cent compared to a lobe type blower. This means a ZS uses 52.5 kWh. With four working blowers this adds up to 210 kWh and creates the following calculation:
 
210kWh * 8,000 hrs * € 0.07 = € 117,600
 
In this example the cost savings on energy consumption for one year, just by replacing lobe type blowers with ZS blowers, amounts to € 50,400.

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Besides energy-efficiency, are there any other benefits that screw type blowers offer to customers?

Atlas Copco has over 50 years of experience with screw technology that complies with the requirements of ISO 9001 standard. Over time, the technology has been proven to be reliable. Industry proven element coating creates closer tolerances and increased lifetime with bearings that are designed for continuous operation. With the ZS+ VSD, customers can also benefit from cost savings on installation, as this blower comes as a complete plug-and-run unit with an integrated controller.

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What impact will this announcement have on the partnership between Atlas Copco and ITT when it comes to the approach of municipal wastewater treatment plants?

The partnership between Atlas Copco and ITT focuses on energy saving solutions for the municipal wastewater treatment customers. They can now benefit from a complete range of Atlas Copco’s energy-efficient blowers as well as ITT’s expertise and product offering for the most energy efficient aeration system. This announcement is therefore a positive development for the municipal wastewater treatment customers.

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