Two million per day: PET bottle production at the highest level
Vöslauer Mineralwasser AG, the market leader for mineral water in Austria, has modernised compressed air generation for the production of PET bottles and commissioned system provider CompAir to replace two existing 40 bar compressors with an energy efficient machine from Belliss & Morcom.
The foothills of the Alps, south west of Vienna, have been known for their mineral-rich springs for 2000 years. The Romans constructed thermal spas there and for decades, Franz Joseph I., ruler of the Habsburg Monarchy from 1848 to 1916, spent the summer in the spa town of Baden, just 25 km from his Hofburg palace.
An environmentally friendly and energy conscious company
In the neighbouring town of Bad Vöslau, there is a spring which provides water to (almost) half of Austria, as Vöslauer Mineralwasser AG, which has its headquarters there, is Austria's largest mineral water producer, with a market share of over 41%. The company, which is part of Ottakringer Getränke AG, has around 180 employees and fills up to two million PET bottles a day; in total, this amounts to an annual production of over 3 million hectolitres. The mineral water originates from an artesian spring from a depth of around 660 meters and has an exceptionally well-balanced mineral content.
As a drinks manufacturer that fills and processes a natural product, the managers at Vöslauer Mineralwasser AG have a vested interest in protecting the environment and this attitude is embodied across the entire company. This is demonstrated, for example, in the certification of the energy management system according to EN 50001. Engineer Walter Goisser, Technical Manager of the Vöslauer Mineralwasser AG: "We systematically record energy consumption throughout the entire production process and have set ourselves clear goals for energy saving."
Objective: Energy-efficient 40 bar compressor station
The medium-term aim is clear, as Vöslauer is a member of the klima:aktiv pact 2020, the climate protection initiative of the Austrian Ministry of Life, an alliance of companies who want to use 100% "green" electricity and reduce their energy consumption by 20% by 2020.
The improvement in energy efficiency was also a key reason for modernising the compressed air production for PET bottles. The supplied thumb-sized preforms are "inflated" to the required size with a pressure surge of 40 bar. For this task, Vöslauer uses several high-speed blow-moulding machines, which require a large amount of compressed air. In recent years, they have already managed to reduce their compressed air requirement by around 25% to 5000 m3/h by procuring new machines.
A renowned compressor manufacturer
To date, the blow air was created by five oil-free piston compressors. When the two oldest were ready to be replaced by a new compressor, the plant engineers at the mineral water company asked the manufacturers of filling machines which compressor manufacturer they recommended. Their answer was: Belliss & Morcom. This company, which also belongs to the Gardner Denver Group just like CompAir, has been developing and producing high-quality piston compressors for industrial use since 1852 and has been producing a range which was specially developed for PET production for over 25 years.
For the required amount of compressed air, the CompAir engineers recommended a three-stage WH 29 H3N (image 1), whose three double-acting cylinders are arranged in W-format (image 2). This design, along with the low speed, is an important prerequisite for quiet, low vibration operation. As a result, the compressors do not require a special foundation. Equally as important is the high-precision manufacture of all components, especially pistons and cylinders, which do not need an oil film and, for efficiency reasons, still ensure a low-friction up and down motion with excellent seal effect.
