Energy economy

To increase reliability and achieve energy savings throughout its manufacturing processes, Ricoh UK Products replaced an oil-free compressor at its Telford plant with the latest Atlas Copco variable speed drive version, complete with heatregenerative dryer unit. The result was a 25% cut in power consumption.

This is attributed to the ability of the ZRVSD compressor to match output to fluctuating production demand and to the reduced requirement for off-load running of the existing Atlas Copco fixed-speed ZR6 compressor. Other factors are a reduction in start-up and load-up current and the ability to decrease the level of compressed air pressure throughout the site.