Horticultural firm goes greener

Glinwell, based in Smallford, St Albans, grows and packages salads such as tomatoes and peppers for a leading supermarket and recently installed an upgraded packaging line, initially served by a compressed air system comprising two 11kW compressors, a separate dryer and a 200L receiver. The line has a high pressure ram that requires a 13bar air supply. This was found to exceed the capacity of the existing compressor installation.

As a result, Glinwell replaced the compressor system with an Atlas Copco GA 15 FF VSD+ that meets the higher pressure demand, boosts energy efficiency and helps to minimise the company’s carbon footprint.

The rotary screw compressor is powered by the company’s own in-house designed interior permanent magnet (iPM) motor and has a vertical, low footprint layout, designed to save floor and work space while improving maintenance access, even when the unit is placed against a wall. 

Atlas Copco’s GA Variable Speed Drive plus (VSD+) technology automatically adjusts the compressor’s motor speed to match the air supply to the air demand and, right from the start, the new design is said to offer exceptional energy savings. VSD operation combined with the iPM permanent magnet motor, and a more efficient fan motor is said to result in an average energy saving of 50% and an average reduction of 37% in the lifecycle cost of a conventional fixed-speed compressor. Due to the silent motor and fully-enclosed drive train, the compressor runs as quietly as 62dB(A).