Most contractors or end-users within the water and wastewater treatment industry typically use the conventional 'tri-lobe' roots blowers for large volume, low pressure air requirements below 1 bar(g). However in the Middle East, the high ambient temperatures coupled with the very basic scope of a conventional 'tri-lobe' blower, which relies on splash lubrication, can cause huge problems, which may lead to frequent maintenance interventions or even worse, a complete failure of the blower. To cater to the requirements of the region's water and wastewater industry, Atlas Copco has recently launched the new ZS screw blower range, which is TÜV certified as 100% oil-free (ISO 8573-1 CLASS 0) in the Middle East.
In general, oil-free screw compressors are relied upon in the industry for medium pressure compressed air for critical applications. The key design features of ZS range include a direct drive without belts and an onboard forced lubrication system for gears and bearing which the company ensures a lower operating temperature within the blower, and thus assures blower reliability and efficiency in hot climates such as the Middle East. The company has further claimed that the ZS oil-free screw blowers are capable of operating uninterrupted with an ambient temperature up to 55°C.
Unlike a conventional tri-lobe blower which relies on external compression, screw blowers compress air internally, which leads to much lower energy consumption. Atlas Copco claims that the ZS screw blower range provides average energy savings of up to 30% compared to their tri-lobe predecessors. The performance of the new ZS screw blower was tested against a tri-lobe blower by the independent Technische Überwachungs-Verein (German Technical Monitoring Association, or TÜV), according to the international standard ISO 1217, edition 4. As per TÜV test results, the ZS is 23.8% more energy-efficient than a tri-lobe blower at 0.5 bar(e)/7psig, and 39.7% at 0.9 bar(e)/13 psig.
ZS+ blowers come equipped with as standard an onboard variable speed drive (VSD), complete instrumentation and 'Elektronikon' blower controller, which allows operation in both local and remote modes and permits remote monitoring of critical blower parameters, which Atlas Copco claims is a new proposition for the water and wastewater industry.
Al Moubayed, Regional Business Line Manager at Atlas Copco Services Middle East, said: "We strongly believe that screw blowers will revolutionise the market for low pressure compressed air. In the UAE, Atlas Copco has recently opened a new customer centre in Al-Quoz, Dubai to better cater to the requirements of our customers." For more information, visit www.efficiencyblowers.com.
© H2O 2012
