When Polestar was confronted with the need to make major repairs to one of its three existing fixed speed vacuum pumps at its £100 million purpose-built Sheffield Gravure plant, it made sense to re-assess their combined operation to establish the potential savings that could be made by installing a more energy-efficient replacement.
Recognising the clear synergies between compressed air and vacuum in the field of air movement, it was a logical move by Polestar Sheffield to seek the recommendations of Halifax-based Atlas Copco Compressors distributor Pennine Pneumatic Services (PPS) for the optimum solution to their vacuum needs.
As a result, a GHS900 VSD+, one of Atlas Copco's new generation of intelligent, oil-sealed, plug-and-play rotary screw vacuum pumps, was installed on a trial basis to show how it could deliver peak performance at the required operating pressure, and help achieve substantial energy savings.
Of the three existing units, the two smaller fixed speed vacuum pumps previously used by Polestar Sheffield were running at around 20kW an hour (one rated at 11kW and the other at 9.7kW combined). The single GHS VSD+ vacuum pump that replaced them is a 15kW unit, which operates at around 20% load, equating to just 4kW. Based on an operation of 8,000 hours per annum, the estimated savings are expected to exceed £10,000 (16kW x £0.08 x 8,000 hours).
Simon Robinson, engineering manager at Polestar Sheffield, said: “We pride ourselves on using the latest technology and continually look at ways to save energy which is why it made absolute sense to accept PPS’ recommendation to trial a variable speed drive rotary screw vacuum pump. The Atlas Copco GSH900VSD+ has proved a resounding success and the projections are for major savings on our energy bills over the course of a year.”
Claimed benefits of the GHS VSD+ range include average energy savings of 50% compared to conventional oil-sealed and dry vane pumps, as well as best-in-class noise levels and oil retention properties. Primarily, its VSD technology enables users to precisely adapt their vacuum generation requirements to match the demands of their production processes.
