External compressed air emergency supply for briquette factory of RWE SIMPLY SHUTTING DOWN WAS NOT POSSIBLE Due to repairs, the Wachtberg briquette factory in Frechen had to temporarily shut down its compressed air station and the corresponding electrical switchgear. But a compressed air supply should not be interrupted - particularly when you have a total delivery volume of 282 m3/min.The solution: an external rental station from Aerzen International Rental B.V. Six Aerzen Screw Compressors for external compressed-air emergency supply, as well as emergency-units and diesel tanks were installed on the paved courtyard in front of the central compressed-air station. .Dipl. Ing. Christoph Zura, Plant Engineer power plant technology at RWE Power AG: »AIR as general contractor completed the entire project in exemplary fashion: All the dates they promised were adhered to precisely. The entire job was completed in one week, including assembly and dismantling of the stand-by station.« View of the diesel motors and the reservoirs for diesel fuel.At its site in Frechen, near Cologne, RWE Power AG processes 5.15 million tons of crude lignite every year into about 900,000 tons of pulverised lignite and 1.1 million tons of briquettes. In a second operational area the company’s own power plant produces 0.983 terawatt hours of electrical energy every year using briquetting carbon. For the 24-hour-production of both areas a fail- safe compressed air supply is a must. This is generated in a central station by three oil-free compressing, speed-controlled Aerzen screw compressors: two units for base and peak load, the third for redundancy. Afterwards the compressed air is dried in three water-cooled adsorption dryers to a pressure dew point of -80 °C, kept available separately as working and instrument air in two compressed air reservoirs and then fed into two separate operating networks. The station works with a pressure of 6.5 bar as only then can the flawless functioning of all the consumers connected within the entire system be guaranteed. Double dilemmaIn 2012/2013 this concept was systematically reviewed. Leakage was detected in the cooling water system of the three adsorption dryers which could only be removed during standstill of all three dryers. But, as the compressed air could not be fed into the systems in an undried condition, the stand- still of the dryers also meant a standstill of the compressors, the compressed air supply and consequently of the entire production. Furthermore, the inspection showed that upgrades were also needed in fire protection and asset value protection, which could only be achieved during a two day complete shutdown of the electrical distribution station. Consequently, the electrical supply of the company’s compressed air station was not available during the repair period. For the repair period an external emergency supply had to be found. The Wachtberg briquette factory has been co-operating with Aerzener Maschinenfabrik for many years now, as Aerzen compressors are not only working in the central compressed air station, but also in the ash-handling plant. So, together with Aerzener they were looking for potential solutions.Meticulous planningBesides the Aerzen sales office West in Velbert, the Aerzen subsidiary company Aerzen International Rental (AIR) played an important role in the detailed planning and realisation of the entire project. The company, which has its head office in Duiven, Netherlands, specialises in the emergency supply of industrial enterprises with compressed air with extensive machinery. They can be reached around the clock, issue emergency plans, supply and install the required units with their own staff, take care of the cabling, the electrical connection to the piping and put every- thing into operation. Also at Wachtberg: The scope of supply included six speed-controlled, oil-free compressing, air-cooled Aerzen screw compressors. In addition, AIR provided for the period of the repair an external electrical supply with five diesel driven generators: Four generators each directly supplied the four large compressors, while a fifth generator supplied electrical energy for two smaller units via a sub-distributor. Furthermore, AIR installed five filled fuel containers for energy supply of the diesel engines. For safety reasons a tanker truck was available at the factory’s premises for quick refilling of the fuel tanks. Half of the produced compressed air was dried with two adsorption dryers provided by AIR - a compromise, which was sufficient for the short repair phase. AIR supplied all the required Aerzen bypassing components on low-loaders, put these on the courtyard and connected them in readiness for operation. Within two days all the components had been installed, test runs and inspections were completed and the compressed air supply was changed smoothly, by shutting down the Wachtberg factory compressors one after the other and simultaneously starting the Aerzen rental compressors one after the other. After the repair had been completed the Wachtberg station was reactivated step-by-step and since then has once again been supplying all the locations on the network independently.
Pleasant and Successful Co-operation For the first time in Aerzener Maschinenfabrik’s company history, the engineering for a VMY compressor package has been carried out in Aerzen, within a recently completed and very successful process gas project. Our subsidiary, Aerzen USA, was responsible for the project management, the packaged unit assembly and start-up.A packaged unit, specially designed for the American market, is the oil-injected compressor, type VMY 436 B. This machine differs from the established Aerzen standard in a number of essential respects. The customer, Tesoro, a leading company in the American energy industry, stipulates that components have to originate mainly from American manufacturers.The design process was the result of close team- work between Aerzen USA and the design management unit of the Process Gas Division (PGD). In consultation with possible suppliers, the components were integrated into a 3D model of the entire unit. Installation and a functional test of the packaged unit were carried out by a qualified American packager under the leadership of Aerzen USA and the department PGD.
Spare Parts: Better Take the Original! Aerzen original spare parts are specially designed for the compressors and blowers of Aerzener Maschinenfabrik. Consequently, they provide a high degree of reliability and safety. In addition, Aerzen After Sales Service offers warranty, a large inventory and a quick identification of the correct parts as well as short delivery and response times. In short: Confidence is good – Original is better!
30th Anniversary of Aerzen USA In September, Aerzen USA celebrated its 30th anniversary. Before the start of the official events to mark this anniversary, a “National Sales Meeting” took place. All representatives from environmental engineering, as well as employees of Aerzen Canada and Aerzen Mexico, were invited. Nearly 60 staff members participated in this conference, such that nearly every agent and almost every Federal State in the U.S. had been represented. This underlines the strong market presence and significance of Aerzen USA. During the two-day conference, the product programme of Blower, Hybrid and Turbo had priority. Special attention was also given to a new test bench at Aerzen USA, and a live presentation of a Hybrid and a Turbo package was given.The anniversary events included an “Open House” day, as well as an evening event for employees. Aerzen USA welcomed more than 200 guests to this event, mainly customers and suppliers, but also a number of local business leaders.The culmination of the anniversary events was the first “North American Service Meeting” which took place the following week in the premises of Aerzen USA.
40th Anniversary of Aerzen Machines Limited Aerzen Machines Limited, based in Loughton, Essex, celebrated its 40th anniversary in November. This subsidiary is responsible for the whole of the United Kingdom and Ireland, and is certified as per ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 and checked by UVDB, SAFE Contractor, PICS. The subsidiary has been acknowledged as an ‘Investor in People’.In recent years, the company has invested heavily in personnel, and in organisational and technical matters. Product managers are responsible for the following fields: process gas, biogas and compressed air. In addition, a new grinding and painting machine has been installed and a special test bench has been developed.
Aerzen Andina in New Premises In July, Aerzen subsidiary Aerzen Andina, which was founded in 2007, moved into its new premises near the Andean metropolis of Bogota in Colombia. The availability of more space, and better working conditions, convinced Managing Director Ricardo Castillo to make this move. Eleven employees work at the 650 m2 new premises and they take care of customers from Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia in respect of blowers and compressors. Castillo is optimistic, that the additional capacity will be fully utilised within five years. At present, Aerzen Andina is working on comprehensive plans to pro- vide even better support to the key customers in the neighbouring countries
