Atlas Copco Compressor Technique ‘takes a coffee break’
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Atlas Copco Compressor Technique, a business area of the giant global Atlas Copco engineering group, supplied a compressed air and nitrogen solution to Café Caps, a specialist in the production of high quality coffee capsules. The Café Caps Factory located in the Western Cape produces coffee capsules that are compatible with all Nespresso® machines that use the aluminium cartridge. The company supplies brand name coffee that is granulized to exact specifications and repackaged into compatable capsules. Clean compressed air is required during the production process and Café Caps approached Atlas Copco Compressor Technique to discuss the type of compressor that would best meet their particular application requirement.
Café Caps uses nitrogen stored in bottles to avoid oxidation and to preserve the freshness of the coffee inside the capsules. According to Atlas Copco Compressor Technique’s business line manager - industrial air, Charl Ackerman, the nitrogen bottles have to be constantly refilled which is an expensive and time consuming exercise. “A more efficient and convenient method of producing nitrogen gas is by using a compressor with a nitrogen generator. In addition to our GA oil-injected rotary screw compressors Atlas Copco offers a range of Pressure Swing Adsorption nitrogen generators. When we informed our customer that we are able to supply this system and that the cost and time saving benefits make it the best solution for their application, Café Caps asked us for a quote.”
“Combining a compressor system with a nitrogen generator literally produces compressed purified nitrogen-on-tap whenever it is needed,” continues Ackerman and he highlights a number of advantages with the use of nitrogen over gas cylinders: “Over and above the convenience factor, you can never run out of gas which means no delays and thus no disruption to production. Due to the high efficiency of the technology, running costs are low and there are no additional costs related to ordering, refilling or deliveries. The unit is virtually service free and the pay-back time can be less than a year.”
Atlas Copco’s range of Pressure Swing Adsorption nitrogen generators are meeting a growing demand for nitrogen in many and varied applications across local market sectors. Industrial applications include the use of nitrogen on top of liquid explosives such as paint and solvents as a safety measure. The electronics industry uses nitrogen for the production of electronic parts such as transistors, diodes and integrated circuits to prevent oxygen and moisture build-up. Nitrogen is even used in fuel storage systems and aircraft tanks to reduce fire hazards. “Because nitrogen inflated tires run cooler and reduce tire wear and tear, it is fast becoming a preferred alternative to air in the automotive industry,” adds Ackerman.
In the food and beverage industry, nitrogen serves as an inert gas replacement for air where oxidation is undesirable. “Nitrogen delays rancidity and other forms of oxidative damage and is ideal for preserving the freshness of bulk and packaged foods such as packaged potato chips, nuts, snack foods and coffee capsules, for example,” explains Ackerman.
Nitrogen is produced in a two-phase process in two columns into which air from the compressor flows. Oxygen molecules, which are smaller than nitrogen molecules, are trapped in a medium while nitrogen molecules pass through the medium. In the first phase, the adsorption phase, the high-pressure air flows through the columns filled with a carbon molecular sieve (CMS). By pressurising the vessel, oxygen molecules are absorbed preferentially by the CMS while nitrogen molecules pass on because they are larger. The sieve continues to absorb oxygen until a saturation point is reached.
In the second phase, the regeneration or desorption phase, the entering air stream is cut off allowing the oxygen to leave the vessel at low pressure. The two vessels work together to produce a near-continuous flow of nitrogen gas which then goes to a receiver from which it is piped to the application in the same way that compressed air is piped to various outlets. The nitrogen piping is usually green while compressed air piping is blue, so there can be no confusion especially if both are being piped through a factory.
Atlas Copco's oil-injected rotary screw compressors lead the market thanks to outstanding performance and flexible operation. GA compressors are built to perform even in the harshest environments, delivering the highest productivity, maximum total reliability, low noise levels and reduced energy costs for low cost of ownership.
Ackerman remarks in conclusion, “We lead the market in delivering sustainable productivity solutions to our customers. After careful consideration of all our customer’s application requirements, we recommended a GA22 Full Feature compressor system together with the NGP9 nitrogen generator as well as a 500 litre air receiver tank as the end-to-end solution to ensure optimum freshness of the coffee capsules.”
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