Atlas Copco is a service driven, customer focused company that delivers class leading equipment and services across the entire product portfolio to assist customers with increasing their operational efficiency through optimising equipment availability and product operational life. The company’s state-of-the-art energy recovery system uses the compression process to improve efficiency and save energy at Vital Health Foods in Kuilsriver, Western Cape.

Vital Health Foods, a family-owned and run business founded in 1947 in Wellington, South Africa, was the first company in the country to specialise in health food and is today the largest in Africa, currently exporting to more than 20 countries worldwide. “Compressed air is critical for our automation and pneumatic requirements throughout our entire factory,” comments Vital Health Factory Manager, Peter Tremlett. “The reliability and problem free operation of an Atlas Copco compressor, as demonstrated in the stringent marine environment, convinced us that we could count on the same level of reliability and in 1997, we approached Atlas Copco who installed a GA75 rotary screw compressor and energy recover system. We were not disappointed; the GA75 air compressor has been meeting all our compressed air requirements trouble free for 15 years.”

“Vital Health Foods is green conscious and fully committed to environmental conservation,” continues Tremlett. “We are extremely proud of our green building and we are constantly busy with various cost saving initiatives and programmes in our relentless strive to continue reducing our energy footprint. We are working towards a vision of being carbon neutral by 2015 through general paper saving initiatives and the recycling of materials. Our larger external corporate factory energy saving initiatives
include the application of  Thermoshield as a roofing insulator, migrating the factory lighting to LED lighting as well as the more effective use of our factory heat exchangers thanks to Atlas Copco’s GA75 compressor with integrated energy recovery system.”

Production facilities are continuously searching for ways to save energy and combat escalating electricity costs as the worldwide demand for energy exceeds a dwindling supply. “While the generation of compressed air can account for more than 40% of a plant’s total electricity bill, valuable energy savings can be gained from the compression process with Atlas Copco’s state-of-the-art energy recovery system,” states Atlas Copco South Africa Business Line Manager - Industrial Air Division, Charl Ackerman.

He explains, “As much as 90% of the electrical energy used by a compressed air solution is converted into heat and, with the use of our sophisticated energy recovery systems, up to ± 75% of that power input can be recovered as hot air or hot water without any adverse influence on the compressor’s performance. The energy recovery system is a simple process that re-uses the heat generated in the compressor process that would normally be wasted which can be beneficially used anywhere in the production facility, from heating and drying to industrial cleaning and sanitary facilities, to substantial reduce energy costs. These systems are fully integrated but we also do aftermarket fitments.”

According to Tremlett, the energy recovery system, which includes an insulated pump and a heat recovery storage tank, recovers up to 70% of the heat generated by the GA compressor, ”which  is effectively used all over the plant for the coating of tablets and the drying of powders as well as for steam cleaning, for example. Municipal water is only 14 degrees and we require temperatures of up to 60 degrees for some applications. The heated air in turn heats up the boiler by between thirty and forty degrees which means we use considerably less heating to reach our required maximum temperatures. The system also provides hot water at our wash basins.”

Commenting on Atlas Copco’s after sale service Tremlett says that because the compressor has to meet the factory’s air requirements 24/5 five days a week, 95% of the service has to take place over the weekend. “We have opted for an Atlas Copco service contract and we are more than satisfied with their service. Vital Health Food’s green initiatives have resulted in a Special Commendation from the Mail & Guardian’s ‘2011 Greening the Future Awards’ for their efforts towards ‘Energy Efficiency and Carbon Management’ as well as being voted ‘Healthiest Medium-Sized Company’ in the 2012 Sunday Times/Discovery Health Company Index survey.

Designed, manufactured and tested in accordance with ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 121, Atlas Copco’s oil-injected rotary screw GA compressors deliver outstanding reliable performance even in the harshest environments. The innovative oil-injected screw element and flexible operation of the GA series ensures a long and trouble-free life for maximum productivity and minimized total cost of ownership. “Atlas Copco always strives to use the required resources, like energy and manpower, in the most effective way. Our highly efficient and productive equipment contributes to profitable business,” concludes Ackerman.