Ultima oil-free compressor offers major energy savings and smaller form factor

16 June, 2017

“With this in mind, we have worked for 3 years on a new design concept to offer a completely new product. The 3 key components we worked on were: two airends – high-pressure and the low-pressure – completely built and designed by Gardner Denver; a hybrid motor also of our own design; and a new drive system. The result is a product that is unique in the market.”

Maximum energy recovery

Around 94% of compressor energy is converted in to heat, which, unless it is captured, is vented in to the atmosphere as wasted energy. Ultima uses a bespoke, closed loop water cooling system to ensure that the maximum amount of energy can be recovered from the complete compressor package, taking heat directly from the major components, including the motors, inverters, airend jackets and the oil circuit.

This results in up to 12% better overall heat recovery than a standard two-stage oil-free compressor, for even greater levels of efficiency. Furthermore, Ultima also acts as a high-efficiency water heater, heating the cold water that enters the compressor, which can then be used for other applications.

Superior cooling and ventilation

For maximum efficiency, the air entering a compressor should be as cool and dense as possible, so Ultima is engineered to ensure that no warm air is vented in to the compressor room. Instead, this warm air is processed within the machine enclosure and, using a heat exchanger, the air is cooled and then recirculated via the base frame around the compressor. As a result, no heat is wasted, no dust or particulate matter enters the compressor and the inlet air stays cool.

This also helps to reduce installation time and expense significantly as there is no requirement for additional ducting.

Low noise level

With a noise level of only 69 dB(A), Ultima is extremely quiet, meaning that Ultima can be installed easily at the point of use, rather than housed in a separate compressor room, eliminating the need to install and maintain pipework, to maximise efficiency further.

Energy optimised

Ultima’s engineering team have considered energy consumption at every stage of the design, to create a compressor which, in idle mode, uses 45% less energy than a conventional 2-stage compressor. This can require as little as 8kW of electricity to power a 160kW compressor when idling.

Elsewhere, an intelligent control concept has eliminated the need for an air unloader valve, effectively eliminating the pressure drop that occurs as a result of a compressor controlling the volume of air entering the aired. This also improves maintenance efficiency, as it is one less component to service and replace routinely.

Design excellence

Ultima uses approximately 20% less parts than a standard oil-free compressor, helping to reduce maintenance requirements and compressor reliability.

Upgradable

Hilton explained that Ultima is upgradable. “There are 5 models in the range, from 75 to 160 kW (U75, U90, U110, U132, U160), and any of the lower 4 models can be easily upgraded to any higher output model within an hour; so no lengthy downtime as machines are taken out and replaced. The upgrade is painless – you only need to pay for what your factory actually requires. Ultima can grow as your business grows.”

Frank Klaus, engineering manager GD Simmern, Ultima's project leader, concluded: “Our team has worked so hard to bring this product to market, and I am proud of what we have achieved.”

www.gardnerdenver.com