Compressors chosen for piston job
An
Airchannel product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
May 21, 2008
A CompAir L45SR variable speed compressor was linked to the two Cyclon compressors and a massive 2800 litre air receiver which is used to store compressed air.
When Cosworth secured a contract to supply forged pistons to aero-engine manufacturer Lycoming, it turned to compressed air specialists Airchannel to provide the most energy efficient air package for their new piston line.
Airchannel has historically supplied the Northants facility with two fixed-speed Compair Cyclon 330 rotary compressors.
However, because the new line required additional periodic capacity of up to 236 litres a second, something the older compressors were not capable of, a new solution had to be found.
As well as considering the requirements of ISO14001, Airchannel was looking to achieve energy savings to help counter the effects of escalating utility costs.
The solution was found in a CompAir L45SR variable speed compressor, which has been linked to the two Cyclon compressors and a massive 2800 litre air receiver which is used to store compressed air.
The engineering contract has required Cosworth to invest in a new manufacturing cell, which has enabled Cosworth to produce forged pistons at competitive rates for a much broader range of niche applications.
The machining process is fully automated once blank pistons have been loaded.
Forgings are bead blasted, loaded into the machining line and manufactured to a 9g weight tolerance.
CompAir's LSR series of speed regulated compressors incorporates a variable speed switched reluctance drive system which matches power consumption to air demand.
The LSR series compressors are able to accurately maintain a set pressure while responding instantly to changes in air demand.
Maintaining air system pressure at an exact pre-set level eliminates the need to operate within pressure bands, further enhancing energy performance by reducing electrical and mechanical loads.
As part of the contract Airchannel has also installed a Domnick Hunter air dryer and new Transair pipework system for the new production cell to ensure a smooth flow of uninterrupted clean air.
The new variable-speed compressor is expected to pay for itself in energy savings over the course of the next two years.
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