Atlas Copco last week announced that it will run a worldwide road show for its most energy-efficient oil-injected compressors ever produced, the new GA 90-160 kW range. Its Specific Energy Requirement (SER) is best-in-class, using up to 11-percent less electricity than the previous GA models. The Atlas Copco GA 160 VSD compressor has broken no less than eight performance records in the industry: in terms of overall energy requirements, energy consumption of individual elements and lifetime of replacement parts. The road show will start in Antwerp, Belgium, on June 4th and will be followed by events in North America, South America and Asia.

The roadshow will allow visitors to view in-depth, the 3D innovations that led to the net reduction in energy consumption of the new GA range of compressors.

The new Atlas Copco GA range offers a compressor package with an integrated water separator at optimum SER of 350 Joule/liter according to ISO 1217 edition 3 annex C (1996). In addition to being the most energy-efficient air compressor package, the new GA VSD compressor offers the widest free air delivery turndown range, company officials said. This turndown range of 100 to 17 percent means it’s more adaptable to fluctuating air demands. The new GA compressor is able to operate in ambient temperatures of up to 55 degrees centigrade, and operates at a maximum noise level of 71 dBA (the previous market reference is 75 dBA).

All compressor components were re-engineered in order to achieve energy savings wherever possible.

The Atlas Copco GA is the first oil-injected compressor in the world to integrate the water separator into the compressed air cooling system, according to the company. Reducing internal pressure drops by 50 percent, this design change contributed 2 percent to overall compressor energy efficiency.

The new GA is Atlas Copco’s first air compressor to offer VSD-controlled cooling fans. They adjust their speed to fluctuating cooling needs. This reduces energy requirements by up to 59 percent compared to the fixed-speed fans used by other suppliers.

The carefully optimized screw element design has resulted in a drop of 5 to 6 percent of energy requirements as compared to the previous screw design.

Innovations further enhancing compressor robustness and quality have also been introduced.

Directly impacting operating costs and compressor downtime, the lifetime of the oil filter and the air inlet filter has been doubled to 8000 hours for both.

“Being first in environmental performance and reliability with the new GA range directly contributes to Atlas Copco’s objective to be first in mind, first in choice,” said Chris Lybaert, divisional president of Atlas Copco’s Compressor Technique Business Area. “All of our innovations are aimed at improving our customers’ productivity. I strongly encourage them to come and experience these breakthroughs live at one of our 2008 GA road show events.”

Stockholm, Sweden-based Atlas Copco is a global provider of industrial productivity solutions. The products and services range from compressed air and gas equipment, generators, construction and mining equipment, industrial tools and assembly systems, to related aftermarket and rental.

Oil-free Air is a division within Atlas Copco’s Compressor Technique business area. It develops, manufactures, and markets oil-free air compressors for all kind of industries worldwide where the air quality is vital, and oil-injected compressors for less critical applications. The divisional headquarters and main production center are located in Antwerp, Belgium.