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A MAGAZINE OF THE ATLAS COPCO GROUP
At your service
Service Specialist Tomasz Bugaj knows how to keep business and society...
A rental state of mind
Our flexible solutions will get the job done in all conditions.
Chipping in for safety
Find out why this South Korean education center shifted to on-site nitrogen supply.
Clearly superior
Choosing the most efficient vacuum solutions will make all the difference.
Clean water changes lives
Our Water for All initiative supports communities with limited access....
Editorial
A word from President and CEO
Mats Rahmström.
Enabling the shift
Industrial assembly solutions are at the heart of the electric car revolution.
"Ergonomics is key"
Ava Mazaheri discusses force exposures and great product design.
Experts in the field
Local dealers and service suppliers ensure that all customers gets on-site support.
Gateway to growth
A visit to China, the world's
second-largest economy.
"Joint development is the best way forward"
Atlas Copco is part of an ecosystem set up to push scientific boundaries.
Keeping it dry
A 10-year development process resulted in an innovation that changes everything.
Making a difference
Modern society depends on industrial ideas that take shape with out tools.
Making the connection
Logistics Manager Katey Kim supports the world’s semiconductor manufacturers.
No waste, low emissions
What if industrial machines adapted the energy use to the production need?
Perfect vision
Fully autonomous production is no longer an illusion.
Powered up and ready to work
Going electric is an important step toward a carbon-neutral future.
Purpose-built performer
A purpose-built innovation for the booming liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry.
Recipe for success
Explore some of the key ingredients needed to remain a technology leader.
Setting the tone
Did you know that even Jimi Hendrix's performance relied on vacuum?
Smarter manufacturing
Imagine a smart factory where machines transfer data without delay.
Smart Team + Smartphone = Smart Product
Meet the innovators behind the DZS VSD+ dry claw vacuum pump.
Smart tools for modern life
Industrial tools transform the world.
Star of the screen
Chances are that an iXL900R dry vacuum pump made your screen.
Success is on the cards
A data-driven service solution that gives real-time feedback.
Tapping into the green energy market
Market Manager Rasmus Rubycz is ready to grasp new opportunities.
The power of zero
The Z3+ light tower is a zero-emission, zero-noise innovation.
The start of something big
Our first-ever battery-powered drill stands out.
The Missing Link
In the move toward a carbon-free future, capturing renewable energy for later use is key.
Tight for takeoff
Assembling airplanes, the smart way
Turning apples into applesauce
Compressed air is needed everywhere, even when making baby food.
When train beats the plane
When rail balances costs, speed and sustainability better the air and sea.
Part of the circular economy
Did you know that your mobile phone is a veritable gold mine? Boliden Rönnskär is one the world’s leading smelters for recovery of metals. Here circuit boards are converted into pure metal which can be used in new products. The process is energy intensive, but with the assistance of Atlas Copco the smelter is now on the right track to reduce its energy consumption by more than 1 million kWh per year.
Unlike many other materials, metals can be reused again and again without significantly losing their quality. Boliden Rönnskär in northern Sweden is one of the world’s leading players in electronics metal recycling, such as discarded mobile phones and circuit boards, and is thereby an important link in the circular economy. The smelter was founded as early as 1930 to process ore from nearby mines to pure metals, such as copper, silver and gold. Today it is one of the biggest and most efficient smelters in Europe.
Many of the smelter's processes require large amounts of compressed air, which puts high demands on energy efficiency and operational safety of the compressors. The smelter has strict internal requirements linked to carbon dioxide emissions and has, according to Swedish and European environmental legislation, also an obligation to minimize the impact on people and the environment by using the best possible technology.
In 2014 Boliden Rönnskär decided to change several old compressors to more energy efficient models. The old compressors worked well but the compressed air team suspected there was much to gain by changing the existing fixed speed machines to new models with variable speed drive (VSD).
To get a clear picture of the need for compressed air in the various sections of the production, the smelter decided to execute a so-called energy audit (AIRScan) together with Atlas Copco. Eleven different points for measuring compression and flow were installed in selected parts of the compressed air system. The measurement was carried out for two weeks while the smelter was fully operational.
The results were then analyzed by energy consultants from Atlas Copco. The analysis demonstrated that the existing compressed air facility was very energy efficient, well below the Swedish Energy Agency's guideline, but the compressed air team was right. By investing in VSD compressors and a central drive system the smelter could reduce its energy consumption by 850,000 kWh per year, as a first step. Considering the flow requirement, the compression and the available floor area, Atlas Copco presented a proposal where two model ZR500VSD VSD compressors replaced three older fixed speed machines.
Atlas Copco was also asked to perform a follow-up measurement after installation. It confirmed that energy consumption reduced as expected and that Boliden Rönnskär thereby not only saves money but also reduces its environmental footprint by the equivalent of 11 ton of carbon dioxide* per year. Total savings also included heavily reduced service costs.
Environment and sustainability have long been high on the list of Boliden Rönnskärs’ agenda, and the smelter is continuously investing in technology improvements. In 2022, another older fixed speed machine was replaced with a model ZR750 oil-free screw compressor. This has resulted in further energy savings of about 200,000 kWh per year and additionally, the service costs will be significantly reduced. After two or three years the entire machinery will be replaced and the smelter then expects to save more than 1 million kWh per year, compared to the situation before the first energy audit in 2014.
*The calculation is based the assumption of emissions of 13 g CO2 equivalents per kWh.
Photo credit: Boliden AB