Scottish seafood processor cuts compressor energy use by 76 per cent
Salmon producer Marine Harvest VAP (UK) Ltd has achieved annual energy savings of £21,000 after Atlas Copco updated its compressed air system with new technology. By downsizing from a 45 kW compressor to a GA22VSD+ rotary screw compressor from Atlas Copco, the salmon producer has realised a 76 per cent energy saving and a 30 per cent reduction in service costs. The more compact compressor has also freed up floor space to fit a new refrigeration unit for an additional kiln.
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Marine Harvest VAP (UK) Ltd processes and packages fresh and smoked salmon, using compressed air to feed the servo mechanisms of the plant. Brian Banks, Head of Engineering at Marine Harvest, explains:
Without a reliable compressed air supply, a significant proportion of the equipment in this factory simply would not function, meaning that production would effectively come to a halt. That’s why this project was so important to us. Delivering downsizing whilst upgrading reliability was definitely a team effort and it was reassuring to work with experienced air professionals. Although a key success for me is that the project was delivered on time and within budget, I think the 76 per cent energy savings and the 30 per cent reduction in our servicing costs that we have achieved speak for themselves.
The company is part of Marine Harvest ASA, the world’s largest producer of farmed Atlantic salmon. Taking care of the planet is one of the company’s four guiding principles.
The original compressors were sized during the factory planning phase to deliver air as a pneumatic power source for process machinery. However, fitting alternative power sources meant that we subsequently needed a reduced supply capacity, to feed servo mechanisms. This reduction in pressurised air requirement meant that it became uneconomic to continue with higher capacity machines
This experience is not uncommon within industrial applications when system audits compare output, performance and costs of an ageing compressed air supply with contemporary and precise process needs. Advances in compressor technology and performance now make it possible to specify machines with lower kW ratings to replace oversized, older equipment, often installed on a ‘one size fits all basis’.
ThermoKit pre-heats process water supply using the compressor's waste heat
Editor's Notes: Marine Harvest ASA employs 12,717 people worldwide and is represented in 24 countries. Listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (OSE) the company’s turnover in 2016 was EUR 3.6 billion. Marine Harvest supplies healthy and sustainably farmed salmon and processed seafood to more than 70 markets worldwide. The company is present and trusted in all major salmon farming regions in the world. In 2016 harvest volumes of salmon was 381,000 tonnes (GWE). Atlas Copco is a world-leading provider of sustainable productivity solutions. The Group serves customers through its innovative compressors, vacuum solutions, generators, pumps, power tools and assembly systems. Atlas Copco develops products and services focused on productivity, energy efficiency, safety and ergonomics. The company was founded in 1873, is based in Stockholm, Sweden, and has a global reach spanning more than 180 countries. In 2017, Atlas Copco had revenues of BSEK 86 (BEUR 9) and about 34,000 employees.