Champion

Amcor's new Milperra aerosol packaging facility realises a "twin pack" of environmental and financial benefits, courtesy of Champion Compressors total turnkey solutions.

Waste in its various incarnations can be crippling to modern manufacturers. The use of non-renewable energy resources is a prime concern for businesses targeting minimal environmental impact and operating overheads. The focus is often concentrated on decreasing the trio of 'conventional' resources - electricity, natural gas and water. A frequently overlooked energy source is compressed air. Around 10 per cent of Australia's total generated power is used to compress air. It is odd then, that compressed air is commonly - and incorrectly - regarded as 'free' or 'inexpensive'. Optimising the design and performance of compressed air systems can impact dramatically on manufacturers' bottom-lines.

Manufacturing, by nature, is a practice that requires consistent process improvement in order to remain competitive. When Amcor learned that it was suffering from compressed air losses at its ageing aerosol can manufacturing facility at Hurstville, NSW, it became clear that immediate action was necessary.

Relocating its NSW operation from Hurstville to Milperra proved to be Amcor2019s catalyst for change. With the assistance of Australian industrial air compressor designer and manufacturer, Champion Compressors, Amcor was able to reduce its compressed air power consumption at its Milperra plant by a staggering 75 per cent.

Can Do

Amcor is the foremost producer of three-piece steel (tinplate) aerosol cans in Australia and provides aerosol packaging for products in the personal, household and industrial markets. Located in Milperra, twenty kilometres south-west of the centre of Sydney, NSW, Amcor manufactures its aerosol cans in various standard size combinations and colours.

Globally, the process of manufacturing aerosol cans relies heavily on compressed air as an energy source. Given this heavy reliance, Amcor Hurstville's losses in this area compounded its concerns associated with the use of ageing process equipment.

According to Amcor Engineering Coordinator, Paul Stephens much of the plant2019s equipment - some of it 40 years old - was in need of a major overhaul or replacement. "Manufacturing costs are expensive enough without haemorrhaging energy and money out of old damaged process equipment. It was time to make some decisive changes," says Stephens.

Moving To Greener Pastures

Maintaining a distance of 20 kilometres from Sydney's city centre, Amcor recently relocated its NSW aerosol manufacturing facility from Hurstville to Milperra. During the transition, Amcor took the opportunity to upgrade its manufacturing process and address the problem of excessive compressed air consumption.

The scope of work associated with the upgrade and move was substantial and varied. A completely new compressed air system was required along with an air distribution system for both high and low-pressure services. Chiller packages used to cool process water were in need of replacement, while the vacuum pump demanded a complete overhaul along with a chiller package of its own. Refrigerated dryers, filters, plate heat exchangers, valving, instrumentation and all interconnecting piping were also eventually included in Champion's project deliverables. The entire project installation and commissioning was to be completed over a twelve month period, making the minimising of time delays a paramount consideration.

Due to the wide-ranging nature of the project, Amcor decided that employing the use of a project management team to oversee it in its entirety would be advantageous. Decided by a tender process, Champion Compressors was awarded the project and according to Stephens, Champion had the right fit. "Champion's ability to accurately quantify our compressed air needs and 'big picture' engineering knowledge met our business needs," says Stephens. "The tailored turnkey engineering approach to our unique project, coupled with Champion's range of products encouraged us to select them as our project management team."

Champion's first task was to ascertain the 'real' compressed air requirements of Amcor's aerosol manufacturing process and quantify the air losses at the Hurstville plant. Using the Champion-developed Energy Measurement Unit (EMU), an air audit was conducted. The EMU records the actual events of the compressors' off-and-on-cycle transitions (for up to 6 compressors coincidentally), rather than depending on cyclical data sampling. As a result, the EMU's event logger strategy is more accurate, and produces plots that are easy to diagnose for regular site technicians.

The results of the air audit were astonishing. Where the original Hurstville facility had required 300-kW just to service the compressed air needs of the tinplate presses and manufacturing floor, Champion deemed that only one 75-kW unit was all that was necessary.

Complete Turnkey Solutions

The upgrade, which included the design of new equipment as well as relocating existing equipment from Hurstville to Milperra, was logistically demanding. Champion coordinated all compressed air equipment installations with Amcor through Stephens, allowing the two companies to develop an excellent understanding of each others' abilities and requirements. According to Champion Compressors Technical Support Supervisor, Brett Dunlop, this was a particularly labour-intensive and time-sensitive task. "The plant had to be moved in stages to minimise production downtime. As a result, we had to ensure that project time-lines were strictly adhered to," says Stephens.

The predominant compressed air supply at the new plant was provided by two Champion 75-kW air compressors--one 2018operation2019 unit plus one 'stand-by'. These compressors were fitted with a sequence controller, allowing the two units to share the workload evenly, or vary the compressed air output depending on the demand of users. Not only does this allow for flexibility, but it ensures that both units share the load and operating hours equally. "We can safely reduce or increase our compressed air consumption depending on our workload, without wasting electricity," says Stephens. Milperra's tailored compressed air system also allowed further energy reductions. With the eradication of air leaks, a plant-wide reduction of instrument air pressure from 7.8 bar down to 6.5 bar was achieved. High-pressure compressed air required for pressure testing the aerosol cans was supplied by a duty and stand-by pair of Champion

In conjunction with the compressors, two Champion refrigerated air dryers were installed to remove moisture from the low-pressure compressed air. Two filters were also included to strip the air of any entrained oils. Both the compressors and dryers were fitted with Champion's energy saving 'Ecodrain' ED-3000 auto-drains. These are internally controlled drains that allow accumulated condensate to be automatically dumped to drain once it has reached a certain level. The valve is closed before any compressed air is lost to atmosphere, ensuring zero air losses.

Champion also extended its capabilities beyond 'compressed air expert', to include in its scope the supply and installation of chiller packages, air system process instrumentation, and all valving requirements.

Efficiency

With the installation completed, Champion Compressors finished commissioning and had the project operational on time and on budget. "Champion's involvement from conception to commissioning allowed for project consistency and ensured project goals were met," says Stephens.

Throughout the project Champion technicians carried out monthly inspections and provided status reports on the equipment supplied. This process was also used during commissioning and continues in the operating plant to this day. These external reports conveniently allow Amcor to verify its own air system performance indicators. The Champion-Amcor relationship has been maintained through this regular contact and provides Amcor with a valuable source of technical knowledge. 201CThe service provided by Champion throughout the project was second to none. They understood the time-sensitive nature of our business and provided efficient solutions to problems in order to avoid delaying production,201D says Stephens.

Amcor's partner support manager, Origin Energy, carried out a final analysis to confirm the anticipated energy efficiency of the new Milperra facility. It was found that an annual reduction of 552 tonnes of carbon-dioxide could be achieved as a direct result of the new compressed air design philosophy. The financial and environmental benefits were an estimated annual cost saving of $46,000, coupled with a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Stephens says "We couldn't be happier with the results. The financial savings along with the positive impact on the environment are amazing."