Since November 2013 OTE issued a program for the development of a new type compressor for air and gases, based on our disruptive and patented core Centric Reciprocal Technology (Centric Reciprocating Technology). The CRC advantage is the centric configuration of the working components. They rotate in the same direction, so very little friction and mechanical fatigue is caused. Very little energy is lost in waste heat. No valves simplify the design still further. Water is used to cool instead of oil, so the compressed air is clean. Our current 22kW/30hp air compressor unit can deliver a constant stream of particle free, dry and completely oil-free compressed air at a flow rate of 270cfm / 460m3/h. The subsequent compressed air can be fed directly to many high value high-specification industrial and manufacturing processes.
Market needs:
Technical: Compressed air has become an indispensable resource for industry, and three quarters of our manufacturing installations have some form of air compression equipment in-house, where it is used to drive machinery, robotic production lines and a vast range of chemical processes. Air compression technology is long established and very widely used, and compression equipment almost never operates at anything close to efficiency. As much as 90% of all energy fed into air compression systems is lost through waste heat in the compression chamber, friction between moving parts, pressure disequilibria in piping systems, poor control of supply and demand peaks, or production overruns.
Air compression equipment are omnipresent in industry, but the CRC project and its innovation outcome address a very specific sector and function. Air compressors are an indispensable subcomponent of all nitrogen generators. The Fire Safety Systems Code (FCC) and the International Bulk Chemical Code (IBC) of the International Maritime Organisation oblige all oil and gas tankers with over 8000 DWT cargo capacity and platform supply vessels to have an inert gas generator on board. The same rule applies to vessels powered by liquefied natural gas. Inert nitrogen is used as a ‘chemical blanket’ to isolate cargo tanks and electrical equipment, purge fuel piping, inhibit unwanted chemical reactions in cargo tanks during transport, and purge any residual hydrocarbon vapours after unloading. Nitrogen generators operate within strictly defined parameters and must have a supply of clean air at an optimal and constant pressure and temperature to perform at maximum output.
Industrial: Compressed gas generating equipment is big business and the entire sector is worth €19.3bn and is growing steadily at 7.1% per annum and should reach €27.2bn in 2020. Generating compressed air is an energy intensive process and accounts for around 70% of the lifetime costs of a compressor system, regardless of size or intensity of use. About 10% of all the electricity consumed by European industry is used to drive compressed air systems, around 80TWh of energy per year, or the equivalent of the entire annual electricity production of Belgium or the Czech Republic . Energy prices are a major part of the final production costs for many industrial processes, and industrial users pay an average of 120/MWh for their electricity, well above competitor nations such as China, The USA, Korea and Brazil. The dramatic fluctuations seen in energy prices in recent years make long term planning very difficult, discourage investment for expansion, and undermine our competitiveness. Air compression equipment manufacturers can do much for their downstream industrial partners by solving the challenges of reducing energy inputs needed by air compressors, innovating the design to minimise heat losses through friction on moving parts, developing compressor systems which capture and use waste heat, which do away with oil, and integrating better control systems that eliminate excess compressed air production.
Environmental: An inescapable consequence of heavy energy consumption is the production of greenhouse emissions and the acceleration of the greenhouse effect: the 80TWh of electricity generation in Europe releases 56mt of CO2 to the atmosphere each year if the primary energy source is fossil fuel. Europe is committed to containing the rise in world temperatures to no more than 2°C by 2050, which to many climate scientists implies nothing less than a zero CO2 emissions economy. This is a monumental task which requires colossal reinvestment in new technology in our energy intensive industries. Compressor systems need lubricating oil which must be filtered out of the compressed airstream prior to its use, and this too supposes another financial cost and waste disposal challenge that compressor manufacturers need to solve.
The overall CRC Feasibility Study objective is to validate CRC’s market and commercial viability in the market for nitrogen production generators installed on board seagoing hydrocarbon tankers.
