Coal-mining machinery
18% Lower Specific Energy and Full Shower-Water Heat Recovery at a Coal-Mining Machinery Plant
Project Background
A coal-mining machinery manufacturer needed more compressed air for production, and its existing station was neither efficient nor well integrated with the plant’s other energy needs. Two further issues stood out:
- Wasted heat. Shower hot water for employees was produced by a separate water-source heat pump, while compression heat from the air station was simply rejected.
- Wet air. Condensate in the compressed air was corroding the distribution pipework and affecting the air quality at the equipment.
The plant set out to upgrade the station on three fronts at once: compressor efficiency, heat recovery and air quality.
Solution
- Compressor efficiency: a 250 kW SIND SILVERLUBE series screw compressor was installed, increasing total air-supply capacity by about 30%.
- Heat recovery: an integrated SIND heat-recovery unit was installed on the SIND compressor. A circulation pump sends cold water through the heat exchanger, and the hot water supplies the employee showers. This fully replaces the previous heat-pump unit.
- Air quality: compressed air is treated by a SIND ChillDry CD series refrigerated dryer with SIND PurePart PF filtration, holding the pressure dew point at about 3 °C. A 0.01 µm high-precision filter at the end of the supply line further reduces moisture and particles, protecting pipework from condensate corrosion.
| Industry | Coal-mining machinery |
|---|---|
| Region | North China |
| SIND equipment | SIND SILVERLUBE series fixed-speed screw compressor, 250 kW; integrated SIND heat-recovery unit; SIND ChillDry CD series refrigerated dryer with SIND PurePart PF filtration (0.01 µm final filter) |
Results
The station was certified by an independent national testing centre to meet the Grade-1 energy-efficiency standard.
- 18% lower specific energy consumption year on year.
- About 460,000 kWh of compressor electricity saved per year.
- 100% of shower hot water now supplied by recovered heat, with more than 16,000 m³ produced so far.
- About 120,000 kWh (≈74%) lower energy use for hot-water production year on year.
- Pressure dew point of about 3 °C and 0.01 µm final filtration.
Efficient compression, heat recovery and proper air treatment together produced a station that saves energy, reuses heat and delivers better air.
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Contact SINDFigures as reported by the site after commissioning; client anonymised. CO₂ savings calculated at 0.5703 kg CO₂/kWh (China 2022 grid average).