Compressed Air Station Upgrade Cuts Energy Over 20% at a Leading Steel Group
Project Background
The customer is a leading private steel group in China. Compressed air is a critical utility across its steel production lines, from instrumentation to process applications.
The group’s existing compressed air station was built around legacy equipment and suffered from a series of chronic problems:
High Operating Cost
The legacy station consumed excessive electricity per cubic meter of air, making compressed air one of the plant’s most expensive utilities.
Poor Air Quality
Pressure dew point could not reach below 0°C, with residual oil and dust posing risks to pneumatic instruments and product quality.
Harsh Working Environment
Station noise reached 85 dB, and manual operation made efficient energy management impossible.
Station Upgrade Solution
The station was rebuilt as a full compressed-air-station upgrade built on SIND centrifugal compression technology. The scope covered high-efficiency centrifugal compressors, advanced air treatment, and a fully automated control layer:
- Compression: high-efficiency oil-free centrifugal compressors sized to the plant’s full demand profile
- Air treatment: deep-drying adsorption dryers and precision pre/post filtration delivering ultra-dry, oil-free air
- Smart operations: centralised monitoring of pressure, dew point, energy consumption and equipment health, with automatic parameter optimisation
Before vs After: Key Station Indicators
| Indicator | Original Station | Upgraded Station |
|---|---|---|
| Compressed air supply cost | — | Reduced by 12.55% |
| Pressure dew point | ≥ 0°C | -20 ~ -40°C |
| Oil content | — | 0 mg/m³ |
| Station noise | 85 dB | 80 dB |
Certification and Results
Grade-1 Energy-Efficiency Certification
The upgraded station was independently tested and certified to the highest national Grade-1 energy-efficiency class for compressed air stations, with all quality indicators meeting class requirements.
Energy Savings Exceeding 20%
Station-level energy savings exceed 20%, while the 12.55% reduction in compressed air supply cost delivers immediate, measurable operating savings for the plant.
Reliability and Environment
Ultra-dry air (-20 ~ -40°C pressure dew point, 0 mg/m³ oil content) protects pneumatic equipment and product quality, and the noise level was brought down from 85 dB to 80 dB, improving the working environment.
Discuss a Similar Project
Contact SINDFigures as reported by the site after commissioning; client anonymised. CO₂ savings calculated at 0.5703 kg CO₂/kWh (China 2022 grid average).