The Italian company Teseo srl, specialized in the design and production of distribution systems for compressed air, vacuum, nitrogen and other pressurized fluids, supplied last-generation HBS 110 piping and fittings to Electra System, based in Oderzo (Treviso, Italy), a provider of compressed air solutions to small, medium and big companies for over 30 years. In recent years, Electra System has been upgrading the compressor rooms of many customers, including Friul Intagli Industries S.p.a., a primary company in the wood industry.
Before Electra System’s project, the compressor rooms were equipped with zinc-plated steel piping to distribute air generated by a system with a capacity of several hundred kW. Replacing the steel piping with HBS 110 aluminum profiles by Teseo translated into more than 5% energy saving, a significant economic result for a company that operates around-the-clock, seven days a week. Considering the current cost of distributed compressed air, at approximately 0.025-0.030 euro per cubic meter, this means an annual savings of several tens of thousands of euros.
The existing plant presented a number of issues including power capacity, pressure drops and energy waste. By adopting Teseo’s HBS system, all problems were solved.
«At the beginning, the customer was unwilling to change from zinc-plated steel to aluminum, as this material was totally new to them – explains Gabriele Damo, owner of Electra System -. We installed the Teseo system in some compressor rooms with very positive results from a technical standpoint: flow rates exceeded the rates achieved by competitors. Teseo was very supportive and manufactured specific components for this project that were not available in the HBS line, such as the cross coupling for more compact bypass sections and the 45°-coupling to simplify level changes».
Savings were guaranteed by the innovative features of Teseo piping: the smooth surfaces of extruded Teseo piping minimizing friction; the lack of leaks ensured by the dual O-ring seal applied to all couplings that connect Teseo profiles; the selection of aluminum, which is not subject to oxidation and corrosion.
After the first positive feedback, the steel pipes were replaced with Teseo piping also in other rooms, not only to carry compressed air, but also to prevent condensate and to provide a load-bearing profile to support other devices. The savings offered by Teseo piping allowed to reduce the number of installed machines by 10%. In addition, the production of new components by Teseo, as specifically requested by Electra System, helped reduce the size of the whole system, with significant space saving for the customer company. «With Teseo, we have achieved significant results in terms of costs, consumption and space allocation», said Gabriele Damo.
«As a result of the reduction of load and dynamic weight on the structure offered by Teseo’s aluminum piping, the plant could be placed in a dedicated area, which could not have been used with conventional technology», Damo continues.
The light weight of aluminum and the modularity of Teseo systems offer the benefit that the piping can be easily dismantled and reused: «When you need to move an installation to another site, extend or reduce it, the Teseo system is 100% versatile, as it is modular and totally reusable», Damo explains.
Several features of Teseo’s innovative systems contributed to Electra System’s decision: higher flow rate; low weight due to the difference between aluminum and zinc-plated steel; installation speed; the possibility to build a plant even in peculiar or heavy-duty environments; Teseo’s availability to design and manufacture new components to meet all customer requests; extended operating life thanks to the wear resistance of aluminum. «The big news is that the entire system is certified, not just individual components. Such innovation can be applied to several industrial sectors, with dedicated analysis and specific projects in each case. Soon there will be further developments for the installation of Teseo products in compressed air stations and air distribution», says Gabriele Damo. «With Teseo we have reduced air speed, increased flow rate and minimized leaks: we can state that, with this product, we now have more options to satisfy our customers».
