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Commitment<br />
<strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> Compressors LLC Volume 7, Issue 1 2009<br />
<strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> keeping our automotive partners up to speed.
Editorial<br />
Commitment<br />
Dear Readers...<br />
Welcome to this first edition of Commitment<br />
in 2009. Once again this issue outlines some<br />
of the great customers we have had the opportunity<br />
to work with and we are pleased to be<br />
sharing our partnerships and success stories<br />
with you.<br />
This issue has a real sports theme running<br />
throughout and a diverse range of products<br />
including small machines and big machines,<br />
some oil injected and some oil free. I think it<br />
represents a wide diversity of customers in<br />
many similar industries – just proving there is<br />
really no such thing as one solution fits all.<br />
It’s the listening to customers that makes <strong>Atlas</strong><br />
<strong>Copco</strong> such a fun and exciting place to work.<br />
Customers are at the center of everything we<br />
do and problem solving is a daily activity<br />
rather than a chore.<br />
programs like <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> finance and fixed<br />
priced maintenance packages continue to give<br />
customers great solutions and peace of mind<br />
when purchasing products.<br />
We are committed to keeping as many feet<br />
on the street in the form of sales engineers and<br />
service technicians with the aim to provide<br />
outstanding customer service. Also the pace<br />
of research and development is still fast and<br />
you will see many product introductions or<br />
upgrades over the coming months.<br />
If you would like information on any of<br />
the stories in this issue or have any questions,<br />
I am as always pleased to hear from<br />
you. These can be sent to me at:<br />
paul.hense@us.atlascopco.com<br />
Happy reading and enjoy the coming<br />
summer months.<br />
Commitment Magazine is published<br />
by <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> Compressors LLC<br />
USA. The material contained within<br />
Commitment is for information purposes<br />
only. Its contents are not intended<br />
to replace any technical material<br />
contained in <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> technical<br />
documents, publications or legal<br />
documents.<br />
Paul Humphreys<br />
Publisher<br />
paul.humphreys@us.atlascopco.com<br />
Holly Boutot-Lalonde<br />
Editor<br />
holly.boutot-lalonde@us.atlascopco.com<br />
Commitment Magazine<br />
<strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> Compressors LLC<br />
1800 Overview Drive<br />
Rock Hill, SC 29730<br />
Tel: 803-817-7200<br />
Fax: 803-817-7176<br />
In This Issue<br />
Expressway to Savings<br />
Keeping Operating Costs Down<br />
in an Indiana Auto Dealership 1<br />
Retread Tires<br />
To Optimize Their Investment<br />
in Tires, Trucking Companies Rely<br />
on Retreads 5<br />
Class Zero Air<br />
Measures Race Car Performance 11<br />
<strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong>, like many of you reading this,<br />
has had to adjust to the tough economic<br />
climate. We feel right now the partnership<br />
approach to business that we have always<br />
believed in is more important than ever and<br />
Paul Hense<br />
President<br />
<strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> Compressors LLC<br />
<strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> is a global industrial<br />
Group which was founded in 1873. Its<br />
head office is in Stockholm, Sweden.<br />
The Group's global reach spans more<br />
than 160 markets. <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> has over<br />
33,000 employees, and manufactures<br />
and assembles products in 21 countries.<br />
Pat’s Auto Body<br />
Growing a Woman-Owned<br />
Auto Body Business Using the<br />
Power of Air 17<br />
Temperature Management<br />
System Interview<br />
With Bill Bates 21<br />
Copyright © 2009<br />
<strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> Compressors LLC.<br />
All rights reserved.<br />
Trademarks: <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> product names,<br />
brands, and marks are trademarks owned<br />
by <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> AB and/or one or more of<br />
its affiliates. All other trademarks are the<br />
property of their respective owners.<br />
Save Money While Maximizing<br />
Compressed Air Productivity<br />
Top 10 Tips from a World<br />
Leading Compressor Manufacturer 25
Expressway to<br />
Savings:<br />
Keeping Operating Costs Down<br />
at an Indiana Auto Dealership.<br />
One of the fastest growing auto sales and service<br />
businesses in the Midwest is the Expressway<br />
group of dealerships. The family-owned business<br />
includes Dodge, Mitsubishi, Jeep/Chrysler/Dodge,<br />
Chevy/Pontiac/Buick/GMC, and Ford/Mercury<br />
dealerships, as well as the Credit Connection<br />
and Credit Express operations.<br />
After Expressway’s owners purchased Mt. Vernon<br />
Ford in 2005, a brand new facility – Expressway Auto<br />
World – was built on the site. Designed using the “auto<br />
mall” concept, two 45,000 square foot buildings (one<br />
for Ford, the other for GM) were erected with a 20,000<br />
square foot Credit Express center situated in between.<br />
Both the Ford and GM buildings include a state-of-theart<br />
auto service facility.<br />
Expressway is a long-time customer of Evapar, an<br />
Indiana-based distributor of equipment and systems<br />
for compressed air, electric power generation, and industrial<br />
gas and diesel engines. Dan Baldwin, Sales<br />
Representative with Evapar’s Air Division, worked<br />
with Expressway to specify and supply the compressed<br />
air production and distribution systems for the new<br />
Ford and GM service facilities.<br />
“Dan brought the AIRnet system to our attention,”<br />
says Jerry Maggard, General Manager of Expressway<br />
Ford Mercury. “I was impressed with the entire concept<br />
– how professional it looks, how easy it is to install<br />
and maintain, how cost efficient it is – so we went on<br />
Dan’s recommendation.”<br />
AIRnet is <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong>’s innovative, modular compressed<br />
air piping system. The piping is constructed<br />
from robust, lightweight aluminum tube. Components<br />
are conveniently affixed to walls and ceilings using<br />
AIRnet’s extensive range of engineered polymer fittings.<br />
The system includes assembly tools that cover<br />
the full spectrum of installation options.<br />
“The AIRnet system is great for building new<br />
systems or for extending existing piping systems,”<br />
according to Kent Reddington, Air Division Manager<br />
for Evapar. “The aluminum pipe is finished in blue<br />
powder coat to comply with today’s industrial compressed<br />
air system standards. The look is neat, clean<br />
and professional, and it’s designed for quick and easy<br />
installation. If you can use a tape measure, you can<br />
install AIRnet.”<br />
For the installation at Expressway’s new auto mall,<br />
Dan assisted two members of Expressway’s maintenance<br />
crew to get the job started at the Ford shop. In<br />
just a few hours, the maintenance crew took over. They<br />
finished the Ford shop installation and then did the complete<br />
installation at the GM shop. No problems were<br />
encountered on either installation.<br />
1 <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong><br />
Commitment 2
Did You<br />
Know<br />
<strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> is one of the<br />
Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations<br />
for the fourth consecutive year.<br />
Expressway’s AIRnet system provides air for pneumatic<br />
tools in the service department and in the lube<br />
center. Oil-fired heaters are used in the service areas and<br />
the AIRnet system supports those systems as well.<br />
Once the Ford and GM dealership buildings were up<br />
and running, Evapar also provided a compressed air system<br />
for the main detail shop at the Credit Express building.<br />
Eight work stations provide compressed air for<br />
technicians doing automotive detailing.<br />
Cost Efficiencies<br />
An important benefit of <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong>’s AIRnet<br />
system is minimizing the cost of compressed<br />
air. The smooth, low friction inner surface of<br />
the aluminum pipe maintains a minimum pressure<br />
drop throughout the air distribution system.<br />
This allows compressors to work at<br />
lower operating pressures, reducing power<br />
consumption and operating costs.<br />
“Air that has been compressed has already incurred<br />
cost, so unnecessary pressure drops<br />
and leaks are throwing money away,” according<br />
to Kent Reddington, Air Division Manager<br />
at Evapar. “AIRnet minimizes that problem.<br />
Compared to a conventional piping system,<br />
there’s less pressure drop across the AIRnet<br />
system, so less energy is consumed in compressing<br />
air.”<br />
Reddington explains that <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> Variable<br />
Speed Drive (VSD) compressors are a good<br />
complement to the AIRnet system. “VSD compressors<br />
continuously match the production<br />
of compressed air to the demand, so the compressor<br />
is always operating as efficiently as<br />
possible. A VSD compressor lends itself well<br />
to the AIRnet system because the operating<br />
efficiencies go hand-in-hand.”<br />
Expressway’s Ford and GM facilities each<br />
have their own energy-efficient <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong><br />
GA7VSDFF tank mount compressed air system<br />
with a VSD compressor. Distribution of compressed<br />
air in each facility is via approximately<br />
1000 feet of AIRnet piping with a 25mm<br />
main header and 20mm drops at workstations.<br />
The non-corrosive properties of AIRnet piping<br />
also help to maintain a constant air quality<br />
from the compressor to the pneumatic equipment.<br />
“System cleanliness protects downstream<br />
equipment from contamination,” says<br />
Reddington, “which further improves reliability<br />
and lowers operating costs.”<br />
“Overall, we have found our AIRnet system to be<br />
very cost-efficient,” Jerry explains. “It looks very sophisticated<br />
and expensive, but compared in cost to the<br />
quotes we got for other types of air distribution systems,<br />
AIRnet wins hands down. If the need arises to replace<br />
an existing system for replacement or remodeling in one<br />
of our dealerships, we’ll go with AIRnet again.”<br />
AIRnet’s aluminum piping is ideal for use with<br />
inert gases, such as nitrogen. That makes the system<br />
particularly well suited for use in automotive service centers,<br />
where nitrogen is rapidly becoming the choice for<br />
tire fill.<br />
Jerry says that Expressway is currently evaluating the<br />
business opportunity for nitrogen tire fill in the new Ford<br />
and GM facilities. “We know nitrogen is used to fill<br />
tires in racing, and sometimes when we swap inventory<br />
with other dealers those vehicles have nitrogen in the<br />
tires. We have a study going, and I think nitrogen tire fill<br />
may work well for us.”<br />
With two AIRnet systems up and running successfully,<br />
Jerry is confident in recommending AIRnet to anyone<br />
installing a new compressed air distribution system<br />
or upgrading an existing system. “The performance is<br />
great and for looks, there’s no contest,” he says. “Customers<br />
are always asking, ‘What’s that’ When we tell<br />
folks what it is, it kind of blows their mind.”<br />
AIRnet Technical Data<br />
Working Pressure: up to 13 bar<br />
Working temperature: -20°C to +70°C (-4°F to +158°F)<br />
Lowest allowable dewpoint: -70°C (-94°F)<br />
Extruded aluminum pipe complies with EN755.2 – ED755.8 – EN573.3<br />
Blue color (RAL 5012) complies with most industrial compressed air color standards<br />
Compatible with all compressor oils<br />
Nominal pipe sizes 20mm to 80mm (½ inch to 4½ inch)<br />
For more information about The Expressway Group please visit:<br />
www.expresswayfordmercury.com/<br />
3 <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong><br />
Commitment 4
To Optimize Their Investment<br />
In Tires, Trucking Companies<br />
Rely on...<br />
Retreads<br />
“The GA 37 VSD compressor has been phenomenal. The cost savings have been out<br />
the roof. We did the right thing getting this compressor.”<br />
Over-the-road trucks roll on tires—<br />
10, 14, 18, and sometimes more. Truck<br />
tires are designed for much heavier<br />
duty use than passenger car tires, and<br />
their underlying structure (the “casing”)<br />
is so sturdy it usually outlasts the<br />
tread. Rather than discard a tire when<br />
the tread is worn, truck tires can be<br />
retreaded, producing a tire with the<br />
performance characteristics of a new<br />
tire for less cost. Retreads are especially<br />
popular for trailers where they<br />
just need to roll the load, not steer or<br />
put power down.<br />
Mark Frink<br />
Operations Manager at Black’s Tire<br />
In the eastern Carolinas, trucking companies look to<br />
Black’s Tire for quality retreaded truck tires. For nearly<br />
80 years, Black’s Tire has served the region with quality<br />
products and services. At the company’s Retreading<br />
Center in Clinton, about midway between Raleigh<br />
and Wilmington, Black’s Tire manufactures retreads<br />
and provides complementary services that help customers<br />
achieve maximum service life from every tire<br />
in their fleet.<br />
Making Retreads<br />
The heavy duty casing of a truck tire can be retreaded<br />
a number of times, so Black’s Tire begins<br />
the retread process with a careful inspection of each<br />
candidate for retreading. Casings are tested and those<br />
judged to be in good condition have the worn tread<br />
removed (“buffed”). Precision equipment creates the<br />
optimum radial and circumferential profile for proper<br />
tread fitment.<br />
Black’s Tire offers Goodyear Precure and Unicircle<br />
retreads. To create Precure retreads, vulcanized tread<br />
rubber is firmly bonded to the buffed tire casing using a<br />
layer of adhesive. The two ends of the new tread segment<br />
are carefully fitted together. Unicircle Retreads<br />
are made with Goodyear’s patented, computer controlled<br />
tread building machine that uses laser guidance<br />
to place seamless tread onto the casing.<br />
5 <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong><br />
Commitment 6
A retreading facility operates differently than a new tire manufacturing line because<br />
no two used tire casings are alike. Each used tire is evaluated individually, typically<br />
through a combination of nondestructive tests and the experience and judgment of the<br />
inspector. Tire casings with damage due to factors such as cord deterioration or<br />
underinflation are rejected for retreading.<br />
Using whichever method a customer prefers, new<br />
tread is placed on the prepared casing. The tires are then<br />
moved into a curing chamber where a high temperature,<br />
high pressure environment bonds the new tread securely<br />
to the tire casing.<br />
Compressed Air<br />
Compressed air does more than fill truck tires; it’s<br />
critical to the process of making retreads. Once new<br />
rubber tread is attached to the tire casing, tires are ready<br />
for the curing chamber. “It’s a long, cylindrical tank<br />
that looks a lot like the fuel tanks buried underground at<br />
a gas station,” according to Mark Frink, Operations<br />
Manager at Black’s Tire’s retreading plant. In preparation<br />
for curing, the tires slide down a track to a specific<br />
location in the chamber. “There are 23 slots in the<br />
tank, so we can process 23 tires at a time,” says Frink.<br />
With the tires in place inside the curing chamber,<br />
pressurization of the chamber begins. Because compressed<br />
air has to pressurize a large space, the air compressor<br />
must be able to produce a high volume of air<br />
quickly for each production run. Running at full speed,<br />
the compressor fills the chamber in about 30 minutes.<br />
“Filling the curing tank consumes the major part of<br />
the air volume we use,” Frink explains. “We also use<br />
shop air for pneumatic tools, to grind the old rubber off<br />
tire casings, and to lay on the new rubber, but that’s really<br />
nothing compared to the volume that’s used for the<br />
curing tank.”<br />
Production Surge<br />
The cost of diesel fuel has placed enormous cost<br />
pressures on trucking companies and, as a result, most<br />
are looking to reduce their operating cost. Since retreading<br />
cuts cost by extending the useful life of a truck<br />
tire, Black’s Tire has been busy keeping up with the<br />
growing demand for retreads.<br />
The increased level of retread production at Black’s<br />
Tire brought the shortcomings of their existing compressed<br />
air system to the fore. “Our old compressors<br />
were becoming worn and unreliable,” Frink recalls,<br />
“and they were having difficulty producing enough air<br />
to fill the chambers.”<br />
Randy Leath, Sales Manager of <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong>’s<br />
Carolina Customer Center in Winston-Salem, had been<br />
working with Black’s Tire for about three years and was<br />
familiar with the situation. “The existing compressors<br />
were having reliability problems,” Leath says, “and<br />
Black’s Tire was ready to replace them.”<br />
The old system had 50 horsepower and a straight<br />
modulation control system. While modulation systems<br />
do provide some level of air production control, their<br />
fundamental design is energy inefficient. Whenever the<br />
system detects a rise in outlet pressure (signaling a drop<br />
in air demand), it compensates by closing the compressor’s<br />
inlet valve (raising the compression ratio to reduce<br />
air supply). Compression ratio and compressor efficiency<br />
are inversely proportional, however, so this type<br />
of control system results in excess power consumption.<br />
Operating Efficiency<br />
Why is operating efficiency so important Over the<br />
life of an industrial compressed air system, power typically<br />
accounts for 75% of the total cost for compressed<br />
air. The additional investment in an energy efficient<br />
compressor and control system quickly pays for itself.<br />
“Two or three times a day the curing chamber has to<br />
be filled with compressed air,” Leath explains. “It’s a<br />
large chamber – big enough to hold 23 truck tires at<br />
once – and it took the full 50 hp to fill it. But the rest of<br />
the time the plant did not need 50 hp worth of air just to<br />
operate some air tools and pneumatic controls. Black’s<br />
Tire has a great application for a Variable Speed Drive<br />
compressor.”<br />
Leath invited Frink to visit Top Tobacco in Lake<br />
Waccamaw, just a few miles from the corporate office<br />
in Whiteville, to see an <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> GA90VSD compressor<br />
that has been running for over five years.<br />
“When you see a Variable Speed Drive machine in<br />
operation for the first time,” Leath says, “the advantages<br />
become obvious.”<br />
7 <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong><br />
Commitment 8
Did You<br />
Know<br />
<strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> offers a single monthly payment<br />
that includes the air and the maintenance<br />
for a total air solution.<br />
Acting on Leath’s analysis and recommendation,<br />
Frink selected an <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> GA37 Variable Speed<br />
Drive compressor. “I visited other sites to see this type<br />
of compressor working to see what it was doing for another<br />
business,” Frink recalls. “I saw the potential it<br />
had for us.”<br />
At first, Frink was unsure whether he wanted to<br />
spend the extra money on the Full Feature model,<br />
which integrates a refrigerated air dryer into the system.<br />
“I showed Mark the advantages of the Full Feature<br />
package, which include low pressure drop, single point<br />
monitoring and zero installation costs,” Leath explains.<br />
“Mark decided it was smarter to invest in a new integrated<br />
system now, rather than wait until the old dryer<br />
the electric bill in October 2007 was $2,200, and in<br />
November it was a bit over $2,000. By replacing the<br />
old compressor, we cut power usage plant-wide by one<br />
third, or about $1,000 a month. I was impressed at the<br />
amount of savings. Randy Leath had predicted cost<br />
savings conservatively at 10-20%. We were amazed at<br />
reality when the bill came in. The payback will be<br />
under two years for the new compressor.”<br />
Superior Operation<br />
Lower operating cost was not the only welcomed improvement<br />
with the new compressor. “The older compressors<br />
were very noisy, produced lots of heat, and<br />
were cumbersome to work on,” Frink explains. “The<br />
noise level made it difficult to communicate within the<br />
facility. With the new compressor running we can stand<br />
and talk at normal voice level and get along just fine.<br />
Heat production of the new compressor is minimal<br />
compared to the old one, which had added noticeably to<br />
the ambient temperature inside the facility. The new<br />
compressor is much easier to work on, with everything<br />
laid out right where you can get at it.”<br />
Rolling Out The Retreads<br />
The economy has hit many businesses hard and<br />
trucking companies in particular are looking for every<br />
way to cut cost. Quality retreads are an effective way<br />
to manage costs, and that keeps the Black’s Tire retread<br />
plant busy. Their <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> Variable Speed Drive<br />
compressor helps keep the plant keep rolling out the<br />
retreads.<br />
“This compressor has been phenomenal,” says Frink.<br />
“The cost savings have been out the roof. We did the<br />
right thing getting this compressor.”<br />
had problems.”<br />
Return on Investment<br />
The initial cost of an <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> VSD compressor<br />
is roughly 30% more than a comparably sized single<br />
speed compressor, but by precisely and continuously<br />
matching compressed air production to demand, power<br />
consumption drops significantly to reduce the total<br />
cost of air.<br />
A case in point is the electric bill for the Black’s Tire<br />
Retreading Center. “Our largest use for power is heating<br />
coils, and the next largest is compressed air,” says<br />
Frink. “In the two months previous to installing the<br />
<strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> compressor, the bills for power were<br />
$2,991 and $3,049. With the new compressor working,<br />
According to the Tire Retread and Repair Information Bureau, a non-profit, member supported industry<br />
association, “Every time you buy and use a retreaded tire, you help to conserve our valuable natural<br />
resources.” And since retreaded tires are always less expensive than comparable new tires, you save<br />
money while helping the environment.<br />
To learn more about Black’s Tire:<br />
www.blackstire.com<br />
9 <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong><br />
Commitment 10
Windshear Inc., held the formal opening, in July 2008, of North America’s first<br />
commercially available, single-belt, 180 mph rolling road wind tunnel facility in<br />
Concord, North Carolina.<br />
Class Zero Air<br />
Measures Race Car<br />
Performance<br />
Thanks to Rod Smith, Publisher of<br />
"Compressed Air Best Practices"<br />
for this story contribution.<br />
A four thousand, five hundred and<br />
fifty pound (4550 lbs.) race car is<br />
running at 170 mph and facing<br />
wind resistance of 150 mph. The<br />
car then enters a curve creating a<br />
three-degree “yaw” (the change<br />
in angle from the direction the<br />
car is headed and the airstream).<br />
The car struggles to maintain<br />
speed as the yaw changes and<br />
the dynamic downforce load on<br />
the car changes.<br />
Suddenly, the driver-less car comes to a stop on the<br />
stainless-steel track. The rolling road track is supported<br />
by a cushion of compressed air. The lights dim in the<br />
test facility and some engineers review the data on their<br />
computers. The test is over and the race team engineers<br />
have collected the performance data they needed on<br />
their race car. Sensitive compressed air pressure sensors<br />
(accurate to ±¼ lb.) have played a key role in measuring<br />
the performance of the race car. This is the type<br />
of race car testing going on at Windshear Inc., in<br />
Concord, North Carolina.<br />
Windshear Business Unit Manager Peter Zierhut<br />
said, “Our facility offers highly accurate, repeatable test<br />
data previously only available to a select few Formula 1<br />
teams, and never before available anywhere in North<br />
America.”<br />
Windshear Inc., is an independently operated division<br />
of California-based Haas Automation. Jacobs<br />
Technologies (a division of Jacobs Engineering) staffs<br />
and operates the facility. Jacobs Technology specializes<br />
in design, construction, and operation of wind tunnels<br />
for automotive and aerospace industries. In addition,<br />
when race teams bring their cars in for testing, they<br />
want to know that their performance data will remain<br />
confidential. “Security protocols developed by Jacobs<br />
Technologies guarantee the security of the data for our<br />
clients,” said Zierhut.<br />
Race teams are always looking for that extra edge<br />
which can mean the difference between victory and defeat.<br />
Demand for renting time at the testing facility in<br />
2009 is said to be strong with dozens of customers involved<br />
from top-level motorsports organizations in F1,<br />
NASCAR, and IndyCar as well as auto manufacturers.<br />
11 <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong><br />
The Windshear Single-Belt,<br />
180 mph, Rolling Road in<br />
Concord, North Carolina<br />
Commitment 12
Compressed Air Supports the Rolling Road<br />
The Windshear rolling-road is manufactured by MTS<br />
Systems. The Single Belt FlatTrac® Rolling Road is<br />
elevated dozens of feet off the ground. The stainless<br />
steel track is 10.5 feet wide by 29.5 feet long and<br />
1 mm thick. The track “sits” upon a cushion of 150 psi<br />
compressed air. A key piece of technology is in the<br />
revolutionary “through-the-belt” sensing system, which<br />
directly measures the aerodynamic downforce produced<br />
by the vehicle.<br />
A series of air bearings keep the track “rotating”<br />
on the cushion of compressed air. Nozzles within the<br />
air bearings are also able to create an 8 degree angle<br />
which simulates the conditions when taking a turn on<br />
the racetrack. Downforce is provided by the wind tunnel<br />
blowing air on the car. The fan is twenty two (22)<br />
feet in diameter and is powered by a 5,300 horsepower<br />
motor. The fan is capable of generating winds of over<br />
180 mph.<br />
Left to Right: Carl Kline (Haas CNC Racing) and Jim Bruce (<strong>Atlas</strong><br />
<strong>Copco</strong>) with the on-site oil-free rotary screw compressors at<br />
Windshear Inc.<br />
Extremely sensitive pressure sensors (tolerance of ¼<br />
lb.) are able to measure and record the amount of downforce<br />
on the car. The static downforce is created by the<br />
weight of the car and the dynamic downforce is created<br />
by the resistance of the wind on the different parts of<br />
the car. The pressure sensors can measure this “drag” in<br />
various track configurations to see how well the car will<br />
perform.<br />
“Windshear told us they would be testing 4,550 lb.<br />
race cars, traveling at 180 mph, into a Hurricane Category<br />
4 headwind, and that they wanted their pressure<br />
sensors to measure pressure to the accuracy of ±¼ lb.,”<br />
said Jim Bruce, then Vice President Eastern Region at<br />
<strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> who supplied the compressed air system.<br />
“We knew right then and there that we had to use Class<br />
Zero oil-free air compressors to protect the sensors.”<br />
Left to Right: Clinton Gentz (<strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong>), Brian Nelson (Windshear),<br />
and Jim Bruce (<strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong>) standing underneath the Rolling Road.<br />
Selecting the Class Zero Oil-Free<br />
Air Compressors<br />
The original specification stated “oil-lubricated compressors<br />
could be used if adequate oil removal filtration<br />
is provided - including oil vapor removal.” Clinton<br />
Gentz, <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong>’s Oil Free Air Sales Manager based<br />
in Charlotte said, “We were able to show Windshear<br />
and MTS that the integrity (pressure measurement) of<br />
the whole Windshear project would depend upon the<br />
proper function and maintenance of several air treatment<br />
components if an oil injected screw compressor<br />
was used.”<br />
Windshear agreed to eliminate the potential of any<br />
compressor oil contamination arriving on the crucial<br />
porous carbon air bearings. “They knew it would be<br />
costly and devastating, and that ISO 8573.1 Class Zero<br />
air compressors were the right solution for their<br />
process,” said Gentz.<br />
Oil-Free Rotary Screw vs Oil-Free<br />
Centrifugal Air Compressor<br />
After it was agreed that Class Zero air was required,<br />
the question became whether to use a rotary screw or a<br />
centrifugal air compressor. Carl Cline was tasked with<br />
purchasing the compressed air system which would<br />
allow the rolling road to function. “<strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> offers<br />
all the product technologies in question (lubricated<br />
screw, oil-free screw, and centrifugal compressors).<br />
We liked their unbiased product approach in advising us<br />
as to what the best system would be for Windshear. Our<br />
specification calls for 24/7 operation, 365 days a year.<br />
We also require that the air compressors provide ±1 psi<br />
tolerance of air pressure at the demanded air flow regardless<br />
of possible extreme temperature and humidity<br />
conditions.” It was also made clear that while the<br />
design spec called for full load capability during 8,760<br />
hours per year, it was expected to be an application with<br />
intermittent demand as the wind tunnel turned on and<br />
off during testing procedures.<br />
Dynamic (centrifugal) compressors are greatly<br />
affected by ambient and cooling water temperature.<br />
The performance of a centrifugal compressor is also<br />
diminished when forced to operate above its designed<br />
temperature conditions. Therefore, you must design a<br />
centrifugal compressor for the hottest expected ambient<br />
conditions to ensure adequate flow for the process in<br />
the summer months—which is fine until the colder fall<br />
and winter months come along. The colder temperatures<br />
cause the centrifugal to use more BHP thus creating<br />
more air flow which has to be “blown off” or<br />
wasted by venting it to atmosphere. The throttling<br />
range or partial load performance of a centrifugal compressor<br />
is limited to 15-20% of its full load capacity so<br />
when the demand is below the turndown range the air<br />
must be blown off in order to provide a constant<br />
delivery pressure.<br />
The selection of air-cooled compressors vs. water-cooled<br />
eliminated the potential consumption of 131.4 million gallons<br />
of water per year.<br />
13 <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong><br />
Commitment 14
Did You<br />
Know<br />
<strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> is located in<br />
over 160 countries.<br />
The Solution<br />
The <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> Z Series is a positive-displacement,<br />
oil-free, rotary screw air compressor. The installation is<br />
made up of two ZT250 air-cooled machines which provide<br />
the base-load air. Fluctuations in demand are taken<br />
care of by a ZT315 VSD (Variable Speed Drive) air<br />
compressor. With positive displacement compressors,<br />
brake horsepower (BHP) will remain nearly constant<br />
summer to winter. Yet in the winter, the screw compressor<br />
will deliver significantly more mass flow while<br />
maintaining BHP nearly constant. In other words,<br />
being a positive displacement compressor, the rotary<br />
screw compressor’s energy is only slightly effected by<br />
changes in air temperature. The Variable Speed Drive<br />
(with partial load control down to 30% of full load)<br />
matches the required demand and efficiently provides<br />
constant pressure delivery within ±1 psig.<br />
In addition, by offering air cooled air compressors,<br />
the installation costs were greatly reduced by not requiring<br />
additional cooling water capacity and piping. This<br />
was very appealing to the Windshear project team and<br />
allowed them to size a smaller cooling water system for<br />
the overall project. The smaller cooling system provided<br />
initial cost savings as well as overall operational<br />
cost savings by reducing the required cooling water<br />
flow by 250 gallons-per-minute (gpm). The system design<br />
specification calls for 8,760 hours of operation per<br />
year. This equates to 131.4 million gallons of water<br />
saved per year, simply by choosing an air-cooled air<br />
compressor. “We were able to save significant installation<br />
cost by not having to install water cooling systems<br />
here at Windshear, ” said Tom Eshelman, Compressor<br />
Center Manager for <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> in Winston-Salem.<br />
Conclusion<br />
Windshear Inc., is open for business and uniquely<br />
positioned in the North American market. The compressed<br />
air systems are up and running and the rolling<br />
road measurement systems are working perfectly. Race<br />
cars are running at 180 mph and engineers are measuring<br />
“yaw” and its effects on the dynamic downforce on<br />
the car. Quietly and efficiently, compressed air continues<br />
to play a key role with new technologies and<br />
applications.<br />
For more information please contact Compressed<br />
Air Best Practices, email: rod@airbestpractices.com,<br />
www.airbestpractices.com<br />
Left to Right: Robert and Tom Eshelman (<strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong>) supervised<br />
the installation and perform the scheduled maintenance on the<br />
compressed air system.<br />
Windshear, Inc.<br />
Windshear Inc., is an independently operated division of California-based Haas Automation.<br />
Jacobs Technologies (a division of Jacobs Engineering) staffs and operates the facility.<br />
Jacobs Technology specializes in design, construction, and operation of wind tunnels for<br />
automotive and aerospace industries.<br />
www.windshearinc.com<br />
15 <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong><br />
Commitment 16
The GX11-FF compressed air system offers the legendary power and reliability of <strong>Atlas</strong><br />
<strong>Copco</strong> rotary screw compressors in an integrated package that is sized and equipped<br />
for small and medium sized industrial applications.<br />
Growing a Woman-Owned<br />
Auto Body Business Using<br />
The Power of Air<br />
Automobiles move.<br />
The environment in which they move contains objects moving<br />
in different directions at different rates of speed, and other<br />
objects that aren't moving at all. Even with rules governing<br />
what can move when, where and how fast, the predictable<br />
outcome of all this movement is occasional collisions.<br />
Fortunately, most of the damage resulting from<br />
everyday vehicle collisions can be repaired, and vehicles<br />
can be refinished to look and drive like new. Auto body<br />
repair businesses apply skilled work forces and specialized<br />
equipment to straighten bent bodies, remove dents,<br />
replace parts that cannot be fixed, and repaint surfaces.<br />
One basic resource found in practically every auto<br />
body facility is compressed air. It is used to operate<br />
pneumatic tools (such as air flanges, air nibblers, and air<br />
sanders), to blow dust off surfaces, and to apply primer,<br />
pigmented paint, and clear-coat finish.<br />
The quality of compressed air used in the painting<br />
process has a direct influence on the outcome of a paint<br />
job. If impurities such as fine particulate, moisture, or<br />
lubricating oil carry over into the compressed air, the<br />
quality of the finish can suffer from bubbles, spots or<br />
other faults. The increasing use by auto body shops of<br />
waterborne paints – whether by choice or to comply<br />
with environmental regulations – raises the issue of<br />
compressed air quality to an even higher level.<br />
Considering their scale, auto body shops are large<br />
users of compressed air. Even so, auto body shops and<br />
other light industries have traditionally settled for inefficient<br />
and noisy piston compressors, typically because<br />
they are often the low-cost option at the time of purchase.<br />
Trouble is, they cost much more to operate than<br />
more sophisticated compressors that use rotary screw<br />
technology. Since energy is the most expensive component<br />
in the production of compressed air, any<br />
savings realized when purchasing a piston compressor<br />
is quickly eaten away by higher operating costs.<br />
Piston-type compressors have other shortcomings<br />
for auto body applications. The basic design of the<br />
compression element means that lubricating oil carries<br />
through to the process air more than is the case with a<br />
rotary screw compressor. Oil carry over is something to<br />
avoid in general, but for a painting operation it’s crucial.<br />
Simply put, getting oil downstream into the paint lines<br />
can ruin a paint job.<br />
As energy costs account for a growing share of the<br />
cost of doing business and as customers demand higher<br />
standards of quality in auto body services, the owners of<br />
auto body businesses are paying closer attention to their<br />
compressed air systems. Sandra Chaney, owner of Pat’s<br />
Auto Body in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is an<br />
auto body shop owner whose success in business<br />
brought the issue of efficient, high quality compressed<br />
air to the forefront.<br />
“When I recently expanded into our newest building,”<br />
Sandra says, “I started researching upgrading our<br />
three existing air compressors. They were all older piston<br />
machines and the maintenance was getting expensive.<br />
I asked my paint distributor for advice and he told<br />
me about screw compressors. I had never heard of this<br />
type. He said they were more energy efficient than<br />
piston compressors and quieter, too.”<br />
17 <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong><br />
Commitment 18
Did You<br />
Know<br />
<strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> has joined the United Nations<br />
Global Compact, the world's largest voluntary<br />
corporate responsibility initiative.<br />
A chance encounter at a neighboring business led to<br />
a solution for Sandra's compressed air needs. “It’s interesting<br />
how some sales opportunities come about,” Mike<br />
Brown explains. (Mike is a Sales Representative with<br />
Carolina Compressor Center in Winston-Salem, North<br />
Carolina.) “My boss Robert Eshelman was picking up<br />
swimming pool chemicals one Saturday and learned<br />
that Pat’s Body Shop, a business located behind his pool<br />
supplier, was expanding. He left me a message that<br />
Saturday and I dropped by the following Monday.<br />
This turned out to be great timing as they were indeed<br />
expanding and were interested in replacing their old<br />
piston compressors.”<br />
Sandra picks up the storyline. “When Mike Brown<br />
called me I was already talking to some other manufacturers,<br />
but he came over right away and was extremely<br />
helpful. I ended up getting prices from four suppliers.<br />
<strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> was the second highest price, but Mike<br />
spent a lot of time with me discussing the advantages of<br />
rotary screw technology. He convinced me that his<br />
product was the highest quality and most energy efficient<br />
of all four units I was looking at. I was especially<br />
pleased that it was the most energy efficient since we<br />
are working to make our operation more ‘green.’”<br />
Sandra bought a 15 hp <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> GX-11-FF compressed<br />
air system. GX series systems include an energy<br />
efficient rotary screw compressor, refrigerated<br />
dryer, and coalescing filter in a compact, quiet, all-inone<br />
package. It has a minimum footprint, which frees<br />
up valuable floor area for other equipment or workspace.<br />
The pre-piped tank-mounted design provides<br />
for simple and economical installation – often as simple<br />
as connecting to electrical power and to the facility’s<br />
air piping system. Sandra had her plumber install an<br />
airloop system with galvanized piping to deliver air to<br />
points of use.<br />
“Even with a filtration system,” says Mike, “the old<br />
piston compressors at Pat’s Auto Body couldn't get all<br />
the oil out of the system and there was no refrigerant<br />
dryer to remove moisture. <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> offers superior<br />
filtration and an onboard refrigerant dryer to provide the<br />
high quality air needed to spray a high quality paint job.<br />
The old compressors were noisy, too, which was a big<br />
deal since they had to run continuously to provide<br />
enough air for the shop. The <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> compressors<br />
are much quieter, plus they can go into energy-saving<br />
sleep mode when demand drops and then restart automatically<br />
when demand rises.”<br />
Smart business investments like these are driving<br />
quality improvements and energy savings, helping Sandra<br />
to continue expanding Pat's Auto Body. She has 31<br />
employees, and according to statistics compiled by PPG<br />
Industries Automotive Paint Division, her business is<br />
one of just three 100% female owned body shops in the<br />
U.S. with more than $2 million in sales.<br />
Pat's Auto Body is a family business that's been in<br />
operation since 1954, and Sandra became the sole<br />
owner in 2001. The business currently has four buildings<br />
and Sandra plans to take over two more in the near<br />
future. “I want to offer my customers the option to have<br />
minor repair work done while their cars are here for<br />
body work,” she says. “Customers like this because of<br />
the convenience of not having to drop the car off at another<br />
repair shop.”<br />
Her satisfaction with her <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> compressor led<br />
her to purchase another GX11-FF and a 10 hp GX7-FF<br />
for her body shop operations. She plans to buy a 7.5 hp<br />
GX5-FF for the clean-up and detailing operation. With<br />
her <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> compressors on the job for many<br />
months now, Sandra can share her experience. “The<br />
quietness of the <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> compressors is superb. I<br />
was so glad to get rid of that noise from the piston compressors.<br />
You just don't realize what a difference it<br />
makes for the work environment. I am also very<br />
pleased with the power savings. We moved part of my<br />
operation into a larger building with two additional air<br />
conditioning units, but because of the energy efficiency<br />
of the new air compressor, my power bill for that building<br />
has gone down by about $600 each month. That's<br />
over $7,000 of savings per year, and that will pay for the<br />
compressor with power savings in less than one year!”<br />
In a sense, the benefits of lower noise and lower operating<br />
cost are a bonus, since the primary concern for an<br />
auto body business is a reliable source of high quality<br />
compressed air. “No matter how well you apply paint,”<br />
Mike Brown contends, “impurities in your compressed<br />
air supply can turn a great deal of labor and materials<br />
into expensive waste and unhappy customers.”<br />
GX series compressed air systems<br />
include a coalescing filter and integrated<br />
refrigerant dryer which remove<br />
impurities and moisture from<br />
the compressed air, ensuring a supply<br />
of clean, dry air at all times. This is<br />
particularly important for auto body<br />
repair shops, which rely on compressed<br />
air for many purposes,<br />
most importantly applying paint.<br />
Clean, dry air plays an even more important role in<br />
the application of waterborne paints. As environmental<br />
laws governing release of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds)<br />
get more and more strict, working with waterborne<br />
paints is something every auto body business will<br />
have to contend with in the future. Those with an eye<br />
toward the future can make a difference today by investing<br />
in compressed air systems that use energy efficient<br />
rotary screw technology.<br />
The GX series also features advanced<br />
sound dampening that results in operating<br />
sound levels of only 61 to 68 dB(A), much<br />
lower than piston compressors with similar<br />
output. Reducing sound levels creates<br />
a more comfortable work environment.<br />
Paint Requires High Quality Air<br />
Pat’s Auto Body knows, no matter how well you<br />
apply paint, impurities in your compressed air<br />
supply will ruin a paint job. Clean, dry air is even<br />
more important with waterborne paints.<br />
<strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> has your solution. Our GX Full Feature<br />
compressed air systems include an energy efficient<br />
rotary screw compressor, refrigerated dryer,<br />
and coalescing filter in a compact, quiet,<br />
all-in-one package.<br />
19 <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong><br />
Commitment 20
Significant changes in the body core temperature can cause conditions ranging from<br />
mild weakness and fatigue to decreased athletic performance to coma and even death.<br />
To reduce these risks, the TMS system delivers cool, compressed air to airflow channels<br />
embedded in shoulder pads. The cool air flows across the chest and back of the<br />
player, cooling core body temperature and reducing the risk of heat stroke.<br />
Temperature Management System<br />
An Innovative Shoulder Pad System<br />
Cools Football Players with ...<br />
Compressed<br />
Air<br />
Bill Bates played for the Dallas Cowboys for 15 years,<br />
as safety, linebacker and on special teams, earning three<br />
Super Bowl rings along the way. He coached with the<br />
Cowboys for 5 years, and for another year with the Jacksonville<br />
Jaguars. He left the pros to coach football at<br />
Nease High School in Florida, where the team included<br />
his own sons as well as Tim Tebow, who went on to win a<br />
Heisman Trophy and two national championships at the<br />
University of Florida. Bill knows a thing or two about football.<br />
Today, he is involved with a revolutionary product that<br />
protects football players from heat related illness,<br />
on the practice field and on game day.<br />
From Pee Wees to the NFL, the game of football<br />
places extreme physical demands on players. It’s the<br />
nature of the game for football players to continually<br />
push themselves to higher limits of strength, stamina<br />
and performance. Training for the fall season typically<br />
begins in the heat of summer, and across America<br />
games are played in hot weather. Coaches and trainers<br />
do their best to keep players cool with fluids, shade and<br />
rest, but effectively cooling players’ bodies is a challenge<br />
because the helmets, pads and gloves players<br />
wear drastically reduce the effectiveness of the body’s<br />
natural temperature regulation through perspiration.<br />
A rise in core body temperature is associated with a<br />
decline in athletic performance, but preventing players<br />
from overheating is much more important. It can be a<br />
matter of life or death. According to an annual report<br />
published by the University of North Carolina, 33 football<br />
players have died from heat stroke since 1995.<br />
Heat related illness is second only to head injuries as<br />
a cause of death among athletes in the United States.<br />
Tragedy Leads to Action<br />
In 2001, a University of Florida player collapsed during<br />
practice and died of complications from heat stroke.<br />
This tragedy led the University to puts its intellectual<br />
resources to work in search of a solution.<br />
“Physicians and scientists from the University of<br />
Florida immediately began researching a means to prevent<br />
heat stroke in football players,” according to Bill<br />
Bates. “Researchers determined that the air temperature<br />
under a football player’s shoulder pads often reached<br />
dangerously high levels, leading to severe dehydration.<br />
Players frequently remove their helmets to cool down,<br />
but this only fools their bodies into thinking that they’re<br />
cooler. In fact their core body temperature remains<br />
dangerously elevated. In looking for solutions,<br />
researchers found that they could reduce the body’s core<br />
temperature by passing cool air over strategic areas of<br />
the player’s shoulders and back.”<br />
A Revolutionary Idea<br />
Dr. Nikolaus Gravenstein of the University of Florida<br />
developed the concept of a pad that players could wear<br />
to enable this method of cooling with air. This concept<br />
was brought to Fred Williams of Williams Sports<br />
Group, LLC of Jacksonville, Florida, who has invented<br />
numerous protective designs used by NFL and college<br />
football programs. “Fred Williams developed an air<br />
flow channel system built into the protective cushion of<br />
an existing shoulder pad,” Bill explains. "The system<br />
was field tested by University of Florida research scientists.<br />
In short, it worked.”<br />
This revolutionary system is called the Temperature<br />
Management System, or TMS. With TMS, cool, dry air<br />
is blown under pressure into a tube on the back of the<br />
player's shoulder pads and through the airflow channel<br />
system. This distributes the cool air onto the shoulders<br />
and back, lowering a player's core body temperature to<br />
prevent it from rising to dangerous levels. (This air-cooling<br />
technology also has applications beyond football,<br />
including for the military, bomb squads, mascots,<br />
and more.)<br />
A Business Venture<br />
When Bill began coaching a new freshmen team at<br />
Nease High School, he went to Williams Sports Group<br />
of Jacksonville, Florida, to source protective gear for his<br />
team. It was there that Fred Williams introduced him to a<br />
new shoulder pad product being used by the University of<br />
Florida. Bill immediately recognized the potential of the air<br />
cooled shoulder pads for players and teams at all levels.<br />
21 <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong><br />
Commitment 22
Did You<br />
Know<br />
<strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> just celebrated their<br />
136th anniversary.<br />
To take this potential to market, Bill, Fred and Melvin<br />
Carter became business partners in TMS Sports. “The<br />
University of Florida owns the patent on the air-cooling<br />
system,” Bill explains, “and Williams Sports Group has<br />
the exclusive rights to sell the technology through TMS<br />
Sports.”<br />
Bill is hard at work getting this important system into<br />
the hands of football programs at all levels nationwide.<br />
“The NFL’s league office needed us to explain the benefits<br />
of the TMS system in order to approve its use in the<br />
League,” Bill says, “so the NFL gave the University of<br />
Florida a grant to study it and determine whether it’s<br />
medically beneficial. The University of Florida finished<br />
the study summer 2008 and found that the TMS system<br />
effectively cools the core body temperature significantly<br />
and keeps the body’s core temperature from rising to<br />
potentially dangerous levels.” (See sidebar for a summary<br />
of UF findings.)<br />
Working with the NFL<br />
The Green Bay Packers were the first team in the<br />
NFL to use the TMS system. (In case you're wondering,<br />
it also can be configured with heated air to warm players<br />
– an advantage if you play in Green Bay!) Today the<br />
Miami Dolphins own a TMS system. The Dallas Cowboys,<br />
Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts and<br />
Houston Texans use the system as well. It was featured<br />
on Monday Night Football, which introduced air-cooled<br />
shoulder pads to football fans all over.<br />
The NFL still has some issues to work through<br />
regarding the TMS system, notably whether its use<br />
constitutes an unfair advantage. When the Indianapolis<br />
Colts played the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI in<br />
Miami in 2007, the Colts had been using a TMS system<br />
all season. The Bears had not, and the NFL ruled that<br />
the Colts couldn’t use their TMS system in the Super<br />
Bowl. “The NFL is going to review the system during<br />
this off season and make a ruling for usage in the future,”<br />
according to Bill. “Our goal is to get TMS systems,<br />
complete with air compressors, in every NFL<br />
23 <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong><br />
stadium. We want to make the system a permanent<br />
fixture in every stadium.”<br />
In college football, the University of Florida, UCLA,<br />
South Carolina and Georgia Southern are among early<br />
adopters of the TMS system. Three high schools in<br />
Florida own systems, and a lot of teams are renting.<br />
Air – Lots of Air<br />
In addition to new air-cooled shoulder pads or<br />
retrofitting of existing pads, the TMS system includes a<br />
custom cooler, a high-efficiency air compressor, a manifold,<br />
and tubes and fittings for distributing cool air to<br />
multiple players at once.<br />
“At the time when we were getting TMS off the<br />
ground, one big issue was getting the right air compressor,”<br />
says Bill. “It’s really the backbone of the system.<br />
When a football player is connected, the system replaces<br />
the air across his chest and back over 100 times<br />
a minute. To move that much air, you need to produce<br />
compressed air at 8 to 10 cubic feet per minute per<br />
player. Remember, TMS is designed to take care of 12<br />
players, maybe more, all at once. We sourced the idea to<br />
<strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> in Houston, and they were kind enough to<br />
let us borrow a compressor for testing.”<br />
"The cool, dry air used during the COOL sessions<br />
decreased the core body temperature of the research<br />
participants at specific time points leading to a positive<br />
impact on other measured parameters. The results<br />
suggest that the use of cool, dry air can potentially<br />
help decrease the risk of heat related illnesses in<br />
football players."<br />
Discussion & Conclusion from Intermittent Cold and Dry<br />
Air Underneath Football Shoulder Pads as a Method to<br />
Assist in Temperature Homeostasis: Evaluation of<br />
Efficacy, by:<br />
Enrique D Escobar, MS, University of Florida College<br />
of Medicine<br />
Kathryn LuCante, MS, University of Florida Department<br />
of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation<br />
Samsun Lampotang, PhD, University of Florida<br />
Department of Anesthesiology<br />
Sedat T Aydog, MD, University of Florida Department<br />
of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation<br />
William Schwab, PhD, University of Florida Department<br />
of Anesthesiology<br />
Nikolaus Gravenstein, MD, University of Florida<br />
Department of Anesthesiology<br />
MaryBeth Horodyski, EdD, University of Florida<br />
Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation<br />
The air compressors being offered in conjunction with<br />
the TMS system are <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> GA WorkPlace Full<br />
Feature compressed air systems. These are electrically<br />
powered, plug-and-play systems designed for industrial<br />
use. They include the air compressor, tank, filter and<br />
dryer all integrated into one compact cabinet. <strong>Atlas</strong><br />
<strong>Copco</strong> offers GA compressed air systems in a wide range<br />
of sizes to address the needs of different applications.<br />
With the GA at work, clean, dry air leaves the compressor<br />
under pressure and is routed through a network<br />
of copper pipes immersed in an ice bath inside a<br />
custom-made cooler. As the air circulates through the<br />
copper pipes, its temperature drops significantly. The<br />
air delivered to the players’ shoulder pads can be 30 or<br />
even 40 degrees (F) cooler than the outside air, resulting<br />
in the desired cooling effect.<br />
Prospects Look Good<br />
Currently, Bill is working with the Miami Dolphins<br />
to get an air compressor for the visitor's sideline. “This<br />
off-season we hope to learn the NFL’s ruling on the<br />
TMS system from the competitive standpoint,” he<br />
explains. “<strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> is helping us to develop<br />
compressor specs for the system and will partner<br />
in testing for the NFL.”<br />
Word is spreading, and by all accounts the Temperature<br />
Management System air cooled shoulder pad<br />
system accomplishes its objective of protecting football<br />
players from the potential danger of heat stress illness.<br />
And that’s cool.<br />
Temperature Management System<br />
Fo more information about the Temperature Management System:<br />
email Bill Bates at:<br />
Bbates0000@aol.com<br />
Q. What does TMS stand for<br />
A. Temperature Management System.<br />
Q. What is it<br />
A. A system that reduces the core body temperature<br />
of football players by delivering cool air<br />
through their shoulder pads.<br />
Q. Why was this invented<br />
A. To help fight heat stress illness and possible<br />
fatalities in football players, which occurs much<br />
too often.<br />
Q. Who invented it<br />
A. Medical doctors and research scientists from<br />
the University of Florida Research Foundation<br />
developed the concept; Fred Williams from<br />
Williams Sports Group developed the airflow<br />
channel for use in commercially available<br />
shoulder pads.<br />
Q. Is the medical data available from the<br />
University of Florida Research Foundation<br />
A. Yes. It can be accessed through<br />
www.footballshoulderpads.com under<br />
the TMS tab.<br />
Q. Is the system already in use<br />
A. Yes, the TMS system is commercially available<br />
through TMS Sports and is being used in<br />
every level of football – from Pee Wee Football<br />
to the NFL – in practice, scrimmage, and game<br />
settings.<br />
Q. Is the TMS system easy to use<br />
A. Yes. Set up and take down requires just minutes.<br />
Q. How much manpower is needed to operate<br />
the system<br />
A. During a game it usually requires someone<br />
behind each bench to connect and disconnect<br />
players as they come and go.<br />
Q. What shoulder pads is TMS available with<br />
A. TMS has been incorporated into the Douglas<br />
Custom Pro and Riddell Power Shoulder Pads.<br />
Existing pads can be retrofitted.<br />
Commitment 24
Save Money While Maximizing Compressed Air Productivity:<br />
Top 10 Tips from a World Leading Compressor Manufacturer<br />
Where to Start Measure.<br />
You can’t build a cost saving strategy around unknowns, so begin by measuring your compressed<br />
air system’s energy consumption, flow rates and operating air pressure. This will provide baseline<br />
values, help to identify problem areas and compute actual cost savings from any improvements you<br />
make. A great way to analyze a compressed air system is to draw a pressure profile that shows the<br />
pressure drops through a system. These pressure measurements give feedback for control adjustments,<br />
determine pressure drops across components, and help to determine system operating<br />
pressures. Ask your <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> representative to show you how.<br />
5<br />
6<br />
7<br />
Check Drains. Are your condensate drains stuck open<br />
Condensate drains on timers should be adjusted periodically to ensure they open as<br />
intended and aren’t stuck open. Better yet, replace timer drains with zero-loss drains to<br />
stop wasting compressed air.<br />
Review Piping Infrastructure. Many systems aren’t optimized.<br />
Your piping system design should optimize transfer of compressed air at the desired flow and<br />
pressure to the point of use. Increasing the size of your pipe from 2” to 3” can reduce pressure<br />
drop up to 50%. Shortening the distance air has to travel can further reduce pressure<br />
drops by about 20-40%. The more flow you try to put through a pipe the greater the pressure<br />
drop will be. Pressure drop in a pipe increases with the square of the increase in flow.<br />
For example, if you triple the flow, the pressure drop will increase nine times what is was!<br />
Air distribution piping should be large enough in diameter to minimize pressure drop.<br />
Change Filters Systematically. Not every once in a while.<br />
Just as you change oil in your car at scheduled intervals to ensure optimum performance,<br />
change filters in your air compressor and air system regularly to ensure air quality and to<br />
prevent pressure drops. Inspect and replace filters systematically to ensure the quality of<br />
your air. Go beyond the air compressor and compressor room. There are several air line and<br />
point of use filters within your facility. Those are just as important to maintain as the air compressor<br />
and air compressor room filters.<br />
1<br />
2<br />
Turn It Off. Set your machines to switch off nights and weekends.<br />
There are 168 hours in a week, but most compressed air systems only run between 60-100<br />
hours at anything near full capacity. Depending on your shift pattern, turning your<br />
compressors off evenings and weekends could reduce your energy bills up to 20%.<br />
Fix Existing Leaks. Start with the oldest and biggest pipes.<br />
A quarter-inch air leak at 100 psi costs more than $2,500 a year! Pipe systems older than five<br />
years can have leaks of up to 25%. You must spend money to compress air, so air that leaks<br />
out is money wasted. Fix leaks, save money. A word of caution here is that around 80% of air<br />
leaks are not audible and so to really minimize these problems, third party help in detecting<br />
these is a necessity.<br />
8<br />
9<br />
Recover Heat. Compressing air generates heat – reuse it!<br />
It’s simple physics that compressing air gives off heat, and you can recover as much as 90%<br />
of the heat for use in your operation. For example, you can produce hot water for washrooms<br />
or direct warm air into a workspace, warehouse, loading dock, or entryway. The savings can<br />
really add up!<br />
Emphasize Proper Maintenance. Ignoring maintenance costs more.<br />
As with most industrial machinery, a compressor runs more efficiently when properly maintained.<br />
Proper compressor maintenance cuts energy costs around 1% and helps prevent<br />
breakdowns that result in downtime and lost production. Protect your reputation and profits<br />
with proper maintenance.<br />
3<br />
4<br />
Prevent New Leaks. Dry and clean your compressed air.<br />
Prevention beats cure, so be proactive and look inside your piping system. A clean, dry pipe<br />
means you have good quality air and should have no corrosion issues. Dust in the pipe is<br />
caused by particles in your air. If you don’t filter it, or if your filter is clogged, you’ll have pressure<br />
drops and increase the risk of contaminating your end product. Sludge in the pipe is bad<br />
news and must be fixed immediately. In addition to the problems that occur with dust in the<br />
pipe, your pipes will corrode very quickly (if you see sludge it’s likely started already) and<br />
leaks will greatly increase. Dried and filtered compressed air keeps piping clean.<br />
Reduce Pressure. Run at required pressures, not beyond.<br />
Each 2 psig reduction cuts energy consumption 1%. Check the pressure your system is<br />
running and don’t keep turning up the pressure to compensate for leaks or drops in pressure<br />
due to piping problems or clogged filters. Fix these issues and the chances are you can drop<br />
the pressure. A central supply side controller can greatly reduce the operational pressure<br />
band and orchestrate air production much more efficiently and effectively.<br />
10<br />
Stop inappropriate use of compressed air. Cut these to save even more.<br />
Inappropriate uses of compressed air include any application that can be done more effectively<br />
or more efficiently by a method other than compressed air. For example, often high<br />
pressure air is used for cooling or applications where much lower air pressure is effective.<br />
For a free copy of <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong>’s 156-page Compressed Air Best Practices Guide, please send an email<br />
to paul.humphreys@us.atlascopco.com. Put “Manual” in the subject line and provide your delivery<br />
address in the body of the mail. We’ll send you a copy with our compliments.<br />
Did you know<br />
• If your existing compressor is running at less than, say, 65% of capacity, a smaller one could pay for<br />
itself in 18-24 months on average. If your compressor is more than 10 years old, cost savings with<br />
today’s compressor technology could result in a pay back of 18-24 months on average. A compressor<br />
that is both smaller and using today’s technology could pay for itself even faster.<br />
• The most expensive component in the total cost of compressed air is energy. In fact, over the<br />
lifespan of a typical compressor, energy typically costs several times more than the purchase price<br />
of the compressor. Maximizing energy efficiency saves you money.<br />
25 <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong><br />
Commitment 26
Spend Less For Compressed Air.<br />
Let <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> Show You How.<br />
<strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> offers a specialized, one-day energy management seminar focusing exclusively on<br />
compressed air systems. Now you can learn about your compressed air system’s true cost—and<br />
how to reduce it.<br />
Compressed air is one of the most expensive uses of energy in a manufacturing setting, yet many<br />
facilities are not aware of the true costs of their compressed air system – and the many ways this<br />
cost can be reduced. <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong>’s one day energy management seminar focuses on real ways<br />
you can change your compressed air system to reduce energy consumption and therefore save<br />
money. Attendees leave armed with real-world knowledge to apply to your compressed air system<br />
to improve reliability, protect production, cut energy consumption, and save money.<br />
If you have an product application story you would like share<br />
with our readers please contact:<br />
Paul Humphreys at paul.humphreys@us.atlascopco.com<br />
or Holly Boutot-Lalonde at holly.boutot-lalonde@us.atlascopco.com<br />
About <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong><br />
Satisfying customer needs with<br />
ground-breaking integrated compressed<br />
air technology, quality air<br />
accessories and 24/7 service support<br />
enhanced with remote monitoring<br />
tools positions <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> as a<br />
leading global compressor manufacturer.<br />
Our unwavering commitment<br />
is to be First in Mind – First in Choice ®<br />
for all your compressed air<br />
requirements.<br />
Who Should Attend<br />
Managers and engineers responsible for maintenance, plant,<br />
facility, energy, environment or quality – and anyone involved<br />
with your compressed air system.<br />
Topics Covered<br />
• True cost of compressed air<br />
• Reducing plant air demand<br />
• Eliminating artificial demand<br />
• Benefits of compressed air storage<br />
• Choosing the correct air piping system<br />
• Compressor controls<br />
• Variable speed drive technology<br />
• Heat recovery<br />
• Energy savings technologies<br />
Date Location Phone Number Contact<br />
May 20 Seattle, WA 206-244-3818 John Scofield<br />
Sept 16 Commerce, CA 323-722-6603 Bruce Lidie<br />
Oct 27 Tampa, FL 904-636-8555 Mark Steven<br />
www.atlascopco.us<br />
866-344-4887<br />
<strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> Compressors LLC<br />
1800 Overview Drive<br />
Rock Hill, SC 29730<br />
© 2009 <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> Compressors LLC<br />
27 <strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong>
<strong>Atlas</strong> <strong>Copco</strong> Compressors LLC<br />
1800 Overview Drive<br />
Rock Hill, SC 29730<br />
We are commited to your superior productivity<br />
through interaction and innovation