Savings of up to $360 thousand per year due to replacement of centrifugal compressors in the heat and power shop of Ilyich Iron and Steel Works of Mariupol

In early 2020, Dalgakiran Compressor Ukraine LLC completed another project to modernize compressor equipment at one of Ukraine’s largest steelmaking companies, Ilyich Iron and Steel Works of Mariupol.

Two K-500 turbochargers with a capacity of 500^m3/min each were in operation in the compressor room CTC-2 of the metallurgical plant’s heat and power shop. The equipment was used to produce compressed air and supply it to the plant-wide network to maintain system pressure. Centrifugal compressors designed in the 60s of the last century are significantly inferior to the energy efficiency of modern equipment. The high specific power consumption and the lack of a performance control system led to irrational electricity consumption by the heat and power shop.

To supply the same volume of compressed air to the company’s pneumatic network, Dalgakiran specialists proposed using three TRX-170/1700 centrifugal compressors manufactured by IHI-DALGAKIRAN (Japan-Turkey). The delivered turbo compressors with a capacity of 345^m3/min each consume 5100 kW of electricity in total, which is 20% less than the consumption of the old compressor equipment.

The main advantages of the installed IHI-DALGAKIRAN TRX-170/1700 turbochargers:

• Low specific power consumption and high energy efficiency. The TRX series turbochargers are considered to be among the most energy-efficient in the class of centrifugal compressors.
• The ability to flexibly adjust the capacity depending on the current needs of the enterprise without discharging compressed air into the atmosphere.
• High quality, oil-free compressed air (ISO8573-1 Class 0).
• Equipment reliability. Currently, more than 8,000 IHI-DALGAKIRAN centrifugal compressors are in operation at enterprises around the world.
• Built-in system for remote monitoring and control of turbochargers.

The replacement of the equipment not only reduced energy consumption but also optimized and simplified the workflow. The compressor room operators were able to monitor the status and parameters of the units remotely from their offices, as well as control the operation of the compressors and cooling system.

After installation of the equipment and commissioning, we can confidently say that the installed IHI-DALGAKIRAN turbochargers have fully met the customer’s objectives. As a result of the commissioning of three energy-efficient compressors, electricity savings in February amounted to 654.5 thousand kWh, and in monetary terms – more than UAH 1 million. In total, the company expects to save up to USD 360 thousand in 2020.

Project manager: Artur Velev