Leading New Zealand Food Science Facility Relies On ELGi’s AB Series To Deliver Oil-Free ‘Class 0’ Compressed Air

* Turnkey solution delivers 100 per cent oil-free compressed air in compliance with ISO 8573-1 ‘Class 0’ to facility shared by New Zealand research providers.

ELGi Equipments, one of the world’s leading air compressor manufacturers, together with its authorised partner Compressed Air Controls, have provided a complete oil-free ‘Class 0’ turnkey compressed air system solution to a new food science facility jointly operated by a trio of leading New Zealand research providers.

A dedicated supply of 100 per cent oil-free compressed air was required in the recent development of the facility Te Ohu Rangahau Kai, which is shared by Massey University, AgResearch and the Riddet Institute, and is situated on the university’s Manawat? campus in Palmerston North. The new facility includes over 1,800 m2 of research laboratory space that houses a range of hi-tech food science analytical equipment including mass spectrometers. Mass spectrometers require high-purity nitrogen to analyse chemical molecules in food. Delivered by a nitrogen generator, the compressed air supply for the nitrogen generator needed to be 100% oil-free and certified ‘Class 0’ in compliance with ISO 8573-1.

To find the right solution to meet these stringent requirements, Massey University contacted long-standing compressed air partner Compressed Air Controls, one of ELGi’s authorised partners. Steve Carran, Territory Manager at Compressed Air Controls, said, “We designed a complete skid-mounted turnkey solution, including an ELGi AB37 oil-free screw air compressor and an Airmate EGRD200 refrigerated air dryer complete with downstream filtration, and full stainless steel air lines to meet their needs.”

Keith Harvey, Project Manager at Massey University, said, "It was essential that the compressed air supply for the nitrogen system used in the mass spectrometers was certified Class 0, eliminating the risk of oil contamination. The AB series from ELGi promised to meet these requirements with minimal environmental impact, which also aligned well with our environmental sustainability goals. In addition, we required a highly reliable compressed air system and the assurance of local service backup. The recently installed ELGi turnkey compressed air solution, and Compressed Air Control's expert service and support is meeting our expectations."

Installed in September 2022, the ELGi AB series was particularly suited to meet AgResearch’s requirements on account of:

ZERO PROCESS CONTAMINATION: a 100 per cent oil-free compressed air solution, certified ‘Class 0’ in compliance with ISO 8573-1 and ISO 8573-7 and manufactured in an ISO 22000 factory, producing high-quality air, free of microbiological contaminants.

LOW LIFECYCLE COSTS: efficient airend with best-in-class performance and optimal system configuration in single-stage operation.

LOW MAINTENANCE COST: enhanced life and performance of the compressor due to fewer moving parts at low operating speeds.

HIGH RELIABILITY: engineered to deliver maximum uptime and availability, backed up with ongoing service support provided by ELGi’s authorised partner CAC.

LOW CARBON FOOTPRINT: minimal environmental impact due to superior efficiency and zero mineral oil residue.

Ramesh Ponnuswami, Executive Director, ELGi OSEA, said, “ELGi’s AB series represents a real disruption in oil-free compressed air technology for sensitive industrial applications that not only demand 100 per cent oil-free compressed air in compliance with ISO 8573-1, but want to achieve high reliability and high efficiency with low cost of ownership and minimal environmental impact. We are delighted to have supplied an AB series oil-free screw air compressor to this new food science facility, and to be a small part of the new Te Ohu Rangahai Kai building, one of the largest agricultural food research centres in New Zealand.”