man in blue with helmet

Edition 02/15

Article and Compact News

Our AERZEN customer journal "AERZEN com.press" will provide you with detailed information at regular intervals about our company, our products and application solutions.

Article

With AERZEN on the safe side

Solutions according to ATEX directives

From chemistry to process technology, the number of applications included in EU-wide directives for explosion protection is growing. On the basis of experience acquired over several decades, AERZEN offers an extensive and cost-effective product portfolio for maximum safety.

The EU directives for explosion protection play an important role, among others, in the chemical industry. AERZEN always offers suitable solutions with its products.
Horst-Ulrik Schwarz, Product manager single-stage compressors AERZEN: "As far as ATEX is concerned, no risks should be taken. Our customers can rely on the know-how that AERZEN has acquired over the decades. Analysis of the situation, comprehensive advice and perfect translation into action are our strengths."
Explosion protection badge on a Delta Blower GM3S
Refineries also rely on explosion-proof AERZEN products.

ATEX (French: “ATmosphère EX- plosible”) is the name of a Europe- an directive for devices and protection systems used in potentially explosive atmospheres. Since 12th December 1996, ATEX product directive 94/9/EG has been in effect. As a legal provision, it serves to protect persons working in potentially explosive atmospheres, or who might be affected by explosions. In addition, ATEX directive 1999/92/EG specifies, that with- in a risk assessment, plant operators have to prepare an explosion protection document and have to assign areas with explosive atmospheres in zones.

Products for nearly all ATEX zones

AERZEN offers solutions in its wide-ranging product portfolio for nearly all ATEX zones. These are based on experience acquired over several decades, as compressor and blower packaged units made by AERZEN have been used for a long time in extremely critical working atmospheres. As sound advice is the key in ATEX-compliant plant design, before any action is taken, engineers from AERZEN discuss all the project details with the customer. They collect the ATEX-relevant information concerning type of gas and dust, operational environment, explosion group, temperature class (concerning gases) or ignition temperature (concerning dusts), ambient temperature and frequency converter operation. Once all these details have been collected, and evaluated, the plant can be assigned to one of three categories. According to ATEX product directive 94/9/EG, distinction is made between normal, high and very high safety requirements.

Solutions from one source

To provide customers with exactly the product they require, the ATEX specialists from AERZEN develop a tailored unit con- cept, including all the required documentation, and the corresponding accessories, according to ATEX product directive 94/9/EG. Before they are executed, particular customer requests are checked by AERZEN engineers to ensure their conformity with the ATEX-directive. The customer is thus provided with an ATEX compliant, and of course TÜV-approved, comprehensive solution from one source, no matter whether the packaged unit is used in overpressure or negative pressure range. Depending on the product groups and the zone type, AERZEN interprets the technologies in different ways:

  • zone separation filter
  • special documentation
  • use of special materials for medium-contacting parts
  • ex-instrumentation
  • vibration monitoring
  • spark arrester
  • special motors according to the corresponding zone

Various possible applications

AERZEN products are used, for example, in environmental engineering for compression of biogas and natural gas, as well as for gas feed-in, in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry for conveying gas and degassing, in refineries, as well as in power plant technology. Furthermore, they are used in the foodstuff and plastics industries for the loading and unloading of silos and for pneumatic conveyance.
During pneumatic conveyance of combustible or explosive bulk material, ignitable mixtures may develop in the plant, so its components have to be declared for different zones, in order for corresponding protective measures to be taken. AERZEN offers all unit components in appropriate ATEX design. Furthermore, with the TÜV- approved and in-house developed zone separation filter, and the integrated spark arrester, cost- effective alternatives to the conventional protective components are available. So, as far as legal explosion protection is concerned, AERZEN’s customers are always on the safe side.
 

Compact news

Expanded customer support

 In order to expand the support that we provide to our end users in the wastewater domain, AERZEN has hired three new sales and service employees for our sales offices “Nord“ (Walsrode), “West“ (Velbert) and “Mitte/Süd“ (Kahl and Elchingen). These three colleagues will be responsible for contacting our end users and supporting them in case they have any sales-related questions, or questions about our services. In order to be prepared for this, the new colleagues completed a training programme between mid-March and the end of April, where they learned about the comprehensive service product portfolio, as well as about internal processes, procedures and contact partners within AERZEN after-sales service

New management at Aerzen Turbo

Robert Janson, who started as Technical Manager at Aerzen Turbo in March 2015, was appointed as the new Managing Director of Aerzen Turbo in Korea on 1st June 2015. He succeeds Steve Won, who has begun his well-deserved retirement. Janson has many years of experience in managerial positions in mechanical engineering, as well as in international trading companies. In addition, Stephan Brand, Director Turbo Business in the head office, was appointed to the management of Aerzen Turbo, in order to strengthen international team-work.

The first children’s book about AERZEN

Hamelin’s art school under the responsibility of artist Natalia Ovodkova contacted AERZEN some months ago, asking whether the school may create a book about the company. AERZEN was happy to support this request. Children and young people between 5 and 14 years have been painting ambitiously for many weeks now. AERZEN photos and brochures have served as a useful guide for the young artists. An exciting story will arise around the photos. Visiting AERZEN on 19th March helped the talented youngsters to gather many live impressions. The book is expected to be published in autumn 2015.

Aerzen North Africa LLC founded

After a long and successful co-operation with Promotrade as our representative for the Egyptian market, AERZEN has had a new subsidiary in North Africa since February of this year: this is Aerzen North Africa LLC which is based in Cairo, and is a subsidiary of Aerzen International Sales GmbH, which holds 90 % of the shares in the company, with Promotrade holding the other 10 % of the shares.At present, the team consists of five employees and is responsible for Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Eritrea, Lebanon and Jordan.

New rotary lobe compressors for negative pressure applications

Rotary lobe compressors in the successful Delta Hybrid series are now available in the new “E type” construction for a pressure range of up to -700 mbar. As conventional positive displacement blowers are limited to a maximum differential pressure of -500 mbar, expensive vacuum pumps had to be used for lower pressure ranges. The new E-series remedies this situation, reduces costs and opens up new application possibilities in the field of vacuum conveying - for example in foodstuff technology, plastic granulate pneumatics and in the chemical industry. The advantages for the operator include reduced investment costs, higher energy efficiency and greater flexibility.