Solvay speeds compressor overhaul timeline with Atlas Copco 14 March 2014

Chemicals giant Solvay's hydrogen peroxide plant in Póvoa de Santa Iria, Portugal is back on line after a nine-day turnaround to get its 80,000-hour compressor overhauled – a process normally quoted at three weeks.

Ramiro Dionísio, head of the project at Solvay, explains that the plant purchased the ZH energy-saving oil-free centrifugal compressor 10 years ago. And hence the scale of project, which instead of the three-yearly overhaul of main components, this time required the rotors to be balanced.

"Thanks to Atlas Copco's flexibility and cooperation, and their awareness of the impact this compressor's absence would have on us, we managed to put together a work plan that allowed us to overhaul the compressor in record time," says Dionísio.

On the first day of work, shortly after the rotors were removed, an international carrier was waiting at the gates to take them to Germany for balancing.

"Nobody does this balancing work in Portugal, so the parts have to go directly to the manufacturer," explains Dionísio. Twenty-four hours later, the rotors arrived in Germany, and in three days the work was completed and the rotors returned.

A team of two Atlas Copco technicians and two Solvay employees then reassembled the equipment.

"The entire overhaul was completed in nine days. The tenth day was spent monitoring the machine as it went back into production," reports Dionísio.

Brian Tnham

Related Companies
Atlas Copco Compressors

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