996MWh/year
of energy savings
Heat recovery on air compressors
50%
of the project funded by ADEME
THE CONTEXT
With several air compressors reaching the end of their service life, Aubert & Duval wanted to go beyond a straightforward equipment replacement. The site was looking to improve the performance of its installation while putting the heat produced by the new compressors to use for building heating.
The challenge was also to define a solution compatible with the site's compressed air requirements, while keeping the investment under control and identifying the funding schemes available.
OUR EXPERTISE
Lemon Energy supported Aubert & Duval from the earliest stages of the project. Following a measurement campaign and an analysis of energy consumption, the teams examined several compressor renewal scenarios, taking into account operating constraints and compressed air storage requirements.
The study made it possible to size a heat recovery system for building heating and to assess the associated energy savings. Lemon Energy then drew up the functional specifications for the selected scenario, before supporting the site through the supplier consultation process. The techno-economic analysis also secured ADEME funding covering 50% of the investment.
INTERVIEW (with Florent P. – Aubert & Duval )
Why did you launch this project?
Our compressors were reaching the end of their service life. We could simply have replaced them, but we wanted to use this milestone to ask ourselves the right questions. It was an opportunity to review the installation as a whole and to build in a genuine energy performance dimension.
What guided your choices?
The most important thing was to find a solution suited to the way we operate. Compressed air requirements vary from one workshop to another and with production schedules. So we had to reconcile energy performance, continuity of operations and control over investment costs.
What did you appreciate about working with Lemon Energy?
Lemon Energy gave us an overall view of the project. The teams did not limit themselves to selecting the compressors: they compared several scenarios, quantified the expected savings and assessed the heat recovery potential. That approach allowed us to make our decisions based on concrete data.
What benefits are you gaining from this study today?
We now have a clear roadmap for renewing our installation. The studies confirmed the value of recovering heat from the compressors to heat the buildings, and enabled us to build a coherent project, both technically and economically.
