Artesian Water Company Boosts Efficiency with Oil-Free Compressor
Wilderness Mountain Water Company reduced its energy use by about 50% and significantly improved its canning output with the help of an ELGi oil-free compressor.
Wilderness Mountain Water Company plans to add more ELGi air compressors after the success of the first oil-free compressor unit.
ELGi
Wilderness Mountain Water Company sources its water from over 3,300 feet underground – but sourcing efficiency gains proved far less difficult with an ELGi oil-free compressor.
In 2021, the Virginia-based company took over the site of a continuous flow of pure underground water first discovered by oil drillers in the 1920s, ELGi says. Classified as “fossil water” for its lack of modern contaminants, the water has been recognized and awarded for its quality at international competitions.
“We wanted to honor the history of this place but bring it into the future. That meant building a facility as pure and efficient as the water itself – and that’s where the right air system became critical,” says Mike Stokes, Chief Operating Officer at Wilderness. “We modernized every part of the process, and compressed air quickly proved to be the backbone of our growth.”
A single oil-free compressor to boost efficiency
Wilderness worked with ELGi distributor Atlantic Compressors to replace its old air compressor with a new ELGi AB55 oil-free air compressor.
Wilderness found both energy savings and capacity gains from the AB55 compressor.ELGiInstalling a single AB55 air compressor reduced Wilderness’s energy use by about 50% from 44 kWh to 24 kWh per 100 CFM, bringing nearly $5,000 in monthly savings on utility costs. Further, the compressor enabled Wilderness to increase its canning output by 150%.
“The savings weren’t just on paper,” Stokes says. “We saw the results immediately in our bottom line and our production capacity. That kind of growth just isn’t possible without the right air system behind it. The technology has been a game-changer. We’re saving thousands each month that we’ve been able to reinvest directly into expansion.
The unit delivers ISO Class 0 certified air that’s 100% oil-free and microbiologically clean, ELGi says. It features pre-coated stainless-steel rotors and a closed water-cooling loop. Since no oil is used in the compressor, it guarantees zero chance of contamination, the supplier says.
Wilderness uses compressed air at several points throughout its production and packaging lines, ELGi says. This includes:
Pressurizing carbonators and filler bowls at about 45 PSI
Purging cans with sterile air before filling
Operating pneumatic valves, seamers, and filler controls
Driving depalletizers to unload empty cans
Powering tray formers and carton packers
Blowing moisture off cans with air knives before labeling
Running palletizers that stage finished product for shipment
“The air comes into direct contact with the product, so sterile air is essential. An oil-free compressor is non-negotiable for us,” Stokes says.
Switching to an oil-free unit required some reconfiguring for Wilderness, but Stokes says the company made those adjustments with the help of Atlantic Compressors.
“I’d recommend anyone making the change from an oil-based compressor to oil-free also take the time to change out all their piping,” Stokes says. “Atlantic Compressors helped us work through those challenges, and their preventative maintenance program keeps us operating. I don’t have to worry about the system. They’ve got it covered.”
Wilderness cans artesian water sourced from over 3,300 feet underground.ELGiPlans for expansion with more oil-free compressor units
Building off the success of this installation, Wilderness plans to install two more ELGi air compressors, and network them with smart controls, the supplier says.
The smart controls will help Wilderness to balance load demand and provide the precise amount of air needed for a given circumstance. It will also reduce wear and resulting maintenance costs for the compressors. This will support Wilderness as it looks to add another beverage line and expand into glass bottling.
“This well has run clean for a hundred years, and now our air does too,” Stokes says. “ELGi’s oil-free air compressors give us the confidence to scale faster, knowing our product quality and efficiency will never be compromised.”
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Wilderness found both energy savings and capacity gains from the AB55 compressor.ELGi
