Efficient solution for TK Bilstein
Mandern/Saarbrücken/Essen. STEAG UHL Druckluft-Versorgung GmbH (SUD) is constructing a new compressed air system for thyssenkrupp Bilstein GmbH at its site in Mandern. Thanks to state-of-the-art plant technology, the long-established automotive supplier who specializes in the manufacture of shock absorbers is making significant savings in energy, and therefore money. The environment and climate also benefit, because thanks to an optimized plant configuration and the newly installed heat recovery system, TK Bilstein will permanently save 500 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year in the future.
The plan is for the new compressed air station in Mandern, Rhineland-Palatinate, to be installed and commissioned before the end of this year. “The water-cooled system uses state-of-the-art technology and is therefore much more fuel-efficient than the old systems used to date,” explains Torben Krause, one of the two project managers at SUD.
System supplemented by heat recovery
The particular efficiency of the new system leads to significantly lower energy consumption – and therefore also to a reduction or avoidance of energy costs. But that is not all: a newly installed system for heat recovery leads to further cost and emission reductions. “Until now, that technology was completely lacking. However, since there is a need for both heating and process heat at thyssenkrupp Bilstein, the conditions for such a solution were favorable,” according to Benjamin Fuchs, who is responsible for the project together with Torben Krause.
Costs reduced and 500 tonnes of CO2 saved
This solution provides the customer with significant savings in annual energy costs. “On the one hand, this relates to the lower electricity consumption of the new compressed air system, and on the other hand to the lower natural gas consumption resulting from the new heat recovery system,” says Benjamin Fuchs.
The reduced energy consumption is also equivalent to avoiding 500 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year. “The concept we have developed is therefore not only easy on the wallet, but also on the environment and the climate,” Benjamin Fuchs concludes.
Success for the compressed air joint venture
STEAG UHL Druckluft-Versorgung GmbH is a joint venture founded in 2020 by STEAG New Energies GmbH of Saarbrücken and Karl Uhl GmbH of Bochum, a leading company in the field of industrial compressed air technology. Together, the two partners have set themselves the goal of offering holistic, individual energy solutions for industrial customers as well as municipal and local utilities.
“The example of thyssenkrupp Bilstein shows that the idea behind our merger is proving successful,” say Rudiger Sass and Peter Uhl, who jointly manage the joint venture as managing directors. Moreover, in this way they are making a steadily growing contribution to the decarbonization of domestic industry – and thus to the success of the energy transition as a whole.
