Ingersoll-Rand (IR) Portable Power has launched the new 10/425 portable oil-free compressor equipped for temporary applications in industry in situations such as annual shut downs, plant expansions and failure in the supply of compressed air.

"Combining a patented condensate burn-off system, intelligent controls, a generous diesel fuel tank capacity and manoeuvrable running gear, the 10/425 model offers a truly independent and mobile source of quality compressed air," IR said in a statement.

It claimed that the patented condensate burn-off system on the 10/425 compressor offered significant environmental and performance advantages and that it eliminated the need to collect and treat oil and water condensates.

The 10/425 has an operating band of over 6 bar, allowing the discharge pressure of the compressor to be set between 4.1 and 10.3 bar (60 and 150 psi) so the same machine can meet a range of both low and high pressure compressed air applications.

"The new compressor is therefore ideal for the low pressure requirements of automobile and truck plants and other large manufacturing sites," IR said. "Simply by resetting the discharge pressure, the 10/425 portable compressor can also meet high-pressure process applications in the petrochemical, food and beverage, brewery, dairy, water, chemical, textile, pharmaceutical, power generation, electronics and paper industries."

The 10/425 provides a constant volume of 42.5 cu m per minute (1,500 cfm) across the entire operating range. "This feature is essential for applications where constant volume is of equal importance to the pressure," the company said.

The new compressor also offers sensitive regulation settings, allowing the discharge air pressure to be regulated to within plus or minus 0.07 bar (1 psi), ensuring the output pressure accurately matches the downstream requirements, it said, adding that the system reacted quickly to any change in operating conditions. The machine operates in hot climates but also starts in temperatures down to minus 23 degrees C. A cold weather protection system is fitted as a standard. The Intellisys control system on the 10/425 was described as a comprehensive operational, diagnostic and safety interface. All essential parameters of the engine, compressor circuit and warning systems are visible through soft-key navigation.

The 10/425 is powered by a Cummins QSX-15 industrial diesel engine meeting current and future emission requirements. This is a six-cylinder, 450 kW (600 HP) turbo-charged, common rail and inter-cooled engine.

The compressor is capable of at least a 10-hour run time at full load and is fitted with an on-board fuel supply, which can be easily connected with an auxiliary fuel tank. The sealed base of the compressor is designed to hold fluid spills, preventing potential on-site contamination. The machine has filters and service items easily accessible through doors in the enclosure. One of the first users of the 10/425 was the Borealis Group, which used the compressor to upgrade the standby/emergency compressed air installation at its polyethylene plant at Stenungsund in Sweden. The plant's standby/emergency compressor and its associated standalone generator needed upgrading because they were quite old and expensive to maintain.

IR said the 10/425 was chosen for several reasons including its quicker response time or start-up time and service intervals that were much longer and less expensive than other systems.