Ingersoll Rand is the winner of the prestigious 2012 Plant Engineering Product of the Year Award. The Ingersoll Rand R-Series Contact-Cooled Rotary Screw Air Compressor claimed the grand award by receiving the most overall votes from Plant Engineering readers. The Ingersoll Rand Heat of Compression (HOC) dryer also earned a gold award in the compressed air category.

“This year’s finalists stretch across all areas where a plant manager’s influence is felt and his knowledge is required,” said Bob Vavra, editor of Plant Engineering. “From motors and drives to maintenance and lighting, the things a plant manager must specify and purchase perform very different functions. They all have one common element: they must help him or her do the job better, smarter, safely and more efficiently. That has been the hallmark of the Plant Engineering Product of the Year programme for the past 25 years.”

Tracy Guilford, marketing communications manager at Ingersoll Rand, said it was pleasing to know that Ingersoll Rand products are helping customers increase energy savings, productivity and sustainability.

The Ingersoll Rand R-Series Compressor features an integrated Total Air System (TAS) that combines the dryer and filtration systems into a single package. This eliminates air leaks in the piping between units and results in better flow efficiency. The R-Series product line includes a variable-speed drive (VSD) option to increase the efficiency of variable-demand applications. The VSD compressor is equipped with a hybrid permanent magnet motor – the highest-efficiency motor available from Ingersoll Rand – to increase energy savings.

The compressor features V-Shield technology, which ensures that the compressor’s piping system is composed of stainless steel pipes, metal-flex hoses and elastomeric face seals to prevent leaks. It is manufactured with a sequential cooling system for added operating efficiency. Independently mounted coolers reduce thermal stress, decrease discharge temperatures and lower the energy required to remove condensation in downstream air treatment. As a result, the compressor produces drier air more cost effectively.

The TAS, VSD and V-Shield technologies are coupled with a Web-enabled Xe-Series controller. The Xe-Series control system allows plant managers to remotely access vital compressor data via the Internet.