When new systems are purchased, they must meet the requirements. fischer Maschinentechnik-GmbH, a specialist in tool and plant construction from Achern in the Ortenau district of Baden-Württemberg, which manufactures tube roll forming systems, among other things, has grown strongly in recent years. A new hall was added, and modern processing machines supplemented the existing equipment. But Managing Director Roland Fischer was not satisfied with the atmosphere in the two halls.

So the contractor decided to dismantle the partially existing decentralised oil mist separators and to procure a new overall system for reliable extraction on a total of eleven machines. "Such a system blows around 10,000 cubic metres of warm indoor air into the open air every hour. Fresh air flows in. In the cold season, it must first be heated using a lot of energy," explains Roland Fischer.

Together with Keller Lufttechnik GmbH & Co. KG, a suitable concept was offered for this purpose, combining the high-performance ENA emulsion mist separator with a ProcessVent for heat recovery. At the heart of the ProcessVent is a plate heat exchanger that can be used together with wet, dry and aerosol separators and transfers the thermal energy of the exhaust air to the supply air flow. The air currents pass through separate channels, so that the fresh air supplied cannot be contaminated. For additional heating of the air in winter, the ProcessVent is equipped with a heating coil. Employees of Keller Lufttechnik GmbH calculated that fischer Maschinentechnik saves energy worth more than 10,000 euros annually through the ProcessVent.

The installation of the new system was challenging, reports fischer production manager Bernd Springmann: "The location on a platform with a low ceiling height required a special construction with the supply air module folded down, a breakthrough was necessary and the fitters had to lay the pipelines partly around an existing crane runway." However, the plant has been in operation since July 2015.