Zired as a compressor
The Zired compressor works similarly to a bicycle pump, except that it moves in a circular motion. While a bicycle pump is pushed forward to compress and pulled back to suck in air, the Zired compressor continuously rotates in a perfect circle. This allows air to be sucked in and compressed at the same time. Compression does not depend on speed as the Zired compressor can compress air at just one revolution per minute. Thanks to this feature of the Zired compressor, it can be driven directly and purely mechanically by the rotor blade of a wind turbine via a gearbox and can easily store winds from hurricane gusts to gentle breezes in the form of compressed air. It can also be powered by an electric motor that runs on renewable electricity. This process necessarily balances any renewable energy fluctuations during the storage process. The compressor is water cooled, where hot water can either be used for district heating or mixed with cold water from a Zired engine.
Our first prototype from 2014
As a compressor, the Zired device offers six main advantages:
- It can compress with only one revolution per minute (1-200 rpm).
- It has slightly better temperature behaviour than conventional compressors
- It compresses continuously
- It compresses almost silently (same noise level as a bicycle pump)
- The compressed volume is indirect proportional to the revolutions
6. The Zired compressor is made only from environmentally friendly and 100% recyclable materials - steel alloys and ceramics.