Kaeser to launch giant portable compressor at Bauma

Germany’s Kaeser Kompressoren will launch one of its largest ever portable compressors at Bauma. The new M 500-2 is a 50 m3 class unit with maximum free air delivery from 38 m³/min (10.3 bar) to 45.8 m³/min (6.9 bar).

Kaeser said the M500-2 - powered by a Stage IIIB compliant 447.7 kW Caterpillar ACERT C18 engine - will be “perfect for rental companies, because it combines the advantages of a dry-running rotary screw compressor with those of a portable machine. In other words, it can supply top quality compressed air for any application, yet remains portable.”

Thomas Kaeser, Kaeser’s chief executive, told IRN that the machine will be for “big rental companies who are renting to industry, chemicals, power plants, during service shutdowns… Customers have been asking for it”.

Applications include projects where large volumes of compressed air is required such as during bridge maintenance outages or when a plant is being upgraded. Other potential applications include tunnel construction and pipeline flushing in refineries.

A large capacity fuel tank enables back-to-back operation over two shifts without the need to refuel and longer operation is also possible via an optional external fuel tank. The M500-2, which weighs just less than 12 t, comes as standard with a spark arrestor and motor shutoff valve for installation in refineries.

Other features include an integrated Mobilair fleet management system that automatically notifies Kaeser Service in the event of a fault. The same system can also supply a rental company with operating data that can be used for invoicing.