Atlas Copco ZR 145 VSD (VSD⁺ FF) Oil-free Air Compressor

ZR 145 VSD Technical Data

The Atlas Copco ZR 145 VSD is published at two working pressures, and the wider 10.4 bar(e) table sets the base envelope of the machine. At the minimum setting the package spans 78.2 to 431 l/s, and it still delivers up to 361 l/s with the network at the full 10.4 bar(e). The drive is rated 145 kW (200 hp) at every level, and the water-cooled package reads 70 dB(A) at the work station.

Reading the table from the bottom up shows the trade a buyer controls: taking the header to 10.4 bar(e) caps the top of the band at 361 l/s, while networks running near 7 bar(e) keep the full 415 l/s in reach. The effective row, 78.8 to 415 l/s at 7 bar(e), is the planning figure for most general plant headers served by the ZR 145 VSD.

The 13 bar(e) Variant

Where the application genuinely needs high pressure, the ZR 145 VSD is also published at 13 bar(e), a second table with its own envelope rather than a derated copy of the first. At the minimum setting of 9 bar(e) the machine turns 78.5 to 360.2 l/s, and at the full 13 bar(e) rating it still holds up to 316.8 l/s.

This second rating is what lets a single ZR 145 VSD serve a mixed site: one machine feeding the general 7 bar(e) header through its effective band while carrying a dedicated 13 bar(e) consumer such as a bottle blowing or mold pressing section. The noise level moves only from 70 to 72 dB(A) between the two variants.

Choosing between the two tables is a header decision, not a machine decision: the drive, the frame, and the service plan stay the same, so a site that migrates its network pressure later can move between the published bands without re-engineering the installation around the ZR 145 VSD.

Water-Cooled Design and the Heat Exchanger Path

The ZR line rejects compression heat through a cooling water circuit instead of plant air, which keeps the acoustic package tight and moves the heat to where the site wants it: a cooling tower loop, a closed circuit, or a heat recovery scheme. Inside the package the air follows a two-stage route. After the inlet filter cleans the stream, the first stage compresses to an intermediate pressure, the intercooler and moisture separation system strip out the water of condensation, and the second stage brings the air to its final pressure.

The ZR 145 VSD carries the dual NEOS drive arrangement of the VSD+ platform, and the Elektronikon Mk5 Touch controller supervises the package from its touch screen: service planning, warning management, and the operating history of the machine stay one tap away. The drive modulates across the printed bands of both pressure variants, which is why a single table row never tells the whole story of this machine.

From there the stream passes the pulsation damper with its integrated check valve into the heat exchanger, where the high-pressure stage hands its residual heat over to the dryer circuit of the integrated builds. Separating compression heat from plant air also means the ZR 145 VSD keeps its 70 dB(A) reading even when summer shop floor temperatures climb, since the cooling medium is water rather than the air it stands in.

Three Builds: Pack, FF (iMD), FF (iMDG)

The ZR 145 VSD ships in more configurations than its air-cooled sibling. The Pack build carries the compressor alone at 2500 kg in a frame just 2030 mm long, 1660 mm wide, and 2000 mm high. The FF (iMD) build integrates the rotary drum adsorption dryer and grows to 3400 kg with a 3430 mm long frame. The FF (iMDG) build takes the integrated concept further with a gear-driven dryer arrangement, reaching 3700 kg on the same 3430 mm footprint.

In each Full Feature form the desiccant drum divides its surface between drying and regenerating, so treated air leaves the canopy continuously and the site buys one machine instead of a compressor row plus a separate dryer tower set. Because the connections between compression and dryer sections are completed at the factory, site installation reduces to the water circuit, the electrical supply, and the air main.

The three-build ladder also spreads across a site plan. A plant can start with a Pack unit as the base load machine, add a second ZR 145 VSD in FF (iMD) form when the dryer duty justifies it, and standardize later orders on the same footprint, since the iMD and iMDG frames share the 3430 mm length and every connection point of the wider build.

Where the ZR 145 VSD Fits

Sites with an existing water infrastructure get the most from the ZR 145 VSD: breweries, chemical plants, and large manufacturing floors where a cooling loop already runs past the machine room. The 2030 mm Pack frame slots into dense rooms where every metre of wall matters, and the 2500 kg base weight avoids foundation work on standard industrial slabs. Rooms that stay closed for noise reasons also benefit, because the water circuit carries the compression heat out without large air ducts through the wall.

The machine also fits plants that combine a general header with a high pressure island. Instead of dedicating a separate compressor to the 13 bar(e) consumer, the second variant carries it, and the turn-down of the VSD+ drive keeps both duties covered across shift changes without unloading losses.

Maintenance planning stays light on a ZR 145 VSD as well. The grouped service layout puts the consumable items behind a single set of panels, the water-cooled design keeps its coolers clean of airborne fiber and dust that an air-cooled block collects over time, and the controller tracks loaded hours so the service team can book the stop around the production calendar rather than the other way round.

Stepping Up to the ZR 160 VSD

When the site needs more than 431 l/s at the low end of the band, the next machine in the same water-cooled family is the Atlas Copco ZR 160 VSD, which raises the rating to 160 kW (215 hp) and extends the envelope of both pressure variants in the same frame concept.

ZR 145 VSD FAQ

Which working pressures does the ZR 145 VSD cover?

Two published variants on the ZR 145 VSD: a 10.4 bar(e) table for general plant headers and a 13 bar(e) table for high pressure duties, each with its own minimum, effective, and maximum output band.

How much air does the machine deliver on the 10.4 bar(e) variant?

From 78.2 to 431 l/s at the minimum setting, 78.8 to 415 l/s at the effective 7 bar(e) level, and up to 361 l/s when the network runs at the full 10.4 bar(e).

Why is the Pack frame so short?

The water-cooled cooling arrangement packs the coolers inside the 2030 mm frame, so the base build of the ZR 145 VSD holds the shortest length of the family and suits dense machine rooms.

What does the FF (iMDG) build add over the FF (iMD)?

Both integrate the adsorption dryer; the iMDG build reaches 3700 kg against 3400 kg and uses the gear-driven dryer arrangement of the range, still on a 3430 mm long frame.

Is the machine loud?

The ZR 145 VSD reads 70 dB(A) at the work station on the 10.4 bar(e) variant and 72 dB(A) on the 13 bar(e) variant, levels that keep the package usable beside production areas.

Can one unit serve both a 7 bar(e) plant and a 13 bar(e) consumer?

Yes. The 13 bar(e) variant exists for exactly that layout, and its 78.5 to 360.2 l/s band covers a dedicated high pressure section while the general header draws from the same machine.