Atlas Copco GA 90 VSD (VSD⁺ FF) Oil-Injected Rotary Screw Air Compressor

Description

The Atlas Copco GA 90 VSD is the model that carries variable speed drive technology into the 90 kW class of the oil-injected screw range. It pairs a newly designed compression element with an oil-cooled interior permanent magnet motor rated at 90 kW, and the Full Feature branch integrates a refrigerant dryer inside the same vertical package. The versions cover a working pressure band from 4 to 12.5 bar, with free air delivery between 48 and 311 l/s depending on the setting and the air demand at the moment.

Where the GA 90 VSD Fits in the Oil-Injected Range

The GA 37L-110 VSD+ segment forms the variable speed tier of the mid-range oil-injected platform, and the GA 90 VSD stands at its upper section with 90 kW of installed motor power. Below it run the GA 75 VSD+ and GA 75L VSD+ packages, above it the GA 110 VSD+ completes the tier. The GA 90 VSD was engineered for plants whose air demand moves with shifts, batch cycles and seasonal load, where a fixed speed machine spends a large share of its running hours unloaded and burning power without producing air.

Compressed air can account for more than 40 percent of a plant’s total electricity bill, and over 80 percent of a compressor lifecycle cost is the energy it consumes. Those two facts shaped the design brief of the GA 90 VSD: the drive follows the air demand instead of running against it, and every component around the element was selected to protect that efficiency across the whole flow range.

What the VSD and FF Names Cover

Two names describe the branches of the GA 90 VSD, and each adds one fact:

• VSD — variable speed drive: the Neos inverter adjusts the motor speed to the air demand, which holds the pressure band steady and brings energy savings of up to 50 percent against fixed-speed operation.
• FF — Full Feature: the package integrates a refrigerant dryer, so drying happens inside the GA 90 VSD rather than beside it, with no additional installation work for wires and pipes.

The GA 90 VSD is built as the GA 90 VSD+ in 4, 7, 9.5 and 12.5 bar versions, and every version combines with both the standard and the Full Feature scope. A plant picks the pressure band first and the depth of air treatment second.

Technical Specifications of the GA 90 VSD

The table below condenses the GA 90 VSD into its headline figures:

VSD+ Flow Range Across the Pressure Band

The rated data of the GA 90 VSD+ covers four working pressures, and the flow spans a minimum and a maximum value at each setting because the drive output follows the demand:

The figures apply to the 50/60 Hz version of the machine. Unit performance is measured according to ISO 1217, annex E, edition 4:2009, and the FAD is measured at the effective working pressures of 4, 7, 9.5 and 12.5 bar(e). The maximum working pressure is 13 bar(e) / 188 psig. The noise level of 74 dB(A) is the mean value measured at a distance of 1 m at maximum working pressure according to ISO 2151:2004 using the ISO 9614/2 sound intensity method, with a tolerance of 3 dB(A).

Dimensions and Weight

The upright, compact layout keeps the floor area of the GA 90 VSD small. The standard package measures 1400 mm deep, 1300 mm wide and 1968 mm high, and the Full Feature branch adds depth for the integrated dryer to reach 2178 mm, with width and height unchanged. The standard package weighs 1213 kg and the Full Feature branch weighs 1503 kg. The vertical design eases maintenance access and saves valuable workspace, which matters in crowded compressor rooms where every square meter is already claimed.

The iPM Motor and Neos Inverter

The heart of the GA 90 VSD is an interior permanent magnet motor designed in-house in Belgium. The iPM motor exceeds IE5 standards, which places it a full class beyond the usual premium efficiency requirements for industrial motors. The Neos inverter was also developed in-house, and together the drive package exceeds the IES2 requirements of EN 50598 for power drive efficiency, so the losses between the mains supply and the GA 90 VSD drive shaft stay low across the whole speed range.

Oil-Cooling and IP66 Protection

The iPM motor is oil-cooled, which gives optimal cooling at every speed and in every ambient condition instead of only at rated load. The housing is pressure-tight to IP66, so dust and moisture never reach the windings. The motor bearing is oil-lubricated, which removes the greasing schedule from the maintenance plan and increases uptime. The Neos inverter sits in its own cubicle with IP5x protection and a robust aluminum enclosure, and its heat dissipates in a separate compartment so the electrical components remain cool and their lifetime extends.

Maintenance-Free Drive Train

The direct drive between motor and element contains no gears, belts, couplings or shaft seals, so there is nothing to align, tension or replace, and no slippage losses. The drive system is totally enclosed and protected against dirt and dust. The standard package works reliably in ambient temperatures up to 46°C / 115°F, and the high ambient version extends that to 55°C / 131°F. The compression element itself uses a new improved rotor profile with reduced pressure losses and optimized inlet and outlet portals, and the Sentinel-type no-loss flow control at the element inlet avoids blow-off losses during operation.

How VSD+ Cuts Energy Costs by Half

Extensive measurements of compressed air demand profiles show that most plants have substantial variations in consumption across the day, the week and the month. A fixed speed machine reacts to those valleys by unloading, and the unloaded running time is pure waste. The GA 90 VSD closes the motor speed onto the air demand instead, and the savings of up to 50 percent come from the independent energy audit measurements that Atlas Copco publishes for the VSD+ platform.

Pressure Stability and Turndown

The flow range of the GA 90 VSD covers 20 to 100 percent of output, which means the GA 90 VSD idles down to a fifth of its capacity before any other control step becomes necessary. Because the drive holds the pressure band instead of letting it swing between a load point and an unload point, the average system pressure drops, and a lower system pressure minimizes the leakage losses of the network downstream. The integrated Elektronikon Touch controls the motor speed and the high-efficiency frequency inverter as one unit, with no wasted idling time and no blow-off losses during operation.

Starting Under System Pressure

The GA 90 VSD starts and stops under full system pressure without the need to unload, which removes the blow-off of stored air at every restart. The drive also eliminates the peak current penalty during start-up, so the electrical infrastructure of the plant sees a soft, controlled load instead of an inrush. Compliance with the EMC directive 2014/30/EU keeps the drive compatible with sensitive equipment on the same supply.

Full Feature: The Integrated Refrigerant Dryer

Untreated compressed air carries moisture and aerosols that corrode the network and contaminate the end product. The Full Feature branch of the GA 90 VSD integrates a refrigerant dryer into the package, sized for the GA 90 VSD so no excess energy is consumed. The pressure dew point reaches 3°C / 37°F at reference conditions, and the heat exchanger uses cross-flow technology with a low pressure drop. The dryer is controlled and monitored by the Elektronikon. The all-in-one layout saves floor space and installation cost.

No second unit has to be piped, wired and commissioned beside the compressor, which keeps the treatment chain as compact as the compression side.

Condensate Management

The electronic no-loss drain removes condensate only when it has collected, so no compressed air escapes with the water. A manual integrated bypass keeps the condensate moving in case of a power failure, and the drain is integrated with the Elektronikon so a blockage raises a warning on the controller instead of passing unnoticed. The advanced control functions keep the air dry under all circumstances and prevent the dryer from freezing at low load, which protects the air quality on light-duty days as much as on full production runs.

Monitoring and Control

The Elektronikon Touch controller runs the GA 90 VSD with a 4.3-inch multilingual display, warning indications, compressor shutdown functions and maintenance scheduling. SMARTLINK remote monitoring is standard and reports the operational parameters of the GA 90 VSD to a computer or mobile device in real time, with service alerts, a maintenance timeline and an online resource center. Optional multiple compressor control coordinates two, four or six units in one air network.

SMARTLINK and OPC UA

For plants that run their production on Industry 4.0 principles, the GA 90 VSD offers OPC UA connectivity. Atlas Copco was the first compressor manufacturer to offer this machine-to-machine communication protocol, which integrates the compressor into the production network with standardized data, encryption, authentication, auditing and user control. The result is a compressed air asset that reports its own condition instead of waiting for the next walk-through inspection.

Options That Extend the Package

• Energy recovery — up to 75 percent of the electrical input can be recovered as hot air for workshop and hall heating or as hot water for radiators, laundries and process heating.
• High ambient version — reliable operation up to 55°C / 131°F for hot climates and poorly ventilated rooms.
• Pre-filter — protects the cooling package in dusty environments and extends the service interval of the main filter.
• Tropical thermostat and freeze protection — stabilize the oil circuit and the condensate system in extreme climates.
• UD+ filter — reaches air quality Class 1.4.2 according to ISO 8573-1:2010 with a single cartridge and 40 percent lower pressure drop than the conventional two-filter combination.
• FoodGrade oil and RXD oil — match the lubricant to food-related duty or to extended temperature ranges.
• Power duct fan and transformer sales kit — adapt the machine to ducted heat removal or to non-standard supply voltages of 200-230 V and 500-575 V.

Applications of the GA 90 VSD

The wide pressure band shapes the application map of the GA 90 VSD. The 4 bar version feeds low pressure duties such as dense-phase conveying, agitation and blowing, where a throttled-down high pressure machine would waste most of its power. The 7 and 9.5 bar versions carry general plant air, pneumatic tools, actuators and process consumers. The 12.5 bar version serves high pressure networks, laser cutting support and instrument air where the reserve to 13 bar(e) maximum working pressure keeps the header stable.

Plants with shifting demand gain the most. Workshops with welding, cutting and blasting bays, food and pharmaceutical plants with cleaning-in-place cycles, and automotive suppliers with press and paint shops all see the drive follow their load profile instead of fighting it. Where the air demand stays near rated output around the clock, the GA 90 VSD still protects the investment through its lowered average system pressure and the elimination of unload running.

Service and Support Around the GA 90 VSD

The vertical layout groups the service points of the GA 90 VSD behind large access doors, and the oil-lubricated motor bearing removes the regreasing task from the schedule entirely. Service parts sit within reach of one position, and the Elektronikon counts the operating hours that trigger each intervention. Atlas Copco fluids and lubricants are tailored to the GA 90 VSD with anti-oxidation and anti-foaming additives, and optional service plans cover preventative maintenance, spare parts and repairs.

Seadweer supplies Atlas Copco spare parts and service kits for the installed base of the GA 90 VSD and its Full Feature branches. For the same VSD+ technology in a larger frame, see the Atlas Copco GA 160 VSD. Send us the compressor model together with the parts you need, and the correct items are confirmed with the quotation in one pass.

FAQ

What does VSD+ mean on the GA 90 VSD?

It marks the variable speed drive platform: the Neos inverter adjusts the speed of the iPM motor to the air demand, which brings energy savings of up to 50 percent against fixed-speed operation and holds the pressure band steady across a 20 to 100 percent flow range.

Is the GA 90 VSD an oil-injected machine?

Yes. It is an oil-injected rotary screw compressor, and the oil seals and cools the compression element before the separator removes it from the air stream. Oil-free duty belongs to the separate ZR and ZT platforms.

How much air does the GA 90 VSD deliver?

The FAD spans 48 to 311 l/s (102 to 660 cfm) across the four working pressures and the whole modulation range. The 4 bar setting carries the highest maximum output at 311 l/s, and each step up the pressure ladder trades flow for pressure.

What does FF add to the GA 90 VSD?

FF stands for Full Feature: the package integrates a refrigerant dryer with a 3°C / 37°F pressure dew point and electronic no-loss condensate management. The branch adds 778 mm of package depth and 290 kg of weight to the standard layout.

How loud is the GA 90 VSD?

The mean sound pressure level is 74 dB(A), measured at a distance of 1 m at maximum working pressure according to ISO 2151:2004 using the ISO 9614/2 sound intensity method, with a tolerance of 3 dB(A).

Which industries run the GA 90 VSD?

Workshops with batch and shift patterns, food and pharmaceutical plants, automotive suppliers and general industry form the base. All of them value the 4 to 13 bar pressure selection, the IE5-class iPM drive and the integrated dryer option in a package that holds 1213 kg on a small footprint.