Air‑suspension energy‑saving equipment: the “invisible engine” powering the green transformation of the energy sector.

Under the guidance of the “dual carbon” strategy, the energy sector is undergoing a profound green transformation. The coal industry is moving toward cleaner and more efficient operations, wind and solar photovoltaic power are rapidly scaling up, and hydrogen energy, energy storage, and smart grids are all gaining momentum. Amid this wave of industry-wide upgrades, energy consumption management and equipment efficiency have emerged as critical factors determining the success of the transition. Meanwhile, a technology that is quietly reshaping the industrial power landscape— Air suspension technology With its groundbreaking contactless operating mode, it is deeply penetrating diverse sectors of the energy industry—including coal, new energy, hydrogen‑based energy storage, smart grids, and mining engineering—thanks to core advantages such as over 30% energy savings, oil‑free operation with zero emissions, and intelligent, maintenance‑free performance, thereby becoming an “invisible engine” driving the green transformation of the energy sector.

I. What is Air-Suspension Technology? — A Leap from “Friction” to “Suspension”

To understand air‑suspension technology, it helps to start with a paradox: in industrial power equipment, mechanical friction is the natural enemy of efficiency. Conventional Roots blowers rely on gears and bearings to transmit power, making lubrication indispensable—yet this inevitably brings friction, wear, and oil‑related contamination, resulting in persistently high energy consumption and a heavy maintenance burden.

Air‑suspension technology offers a radically different solution. At its core, it is… Air-bearing (Also known as a dynamic-pressure gas bearing), its principle is both simple and ingenious: when the rotor spins at high speed, air is drawn into the micron‑scale gap—typically only 5–20 μm—between the bearing and the rotor, forming a high‑pressure gas film that stably supports the rotor and enables contactless operation. This “self‑generated gas‑film lift” design fundamentally eliminates mechanical friction, eliminating the need for lubricants and mitigating wear concerns. Building on this, by integrating a high‑speed permanent‑magnet synchronous motor with intelligent variable‑frequency control, air‑suspension equipment achieves triple energy savings: zero mechanical friction losses (efficiency ≈ 97%), a high‑speed permanent‑magnet motor (efficiency 95%–96%), and precise load‑adaptive control via smart VFDs, resulting in an overall efficiency of 75%–85%. Compared with conventional equipment, this delivers 30%–50% energy savings, and in certain applications, even up to 60%.

Unlike magnetic levitation, which relies on active electromagnetic control, air bearing levitation achieves suspension entirely through the principle of dynamic pressure. This results in a simpler structure, eliminating the need for complex electromagnetic coils and control circuits, lowering maintenance requirements, and delivering more pronounced life-cycle cost advantages.

Currently, this technology has been applied to Air‑suspended blowers, air‑suspended compressors, air‑suspended vacuum pumps, and air‑suspended chillers and various energy-saving devices, each excelling in its respective energy sector.

II. The Coal Industry: From “Dark, Clumsy, and Rough” to Green and Intelligent

The coal industry was once synonymous with high energy consumption and severe pollution, and conventional fans used in mine ventilation and coal‑chemical processes have typically been major electricity consumers.

In mine ventilation—the lifeblood of coal‑production safety—traditional Roots blowers have long operated at full load around the clock, incurring high electricity costs while generating significant noise and requiring frequent maintenance. A major coal company in Baiyin City replaced its conventional Roots blowers with air‑suspended centrifugal blowers for both mine ventilation and aeration in wastewater treatment, effectively addressing three major pain points—high energy consumption, labor‑intensive maintenance, and excessive noise—and achieving “zero maintenance.” This has freed technical personnel from routine upkeep, laying the groundwork for smart‑mine development.

In the coal‑chemical industry, processes such as desulfurization and denitrification, as well as pneumatic conveying, all rely on high‑efficiency blowers. At one thermal power plant, after replacing the Roots blowers in the desulfurization oxidation air system with air‑suspended blowers, energy savings exceeded 30%. More importantly, oil‑free operation was achieved, eliminating the risk of lubricant leakage contaminating the slurry and compromising gypsum quality. Similarly, the experience of Shaanxi Shanhua Coal Chemical Group demonstrates that air‑suspended blowers can deliver 25%–40% energy savings compared with Roots blowers, while offering additional advantages such as high efficiency, low noise, maintenance‑free operation, and an extended service life—more than three times that of conventional blowers.

III. Wind and Solar Photovoltaic Energy: Clean Power Safeguarding Every Production Process Step

Although new energy industries such as photovoltaics and wind power appear “green,” their manufacturing processes themselves rely on high‑energy‑consumption, ultra‑clean operations. Processes like lithium‑battery electrode coating and photovoltaic thin‑film production require exceptionally clean compressed air—any trace of oil contamination can render an entire batch of products scrap. Air‑suspended blowers, owing to their… 100% oil-free design , completely eliminating oil‑molecule contamination and delivering absolutely clean compressed air. With pressure and flow control accuracy of up to ±0.1%, it ensures uniformity and consistency in coating thickness and film‑deposition processes, directly boosting product yield.

In photovoltaic module production facilities, air‑suspension equipment’s intelligent speed‑control feature dynamically adjusts airflow according to operating conditions in areas such as environmental control and wastewater‑treatment aeration, enabling individual 55 kW units to save more than 100,000 kWh of electricity annually. Amid the global shift toward clean energy, high‑efficiency, low‑emission air‑suspension systems are becoming indispensable core equipment in the new‑energy manufacturing sector.

IV. Hydrogen Energy and Energy Storage: Equipping “Hydrogen” with a “Clean Lung”

The hydrogen energy industry chain places extremely stringent demands on power‑generation equipment. In hydrogen fuel cell systems, the air compressor is often referred to as the “lung” of the fuel cell, and its performance directly affects the fuel cell’s efficiency, power density, and dynamic response characteristics.

Traditional screw-type air compressors rely on lubricating oil for both lubrication and cooling, resulting in large footprints and posing a risk of oil contamination that could damage fuel cell membrane electrodes. The introduction of air‑suspension technology offers an ideal solution to this challenge. Kingston has developed a centrifugal air compressor featuring air bearings, which is compact, energy‑efficient, and completely oil‑free. This technology has been integrated into over 10,000 hydrogen‑powered vehicles, accumulating more than 100 million kilometers of driving distance, and holds the leading market share in China.

The most cutting-edge advancement lies in energy recovery. Hydrowell has pioneered an air‑suspended turbo‑compressor with integrated energy recovery, leveraging a turbine expander to reclaim the exhaust‑gas energy from fuel‑cell stacks, thereby reducing the compressor’s parasitic power consumption by more than 30% and significantly boosting the overall efficiency of the fuel‑cell system. In both the electrolysis stage for green hydrogen production and the manufacturing of proton exchange membranes, air‑suspension equipment, with its oil‑free and highly efficient characteristics, is seamlessly integrated into every link of the hydrogen‑energy value chain.

V. Smart Grid: Providing Efficient Cooling for Computing Power and Electrical Infrastructure

The core infrastructure of the smart grid—data centers and various power electronic devices—depends on efficient and reliable cooling systems. Air-suspended chiller unit It is precisely an efficient solution in this field.

Unlike conventional chillers that rely on lubricating oil, the air‑suspension variable‑frequency centrifugal chiller employs hydrodynamic gas bearings and a high‑efficiency permanent‑magnet synchronous motor, enabling oil‑free, frictionless operation. This fundamentally addresses the industry’s longstanding challenges—oil films impeding heat transfer and increasing energy consumption—while achieving a COP of 7.0 or higher per unit and delivering energy savings up to 40% greater than traditional models. At the Jinmingshan Photovoltaic Project, this chiller achieved an average energy‑saving rate exceeding 60%, with overall efficiency far surpassing the standards for high‑efficiency data centers.

In the data center—key infrastructure of the computing‑power era—the advantages of magnetic‑levitation and air‑levitation chillers are particularly pronounced. Haier customized water‑cooled magnetic‑levitation chiller units for a national supercomputing center, deploying 27 1,200‑RT machines with a total cooling capacity of 110 MW; measured overall PUE values remain below 1.2. Following an upgrade, Beijing’s CAS Cloud Computing Center achieved an annual comprehensive PUE of under 1.3, delivering energy savings of up to 54% compared with conventional screw‑compressor chillers. Features such as 30‑second rapid start‑up, an oil‑free, wear‑free design, and variable‑ratio operation make these systems the optimal choice for intelligent computing‑center cooling. Moreover, air‑levitation vacuum pumps have demonstrated substantial benefits in power‑equipment vacuum processing and drying, reducing overall energy consumption by 30%–50%.

VI. Mining Engineering: Ensuring Safety and Efficiency Beneath Deep Mines

Mining engineering places extremely stringent demands on ventilation and air-supply equipment: deep underground workings, high resistance, and harsh operating conditions require the equipment to run continuously 24/7, with electricity costs accounting for as much as 20%–30% of a mine’s total energy expenditure.

Magnetic‑levitation fans—alongside air‑levitation technology—demonstrate significant advantages in mine ventilation. Their airflow can be seamlessly adjusted across a range of 30% to 100%, allowing dynamic regulation based on the number of workers underground and methane concentrations, thereby eliminating the energy waste associated with conventional fans operating at full load while idling. Taking a 110 kW underground main ventilator as an example, annual electricity savings amount to approximately 286,000 kWh, translating into cost reductions exceeding RMB 170,000 per year, with the initial equipment investment recouped within two to three years. With no mechanical friction components, magnetic‑levitation fans require only routine filter cleaning, resulting in maintenance costs less than one-fifth of those for traditional fans. Additionally, they feature temperature and vibration monitoring, along with fault‑diagnosis alerts, substantially reducing safety risks caused by equipment downtime in remote mining operations.

Under the complex operating conditions of ultra-deep mines, air‑suspension technology likewise demonstrates excellent environmental adaptability. In response to the high‑humidity, dust‑laden underground environment, after installing a high‑efficiency pre‑dust collector and optimizing the cooling system, the equipment can operate stably over extended periods even in temperatures exceeding 40°C. The dynamic‑pressure gas‑suspension chiller technology developed by Hubei Liantou has been extended to smart‑mine applications, seamlessly integrating mining‑process cooling needs with AI algorithms and digital‑twin technologies, thereby advancing mines from conventional power management toward a new era of intelligent, unmanned operations.

In recent years, as the drive toward intelligent mining has accelerated, smart ventilation systems that integrate artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things have emerged as a key area of industry development. Mines such as the Wudong Coal Mine under the National Energy Group have deployed smart ventilation systems to enable real-time simulation and monitoring of air velocity and pressure, moving steadily toward the goal of refined, “production‑driven by airflow” management. Meanwhile, air‑suspension and magnetic‑levitation devices serve as the core actuating components in these systems, offering high efficiency and remote controllability.

Conclusion: Levitation Technology, Driving a Green Future for the Energy Industry

From deep‑well ventilation in mines to photovoltaic manufacturing on the Gobi Desert; from the “clean lungs” of hydrogen‑fuel‑cell vehicles to green cooling in data centers—air‑suspension technology, with its core advantages of frictionless operation, oil‑free design, and high efficiency, is being seamlessly integrated into every critical link of the energy value chain. Driven by the dual carbon goals, the industry’s demand for high‑efficiency, energy‑saving equipment has never been more urgent. Air‑suspension systems typically boast a payback period of just 1–3 years, while their designed service life spans 15–20 years, delivering immeasurable economic and environmental benefits over their entire lifecycle.

On the occasion of May 18–20, 2026 The 6th China Guizhou International Energy Industry Expo and Trade Fair As the curtain is about to rise, air‑suspension energy‑saving technology will be… Booth T507, Hall 5 Making a prominent appearance, Guizhou AVIC Huaqiang cordially invites colleagues from all sectors to join us on site to jointly explore the broader application prospects of air‑suspension technology in fields such as coal mining, wind and solar photovoltaic energy, hydrogen‑based energy storage, smart grids, and mining engineering, and to collaboratively chart a new course for the green development of the energy sector.

May 18–20, 2026, Guiyang International Convention and Exhibition Center, Hall 5, Booth T507. We look forward to welcoming you!