How Do You Choose An Air Compressor?

By Alison Heath


Air compressors usually fall into one of three main categories. Your choice depends on the amount of air pressure you need, and on whether you need to move the compressor around.

Reciprocating compressors vary from 5 HP to 1000 HP. The smaller ones are easy to move around, and they often come with wheels to facilitate mobility. They are usually fed by either electricity or gas. The air is compressed by pistons inside cylinders. The pistons themselves are moved by a camshaft. Auto body shops use reciprocating compressors a lot.

Larger reciprocating compressors are gradually being replaced by simpler rotary screw compressors. Large compressors are able to discharge air at 35 Mpa, usually up to 5,000 psi.

In the event that you need a compressor for constant use, a rotary screw compressor might be a better choice for you. The air is compressed by helical screws into a small volume. You can choose between a rotary screw compressor that is fixed and one that's portable. These compressors vary in size from 5 HP to 500 HP. Some of the compressors are designed to give out a low pressure output, and some are made to give out a high pressure output up to 8Mpa. These compressors are used to power pneumatic drills when workers are digging up roads and pavements.

Any company that needs a compressor for industrial use often uses a centrifugal compressor. These types of compressors use a rotating disk with vanes. Output from centrifugal compressors can be as high as 70 Mpa, 10,000 psi. This type of compressor is the kind that would be used in snow blowing equipment. Centrifugal compressors are also used in some auto motors, and they are known as turbochargers and superchargers.

When you buy compressed air for diving purposes, that air is usually compressed by a three stage reciprocating compressor. The cylinders in the compressor are ceramic lined, so no lubrication is needed. This avoids the air in the cylinders being contaminated with lubricating oil. If a non-recommended lubricating oil is used it can undergo partial combustion and cause carbon monoxide to enter the air cylinder.

The compressed air is filtered through silica gel to remove water, then through activated charcoal to remove any traces of oil.

Sometimes air from a cheap, low powered compressor will be stored in a bank of large high pressure cylinders The air stored in these cylinders is used to fill diving cylinders. The diving cylinders need to be filled slowly to prevent the compressed air inside them from getting hot. If the gas gets hot, it expands and causes the cylinder to be at maximum pressure even if it is only half full. The gas cools and the cylinder may only be half full.




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