Air Compressor Basics

Single stage tops out at about 150 psi.

Air compressor basics.

Air compressors operate by storing compressed air in a steel tank and releasing it in a controlled manner to operate a variety of tool attachments from air wrenches to sanding and grinding equipment to air nailers to painting tools. Here air pressure is increased by reducing the size of the space that contains the air. Piston compressors come in single stage and two stage. The majority of air compressors have at their core either centrifugal impellers or rotary screws figure 1 that compress the air.

Centrifugal air compressor basics key concepts centrifugal compressors are most effective when running at full capacity. It is an oil free compressor by design. There are three basic types of drives for air compressors. These are designed for continuous use and are often used with tools that run for several seconds or minutes at a time such as impact wrenches and jackhammers and in industrial applications.

A reciprocating compressor uses the piston movement inside a cylinder to compress air. Most air compressors use either centrifugal impellers left or rotary screws right to compress air. By one of several methods an air compressor forces more and more air into a storage tank increasing the pressure. V belt direct and gear.

Most of the compressors you ll run across do this job with a reciprocating piston. An air compressor increases the pressure of inlet air by reducing its volume. Choke and surge occur at the extreme ends of the performance curve and should be avoided. Before tackling air compressor troubleshooting or maintenance you need to first understand the air compressor basics in this tutorial.

The centrifugal air compressor is a dynamic compressor that depends on transfer of energy from a rotating impeller to the air. An air compressoris a device that converts power using an electric motor diesel or gasoline engine etc into potential energystored in pressurized air i e compressed air. Also be sure to see m. A fourth type is a combination of any of the above with a variable speed motor.

Like a small internal. The rotor accomplishes this by changing the momentum and pressure of the air. As the piston moves downward the exhaust valve closes and a vacuum is created inside the cylinder forcing the intake valve to open and suck air into the cylinder. This momentum is converted to useful pressure by slowing the air down in a stationary diffuser.