How Does an Air Compressor Work?
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Introduction
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Compressed air is part of our everyday lives. Without it, our world would literally come to a standstill. Industry uses compressed air every day for automation and packaging of goods transported throughout the world.
There are many types of air compressors, but they all do the same job--take air from the atmosphere, crunch it together to do work and release it back to be reused again.
The Piston Compressor
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A piston is a simple type of air compressor. A shaft driven by an electric motor is rotated to raise and lower a piston inside a chamber. On every down stroke of the piston, air is brought into the chamber through an intake valve. On the upstroke of the piston, which compresses the air, another valve is opened to crunch the air molecules closer together. During the upstroke of the piston, the intake valve is closed. This compressed air is fed into a reservoir tank for storage. The storage tank is used so the air can be transported through pipes to machines. Most service stations or home air compressors are of the piston type.
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The Screw Compressor
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Even simpler than the piston--and much more efficient--is the screw compressor. The screw compressor is also driven by electric motors. The main difference from the piston type is that the screw compressor uses two large intermeshing screws to squeeze the air inside a large chamber. In order to keep the screws from being damaged, oil must be injected to keep the entire system lubricated. The oil is mixed with the air upon entrance into the compression chamber and is passed between to two rotating screws. After exiting the chamber, the air and oil pass through a large oil separator where the air passes readily through a small orifice filter. The oil is cooled and reused while the air goes on to the reservoir tanks to be utilized in work.
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