Air
Compressors
Compressed
air is air forced to pass through a smaller space, thus the pressure
increases. The power available from compressed air is used in many
applications as a substitute for steam, in operating rock drills,
shop tools and engines.
A
compressor is an equipment driven by any prime mover that
compresses air into a receiver to be used at a greater or lesser
distance. The system is not subject to loss by condensation in the
pipes, as is the case were carrying the steam in pipes for long
distances.
Heat
of Air Compression
This
subject has probably received more considerations in air
compressor design than any other. The principal losses in the
earlier compressors were traceable to this source.
It
should be noted that the heat of compression, as already explained,
represents work done upon the air for which there is usually no
equivalent obtained, given that the heat is all lost by radiation
before the air is used. The selection of any air cylinder lubricant
is, of course, governed to a considerable extent by knowledge of the
cylinder temperature it must withstand.
When the
air pressures are known, the corresponding temperatures are
ascertained fairly accurately.
