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Writer's pictureTaliya Mammadhasanzada
Aug 30, 20204 min read

Compressors- part 2🚀

Warm greetings to all 🌝in the 27th post on #Day27 ! Today, we will continue learning about the second part of Compressors. Here we go🚀🍟,



Sizing the Compressor

🤔If you run jackhammers all day, picking a compressor is straightforward: add up the number of operators who will be using the compressor, determine the cfm of their tools, and buy a continuously running helical-screw compressor that can meet the demand and which will run for 8 hours on a single tank of fuel. Of course, it is not really that simple—there may be environmental constraints to consider—but you get the idea.


🤔If you are trying to provide compressed air for a small shop, things get a little more complicated. Air tools can be segregated by use: either intermittent—a ratchet wrench, say—or continuous—a paint sprayer, perhaps. Charts are available to help in estimating the consumption of various shop tools. Once these are determined, and usage based on average and continuous use figured out, a rough determination of the overall air compressor capacity can be made.


Typical job site rotary-screw compressor.


🤔Defining compressor capacities for manufacturing facilities proceeds in roughly the same manner. A packaging line, for instance, will likely use compressed air to actuate cylinders, blow-off devices, etc. Ordinarily, the equipment manufacturer will provide consumption rates for individual machines, but if not, cylinder air-consumption is easily estimated by knowing the bore, stroke, and cycling rate of each air-actuated device.

🤔Very large manufacturing operations and process plants will likely have equally large compressed air demands that might be served by redundant systems. For such operations, having air available at all times justifies the cost of multiple compressed-air systems to avoid costly line stoppages or shutdowns. Even smaller operations can benefit from some level of redundancy. That is a question that must be asked if sizing a small manufacturing air-system: is the operation best served by a single compressor (less maintenance, less complexity) or would multiple, smaller compressors (redundancy, room for growth) provide a better fit?

Performance Specifications🎙

In selecting compressor machinery, specifiers have three main parameters to consider in addition to the many points outlined above. These air compressor specifications include:


  • volumetric capacity

  • pressure capability

  • the power of the machine


Although compressors are typically rated by horsepower or kilowatts, these measures do not necessarily give any indication of what it will cost to operate the equipment as this is dependent on the efficiency of the machine, its duty cycle, and so forth.


📌Volumetric Capacity

Volumetric capacity defines how much air the machine can deliver per unit time. Cubic-feet per minute is the most common unit for this measure, although just what this is can vary between manufacturers. An attempt to standardize this measure, a so-called scfm, seems to be dependent on whose standards you follow. The Compressed Air and Gas Institute has adopted the ISO definition of an scfm as being dry air (0% relative humidity) at 14.5 psi and 68°F. Actual cfm, of acfm, is another measure of volumetric capacity. It relates the amount of compressed air delivered to the outlet of the compressor, which will always be less than the displacement of the machine owing to losses from blow-by through the compressor.


📌Pressure Capacity

Pressure capability in psi is largely based around the needs of the equipment the compressed air will be operating. While many air tools are designed to operate at normal shop air pressures, special applications, such as engine starting, require higher pressures. Thus, in specifying a piston compressor, for instance, a buyer would find a single-stage unit that delivers pressure up to 135 psi adequate for powering everyday tools but would want to consider a two-stage unit for special, higher-pressure applications.


📌Power of the Machine

The power required to drive the compressor will be determined by these volume and pressure considerations. A specifier will also want to think about system losses in determining compressor capacity: piping losses, pressure drops through dryers and filters, etc. Compressor buyers also have drive decisions to make such as motor belt- or direct-drive, engine gas- or diesel-drive, etc.


📍Compressor makers will often publish compressor-performance curves to enable specifiers to evaluate compressor performance over a range of operating conditions. This is especially true for centrifugal compressors which, like centrifugal pumps, can be sized to deliver different volumes and pressures depending on shaft speed and impeller sizing.


📍The Dept. of Energy is adopting energy standards for compressors against which some compressors makers are publishing data sheets. As more manufacturers publish these data, compressor buyers should have an easier time sorting through the energy usage of comparable compressors.


How does a Centrifugal Pump work? 🤩

Let's look at this animation to better understanding:




Videos

  • How does an Air Compressor work? (Compressor Types) - Tutorial Pneumaticside


  • Compressors and types of compressors


  • Multistage compressors


  • Centrifugal Compressors

  • 3D animation of axial flow compressor working principle


  • Centrifugal Pumps Basics



  • Rotary Compressor Operation




And bonus, Pumps:


References📖

  1. https://www.thomasnet.com/articles/machinery-tools-supplies/understanding-compressors/

  2. http://www.cagi.org

  3. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/05/19/2016-11337/energy-conservation-program- energy-conservation-standards-for-compressors

  4. https://www.dft-valves.com/blog/common-problems-with-pumps-and-compressors/

Additional Resources 🧪🔑

You can get deep insight about Process/Chemical Engineering from these sources😉:

  1. https://youtu.be/pcGTIRGkEyw Pumps

  2. https://www.facebook.com/SPE.BHOS - SPE BHOS arranges technical, soft skill sessions and shares a lot of quizzes, competitions and related books for petroleum and process engineering students

  3. https://www.instagram.com/p/CAXT-ZhlrRW/ Engineerium Mentoring Center Instagram page

  4. https://www.facebook.com/engineeriummentoringcenter Engineerium Mentoring Center Facebook page

  5. http://www2.eng.cam.ac.uk/~mpj1001/learnfluidmechanics.org/LFM_L6.html

  6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCvYPclQNWM Heat Exchangers Explanation

  7. https://t.me/ebookstorage/210-Introduction to Process Engineering and Design (2015)

  8. https://t.me/ebookstorage/211-Elementary Principles of Chemical Processes

  9. https://t.me/OilAndGas/18122Valve Sizing Sheet

  10. https://t.me/ebookgate/1127Engineering Fluid Mechanics Book

  11. https://coursemania.xyz/course.html?id=433291 Free course on Fundamentals of Fluid Mechanics

  12. https://t.me/ebookstorage/178 Engineering Heat Transfer

  13. https://t.me/ebookstorage/159 Fundamentals of Engineering Thermodynamics (9th Edition) (2018)

  14. https://t.me/ebookstorage/18 Heat Transfer applications and principles

  15. https://t.me/ebookstorage/171-Design and Operation of Heat Exchangers and their Networks (2020)

  16. https://t.me/ebookstorage/215- Industrial Separation Processes (book)

  17. https://t.me/ebookstorage/214- Advanced Process Engineering Control (book)

  18. https://t.me/OilAndGas- Information about Oil&Gas (mainly arabic lang)

  19. https://t.me/chemical_worlds- Chemical Engineering Books, Quizzes and GATE Study Group

  20. https://t.me/chemical_environmental- Discussion group related to Chemical Engineering Problems

  21. https://t.me/chemicalengineeringworld_cew- Everything related to Chemical Engineering

  22. https://t.me/ebookgate- Chemical Engineering E-books (Telegram Channel)

  23. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqioh32NOJc8P7cPo3jHrbg- Piping Analysis

  24. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQfMyugsjrVUWU0v_ZxQs2Q -Mechanics of engineered devices

  25. http://chemicalengineeringguy.com/- suggests a wide range of courses in Chemical engineering (you can find free courses on topic of Aspen HYSYS, Aspen Plus)

  26. https://www.youtube.com/user/LearnEngineeringTeam- suggests working principles of every engineered devices, equipment and etch.

  27. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR0EfsRZIwA5TVDaQbTqwEQ- suggests great information about pumps, compressors with animation.


😋Today we have finished learning about Compressors. Now, time to say goodbye👋🏻 until tomorrow and Stay tuned for more content 😉🌝✨!

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