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Using Accessories on
Air Compressors
The accessories to the air compressors
include after-coolers, filters, dryers, separators, heat recovery
equipment, lubricators, pressure regulators, air receivers, traps and
automatic drains. The purpose of these diverse pieces of equipment are
to treat compressed air by removing dirt, lubricants and water. They
also maintain compressed air systems in good working order and deliver
adequate pressure and proper amounts of air throughout the entire
system. Particles in the air are prevented from entering the compressor
due to the protection of an air inlet filter. Additional protection from
a filter is necessary to protect the downstream equipment on the
compressor.
Heat is generated from air or gas compression, therefore, a great deal
of heat is generated when an air compressor operates constantly. Air,
water and/or lubricants cool the compressor. A fan is most often
utilized to cool the single acting reciprocating compressors. The fan is
an essential component of the belt-drive flywheel. The fan generates
cool air which blows across the surface on the exterior of the
compressor cylinder's cooler tubes. Built-in cooling water jackets are
contained around the cylinders and in the cylinder heads of larger,
water-cooled reciprocating air compressors. The general performance and
effectiveness of the cooler can be determined by the temperature of the
inlet water and the cleanliness of the cooler. The centrifugal
compressors are usually water-cooled, whereas rotary compressors are
generally lubricant-injected, whereby the lubricant removes most of the
heat of compression. Air-cooled compressors utilize a radiator-type of
lubricant cooler to cool the lubricant prior to it being re-injected.
Either the main motor-drive shaft or a small auxiliary electric motor
may drive the cooling fan away. If good quality water is accessible in
industrial plants, shell and tube heat exchangers are normally used.
Intercoolers are heat exchangers, the purpose of which are to remove the
compression heat between the stages of compression. The intercoolers are
utilized by most multi-stage compressors. Inter-cooling is very important
because it influences the general efficiency of the entire machine.
Aftercoolers are installed in order to
reduce the air temperature because when mechanical energy is applied to
a gas for compression, the temperature of the gas increases. Water vapor
contained in the air is condensed, separated, collected and drained as
the air temperature is decreased.
The intercooler(s) removes most of the condensation from the compressor
and the remaining condensation is removed in the after cooler. Most of
the industrial systems need aftercooling; the exception are those that
provide processed air to heat-indifferent operations. Some systems have
an aftercooler that is a part of the equipment, while in other systems,
the aftercooler is a separate piece of equipment, and still others have
both.
cont. article...
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