1.

Main Components of Compressed Air Systems

Compressed air systems consist of following major components: Intake air filters, inter-stage coolers, after-coolers, air-dryers, moisture drain traps, receivers, piping network, filters, regulators and lubricators Intake Air Filters : Prevent dust from entering a compressor; Dust causes sticking valves, scoured cylinders, excessive wear etc. Inter-stage Coolers : Reduce the temperature of the air before it enters the next stage to reduce the work of compression and increase efficiency. They are normally water-cooled. After-Coolers: The objective is to remove the moisture in the air by reducing the temperature in a water-cooled heat exchanger. Air-dryers : The remaining traces of moisture after after-cooler are removed using air dryers, as air for instrument and pneumatic equipment has to be relatively free of any moisture. The moisture is removed by using adsorbents like silica gel /activated carbon, or refrigerant dryers, or heat of compression dryers. Moisture Drain Traps: Moisture drain traps are used for removal of moisture in the compressed air. These traps resemble steam traps. Various types of traps used are manual drain cocks, timer based / automatic drain valves etc. Receivers : Air receivers are provided as stora ge and smoothening pulsating air output - reducing pressure variations from the compressor

2. TYPES OF COMPRESSORS As shown in Figure 2, there are two basic compressor types: positive-displacement and dynamic. In the positive-displacement type, a given quantity of air or gas is trapped in a compression chamber and the volume it occupies is mechanically reduced, causing a corresponding rise in pressure prior to discharge. At constant speed, the air flow remains essentially constant with variations in discharge pressure. Dynamic compressors impart velocity energy to continuously flowing air or gas by means of impellers rotating at very high speeds. The velocity energy is changed into pressure energy both by the impellers and the discharge volutes or diffusers. In the centrifugal-type dynamic compressors, the shape of the impeller blades determines the relationship between air flow and the pressure (or head) generated.

Figure 2. Types of Compressors 2.1 Positive Displacement Compressor These compressors are available in two types: reciprocating and rotary. 2.1.1 Reciprocating compressor

In industry, reciprocating compressors are the most widely used type for both air and refrigerant compression. are characterized by a flow output that remains nearly constant over a range of discharge pressures. Also, the compressor capacity is directly proportional to the speed. The output, however, is a pulsating one. The reciprocating air compressor is considered single acting when the compressing is accomplished using only one side of the piston. A compressor using both sides of the piston is considered double acting. A compressor Is considered to be single stage when the entire compression is accomplished with a single cylinder or a group of cylinders in parallel. Two stage machines are used for high pressures and are characterized by lower discharge temperature (140 to 160oC) compared to singlestage machines (205 to 240oC). Rotary compressors have rotors in place of pistons and give a continuous pulsation free discharge. They operate at high speed and generally provide higher throughput than reciprocating compressors. Their capital costs are low, they are compact in size, have low weight, and are easy to maintain. For this reason they have gained popularity with industry. They are most commonly used in sizes from about 30 to 200 hp or 22 to 150 kW. Types of rotary compressors include: Lobe compressor (roots blower) Screw compressor (rotary screw of helical-lobe, where mail and female screw rotors moving in opposite directions and trap air, which is compressed as it moves forward). Rotary vane / sliding- vane, liquid-ring, and scroll-type Rotary screw compressors may be air or water-cooled. Since the cooling takes place right inside the compressor, the working parts never experience extreme operating temperatures. The rotary compressor, therefore, is a continuous duty, air cooled or water cooled compressor package. Because of the simple design and few wearing parts, rotary screw air compressors are easy to maintain, operate and provide great installation flexibility. Rotary air compressors can be installed on any sur face that will support the static weight. 2.2 Dynamic Compressors The centrifugal air compressor is a dynamic compressor, which depends on transfer of energy from a rotating impeller to the air. The rotor accomplishes this by changing the momentum and pressure of the air. This momentum is converted to useful pressure by slowing the air down in a stationary diffuser. The centrifugal air compressor is an oil free compressor by design. The oil lubricated running gear is separated from the air by shaft seals and atmospheric vents. The centrifugal is a continuous duty compressor, with few moving parts, that is particularly suited to high volume applications-especially where oil free air is required. Centrifugal air compressors are watercooled and may be packaged; typically the package includes the after-cooler and all controls. These compressors have appreciably different characteristics as compared to reciprocating machines. A small change in compression ratio produces a marked change in compressor output and efficiency. Centrifugal machines are better suited for applications requiring very high capacities, typically above 12,000 cfm. 3.1 Capacity of a Compressor The capacity of a compressor is the full rated volume of flow of gas compressed and delivered under conditions of total temperature, total pressure, and composition prevailing at the compressor inlet. It sometimes means actual flow rate, rather than rated volume of flow. This is also called free air delivery (FAD) i.e. air at atmospheric conditions at any specific location. This term does not mean air

delivered under identical or standard conditions because the altitude, barometer, and temperature may vary at different localities and at different times. 3.2 Assessment of capacity of a compressor Due to ageing of the compressors and inherent inefficiencies in the internal components, the free air delivered may be less than the design value, despite good maintenance practices. Sometimes, other factors such as poor maintenance, fouled heat exchanger and effects of altitude also tend to reduce free air delivery. In order to meet the air demand, the inefficient compressor may have to run for more time, thus consuming more power than actually required. The power wastage depends on the percentage deviation of FAD capacity. For example, a worn out compressor valve can reduce the compressor capacity by as much as 20 percent. A periodic assessment of the FAD capacity of each compressor has to be carried out to check its actual capacity. If the deviations are more than 10 percent, corrective measures should be taken to rectify the same. 4.1 Inter and After-Coolers Most multi-stage compressors use intercoolers, which are heat exchangers that remove the heat of compression between the stages of compression. Intercooling affects the overall efficiency of the machine. As mechanical energy is applied to a gas for compression, the temperature of the gas increases. After-coolers are installed after the final stage of compression to reduce the air temperature. As the air temperature is reduced, water vapor in the air is condensed, separated, collected, and drained from the system. Most of the condensate from a compressor with intercooling is removed in the intercooler(s), and the remainder in the after-cooler. Almost all industrial systems, except those that supply process air to heat-indifferent operations, require after-cooling. In some systems, after-coolers are an integral part of the compressor package, while in other systems the after-cooler is a separate piece of equipment. Some systems have both. Ideally, the temperature of the inlet air at each stage of a multi-stage machine should be the same as it was at the first stage. This is referred to as perfect cooling or isothermal compression. But in actual practice, the inlet air temperatures at subsequent stages are higher than the normal levels resulting in higher power consumption, as larger volume is handled for the same duty 4.2 Condensate Removal After compressed air leaves the compression chamber, the compressors after-cooler reduces the discharge air temperature well below the dew point (for most ambient conditions) and therefore considerable water vapor is condensed. To remove this condensation, most compressors with built- in after-coolers are furnished with a combination condensate separator/trap. In situations such as this, an isolation valve should be mounted near the compressor discharge. A drain line should be connected to the condensate drain in the base. The drain line must slope downward from the base to work properly. It is possible that additional condensation can occur if the downstream piping cools the air even further and low points in the piping systems should be provided with drip - legs and traps. It is also important that the discharge piping is the same size as the discharge connection at the compressor enclosure. All piping and fittings must be suitably rated for the discharge pressure. Careful review of piping size from the compressor connection point is essential. Lengths of pipes, sizes of pipes, number and type of fittings and valves must be considered for optimum efficiency of the compressor. 4.3 Compressor Controls Air compressors become inefficient when they are operated at significantly below their rated cfm output. To avoid running extra air compressors when they are not needed, a controller can be installed to automatically turn compressors on and off, based on demand. Also, if the pressure of the compressed air system is kept as low as possible, efficiency improves and air leaks are reduced.