Attività

Understanding Compressors

Compressors are mechanical devices used to increase pressure in a variety of compressible

fluids, or gases, the most common of these being air. Compressors are used throughout industry to provide shop or instrument air; to power air tools, paint

sprayers, and abrasive blast equipment; to phase shift refrigerants for air conditioning and refrigeration; to propel gas through pipelines; etc. As with

pumps, compressors are divided into centrifugal (or dynamic or kinetic) and positive-displacement types; but where pumps are predominately represented by

centrifugal varieties, compressors are more often of the positive- displacement type. They can range in size from the fits-in-a-glovebox unit that inflates

tires to the giant reciprocating or turbocompressor machines found in pipeline service. Positive-displacement compressors can be further broken out into

reciprocating types, where the piston style predominates, and rotary types such as the helical screw and rotary vane.

In this guide, we will use both of the terms compressors and air compressors to refer mainly to air compressors, and in a few specialized cases will

speak to more specific gases for which compressors are used.

Types of Air Compressor

Compressors may be characterized in several different ways, but are commonly divided into types based on the functional method used to generate the

compressed air or gas. In the sections below, we outline and present the common compressor types. The types covered include: