Air Compressors

01 What Is an Air Compressor and How Does It Work? Why a compressor is not a pump, why 31 bar absolute is not 30 bar gauge, and why a stopped compressor is still dangerous. Beginner · 22 min read · 43 sections 02 Pressure, Units and Pressure Ratios in Air Compressors Gauge or absolute: one word decides whether your pressure ratio is right. Beginner · 22 min read · 52 sections 03 Gas Laws, Air Properties and Moisture in Compressors Why 40 degrees is not twice 20 degrees, and where the water in your air receiver comes from. Beginner · 22 min read · 54 sections 04 Multistage Compression and Intercooling in Air Compressors Sixteen to one in a single stage, or four to one twice: the same air, less work and cooler valves. Intermediate · 19 min read · 53 sections 05 The Reciprocating Compressor Cycle Explained Four events, not three: the clearance re-expansion nobody watches is the one that costs capacity. Intermediate · 21 min read · 52 sections 06 Volumetric Efficiency in Air Compressors Explained Eighty-two out of a hundred: where the missing eighteen cubic metres went. Intermediate · 19 min read · 52 sections 07 Air Compressor Capacity, Power and Specific Energy The power bill does not follow capacity: specific power is the number that moves. Intermediate · 18 min read · 56 sections 08 Compressor Pressure-Volume Diagrams and Indicator Cards The shape of the loop tells you which valve failed before you touch a spanner. Intermediate · 15 min read · 47 sections 09 Positive-Displacement and Dynamic Compressors Compared Trapped and squeezed, or accelerated and diffused: two families and two failure modes. Intermediate · 17 min read · 51 sections 10 Reciprocating Compressor Classifications and Arrangements Single or double acting, air or water cooled, V or opposed: the name tells you how it will fail. Advanced · 15 min read · 46 sections 11 Air Compressor Selection and Application on Ships Start with the duty and not the catalogue, because most bad compressor choices were made before the enquiry was written. Advanced · 22 min read · 18 sections 12 Main Reciprocating Air Compressor Construction Two machines on one frame: a running gear that turns rotation into reciprocation, and a gas end that squeezes air. Advanced · 19 min read · 21 sections 13 Crankshaft, Connecting Rod and Crosshead in Compressors Gas forces push and inertia forces pull, so the frame must survive both and the balance decides the vibration. Advanced · 17 min read · 16 sections 14 Compressor Pistons, Piston Rings and Rider Rings The rings seal and the rider rings carry, so confuse the two and you will keep replacing the wrong part. Advanced · 16 min read · 17 sections 15 Piston-Rod Packing and Oil Scraper in Compressors Packing leaks by design and seals by pressure, while the scraper keeps the oil where it belongs. Advanced · 16 min read · 19 sections