Air Compressor Buyer's Guide

Air Compressor Buyer's Guide

(Sep 05 2021 - Views: 584)

As a common source of power, air compressors are widely used in various industries. Most manufacturing facilities need an air compressor system for their production line. But it’s not easy to make a decision among many kinds and different brands of air compressors.

How to choose the right air compressor for your industry? Typhoon Compressor will provide a detailed guide for your reference.

First of all, some questions to ask yourself before buying the air compressor:

What Compressor Size do I Need?

An appropriate selection is beneficial to both the end-user and the compressor equipment: A too-large selection is too wasteful and may lead to mechanical problems; A too-small selection may lead to a long-term loading state, and insufficient airflow or pressure.

So the pressure and airflow requirements for your facility are essential when choosing an air compressor.

What amount of pressure(PSI) do I need?

We use PSI (pounds per square inch) or Bar (metric measure of pressure) to measure the pressure. We can understand the air pressure as to how strong the force or power. For example, 3~4bar compressed air can blow Glass bottles, but can’t blow PET bottles, as it needs 30~40bar compressed air to blow.

To determine how much pressure is required? The first thing is to calculate what is the maximum operating pressure needed for your facility? Then plus about 1~2bar. The 1~2bar is for pressure loss:

  • The distance from the installation site to the actual gas-side
  • The size of the pipe diameter
  • The number of turning points

So, we can install the air compressor to the air end as near as possible. If the distance between the air compressor and the air end pipe is too far, the path of the main pipe should be enlarged.

What is the right airflow(CFM) for my compressor?

We use CFM (cubic feet per minute), L/min(liters per second)m3/min(cubic meters per minute), or m3/hr(cubic meters per hour) to measure the airflow.

To determine how much airflow is required? First of all, check the CFM requirements of all the air tools that will be used at the same time. Then plus about 20%~30% for unknown or increased needs.

  • For a new project, it can be chosen based on the flow value provided by the design institute.
  • For a renovation project, we can reference the original parameter values, in combination with actual air usage.
  • To supply compressed air to your main equipment, learn the air compressor parameters from your supplier.

What horsepower (HP) is needed for my air compressor?

The steps for selecting an air compressor are:

  • First, determine the working pressure,
  • Then, the corresponding volume flow,
  • Finally, the motor power.

With constant power, when the rotation speed changes, the flow and pressure also change. For example, a 22KW air compressor: when the pressure is determined to be 7 bar, the airflow is 3.7 m3 / min; when the pressure is determined to be 8 bar, the airflow is 3.4 m3 / min. The speed must be reduced when the air pressure is increased, otherwise, the drive motor will be overloaded, so the airflow is also reduced accordingly.

What Air Compressor Features do I need?

What type of air compressor do I need?

According to the working principle, the air compressor can be separated into two types: Positive displacement and dynamic.

Positive displacement type includes the reciprocating air compressor and rotary air compressor (such as screw type and scroll type air compressor).

And the screw-type can be divided into a single-screw air compressor and a twin-screw air compressor.

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