What is a compressor used for?

A compressor, also known as an air compressor, is a device used to compress gases. In order to enable more people to understand the related issues of compressors, I will give a brief introduction to them here.

1: Introduction to Air Compressors

Air compressors are similar in structure to water pumps and are devices used for compressing gases. Most air compressors employ reciprocating pistons, rotating vanes, or screws.

When the air compressor is operating, the airflow is drawn in through the self-cleaning air filter and automatically cleaned by the PLC. After being automatically adjusted by the intake guide vanes, it enters the first stage of compression. The gas temperature after the first stage compression is relatively high, and it then enters the second stage cooling device. To prevent the gas in the system from being sucked into the compression chamber, a suspended full-opening one-way valve is installed on the exhaust pipe of the compressor. The gas discharged by the compressor is pushed by the one-way valve to the exhaust muffler, and then flows into the first, second, and third stages, and finally enters the main exhaust pipeline.

2: Characteristics of the Air Compressor

The air compressor is directly driven by an electric motor, which rotates the crankshaft. The connecting rod then drives the piston to move back and forth, causing the volume of the cylinder to change. Due to the change in pressure within the cylinder, air passes through the intake valve and the air filter into the cylinder. During the compression stroke, as the volume of the cylinder decreases, the compressed air is discharged through the exhaust valve and the exhaust pipe, and then through the check valve into the storage tank. When the exhaust pressure reaches 0.7 MPa, the pressure switch controls the automatic shutdown. The pressure switch automatically activates when the pressure in the storage tank drops to 0.5 - 0.6 MPa.

The air compressor is the core equipment of the pneumatic system and also the main component of the electromechanical air supply source device. It converts the mechanical energy of the driving mechanism into air pressure energy, and is the air pressure generator for compressed air.

3: Applications of Air Compressors

Air compressors, depending on their type, have a wide range of applications. They can be used in the power industry, chemical fiber industry, pharmaceutical industry, and other fields. Here, I will briefly explain them to you.

Electric power industry:
For instance, in the electric power industry, there are systems such as the ash removal system, the compressed air system used in factories, and water treatment systems including boiler water treatment systems and industrial wastewater treatment systems.

Textile industry:
The cotton textile industry mainly uses clean compressed air as the power source; the chemical fiber industry mainly uses instrument gas and suction gun gas, and the printing and dyeing gas is mainly used for power instruments.

Pharmaceutical industry:
Non-contact type is mainly used for power transmission and instrument applications. Direct contact requires a large amount of air and stable air quality, and therefore is generally achieved through centrifugal methods.

Of course, it can also be applied to numerous industrial fields such as food, mining, textile, transportation, etc. Therefore, air compressors are also known as "universal machinery".