Flcamp2015 - R.E.A.D: Four steps for selecting the right modules
10 Steps to Selecting an Air Compressor
Transcript of 10 Steps to Selecting an Air Compressor
ingersollrandproducts.com 137
What are you using the compressed air for?Thetypeofworkyoudoisprobablythemost
importantfactorindeterminingcompressorsize.Doyouintendtouseairsixhoursperday/
fivedaysaweek,oronlyoccasionally?Areyourdemandsforcompressedairrelativelyconstant
duringtheday,ordotheyvarywidely?Purchaseacompressordesignedforadutycyclewhich
equalsorexceedsspecifiedrequirement.
Where will the compressor be located? Outdoorapplicationsrequirespecialprotectionagainst
waterandfreezing.Indoors,sufficientventilationiscrucialforsuccessfuloperationsincemost
reciprocatingcompressorsareaircooled.Don’tputthecompressorinacloset,forexample.
Placethecompressoratleastthreefeetfromthewalltoensureproperairflowandbesurethe
installationsiteissufficientlyventilatedtohandletheheatgeneratedbythecompressorduring
operation..
How much pressure (psi) do you require? Thepsi,orpoundspersquareinch,capabilityofa
compressormustmatchorexceedthepsirequirementofyourhungriestairtoolsandpneumatic
equipment.Checkthemanufacturer’sspecificationsandpressurerequirementforallyour
equipment.Thepressurealsodetermineswhethertheunitshouldbeasingle-stage(max135psi)
oratwo-stage(max175psi)compressor.
How much air flow (cfm) do you require? Cubicfeetperminuteorcfmisameasureofairflowthecompressorcancreate.CFMisstatedintwodifferentforms,pistondisplacement(PD)oractualcubicfeetperminute(acfm).Alwaysconsidertheacfmasitreflectstheamountofusableairavailableforwork.Readthefineprintandmakesureyouunderstandwhetherthecfmratingis“pistondisplacement”or“actualdeliveredair”ataspecifiedpsi.
What motor horsepower do you require? Horsepowerisdirectlyproportionaltocfmrating
ofacompressor;typically,thehigherthehorsepowerthemoreair(cfm)thecompressorcan
produce.Don’trelysolelyonhorsepowerorattempttobuythehighesthorsepowercompressor
youcanafford.Letyourcfmandpsirequirementsdeterminehorsepowerforyou.Bevery
carefulwiththecompressorsthatclaimhighhorsepowerratingwithlowairflowperformance,this
oftenindicatesan“occasional-use”aircompressor.Theseproductsaredesignedwiththemotor
operatingatmaximumspeed,whichtypicallyresultsinamotorthatwillrunhotwithseverely
shortenedlifespan.
10 Steps to Selecting an Air Compressor
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10 Steps to Selecting an Air Compressor (continued)
What size and type of air tank do you require?Airtankshelpeliminatepulsationinthe
airlineandprovidestoragewhendemandforairexceedsthecapacityofthecompressor.The
largerthetank,themorepressurizedairisavailableforoutput.Thesmallerthetank,themore
thecompressorhastoworktokeepupwiththedemand.Decideifyourapplicationrequires
averticalorhorizontaltank;thisisdeterminedbythephysicallocationofthecompressorand
one’spersonalpreference.Verticalcompressorshaveasmallerfootprintthanahorizontaldesign;
verticaltanksareonlyavailableonmodelsratedupto10horsepower.
What compressor features should you consider? Lookforthefollowingfeaturestosuitmore
demandingapplications:
•100%cast-ironconstructiondesignedforreliabilityanddurability.
•Minimalmovingpartsreducesmaintenancecostandserviceintervals.
•Splashlubricationprovidessimple,reliabledesignreducinginitialpurchaseprice
•Stainlesssteelfingervalveseliminatecorrosionwhileinsuringlongservicelife.
•One-piececonnectingrodseliminateinternaladjustment.
•Oilmonitoringdevicetopreventlow-oildamage.
•Separatecastcylindersintwo-stagecompressorsforbettercoolingandextendedlife.
What are the electrical requirements of the installation? Incomingelectricalserviceisvery
importanttoidentifyandunderstandbeforepurchasingacompressor.Voltagewilldeterminethe
horsepowercapacityavailablewithoutexpensivemodifications.Thestandardvoltageforhomes
is110volts.Thisvoltagewillonlyoperatecompressorsuptothreehorsepower.IntheUnited
States,Canada,Mexicothefollowingvoltagesandphasesareavailable:
•Single-Phase1.110-1-602.208-1-603.230-1-60
•Three-Phase1.308-3-602.208-e-603.460-3-604.575-3-60
NOTE: Always have a qualified electrician review electrical requirements prior
to procuring an air compressor.
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10 Steps to Selecting an Air Compressor (continued)
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What control system do you require?Allreciprocatingaircompressorsrequireoneofthe
threecontrolsystemsinordertoregulateoperationinaccordancewithairdemand:
•Start/StopControlisusedforapplicationswhereairisnotrequiredcontinually,
allowingthecompressorsufficientcoolingtime.Whensystempressurefallsbelowtheset
start-uppressure,thecompressorwillautomaticallystart.Whenthecut-offpressureis
reached,thecompressorwillautomaticallyshut-offandwillnotstartagainuntilthesystem
pressurefallsbelowtheminimumstartpressure.
•ConstantSpeedControlkeepsthecompressorfromexcessivelystartingand
stopping.Aswithstart/stopcontrol,ithasaminimumstartpressureandamaximumcut-
offpressure.Thisfeaturepreventsprematuremotorfailureandminimizesoperatingcosts
associatedwithhighamp-draw.Here’saruleofthumb:ifthecompressorstartsmorethansix
toeighttimesperhour,youshouldoperateconstantspeedcontrol.Ifthecompressorstarts
lessthansixtimesperhour,start/stopcontrolisrecommended.
•DualControlallowsthecompressortooperateineitherstart/stopmodeor
constantspeedcontrolmodebyadjustingthecompressorauxiliaryvalve.Thiscontrolmethod
allowstheusertoeasilyadjustthecontrolmodedependentuponcompressedairusage.Know
yourrequirementsandpurchaseaccordingly!
Additional buying tips
•Allcompressorsratedfivehorsepowerandaboveshouldhaveamagneticmotorstarterfor
thermaloverloadprotection.Motorstartersaresizedaccordingtohorsepoweraswellas
byincominglinevoltage.Thestartercanbemountedtothecompressororbepositioned
remotely.Besuretochecklocalelectricalcodesandrequirementsandhaveallwiringdoneby
alicensedelectrician
•Useofproperoiliscriticaltothelong-termoperationofyourcompressor.Sincecompressors
areshippedwithoutoilinthecrankcase,besuretocheckwithyoursupplierregardingany
start-up/lubekitrequirements.Also,manymanufacturersnowofferextendedwarrantieson
thecompressorifyoupurchaseaspecificlubricant.
•Moistureisthenumberoneenemyofcompressedairsystems.Awidevarietyofmoisture
removalproductsareavailable,rangingfrominlinefiltersandmoisturedrainstoaftercoolers
andairdryer.Consultwithyourlocalcompressedairspecialistregardingyourspecificneeds.