what air compressor used for?

In today’s globalization, modernization and industrialization process, there is a kind of equipment, although seemingly obscure, but in the world of large factories, mines and even daily life in all corners of the world to play an irreplaceable role, which is known as the “industrial field of energy conversion expert” air compressor, referred to as the air compressor.

According to the statistics of the International Energy Agency (IEA), the compressed air produced by air compressors accounts for about 10% of industrial electricity consumption worldwide, which fully confirms the central position of air compressors in the industrial energy supply system.

Overview of the basic principle and energy efficiency features of air compressors

According to statistics, the annual sales volume of air compressors in the Chinese market alone is over RMB 10 billion and rising, reflecting their indispensable role in various industries.

With their unique ability to efficiently convert electrical or other forms of mechanical energy into pneumatic energy, air compressors have become an important source of power for many industries, including automobile manufacturing, electronics assembly, food processing, pharmaceutical production, mining and construction.

Every year, millions of air compressors are in continuous operation all over the world, supplying industrialized production and the life of human society with a constant stream of compressed air, demonstrating its strength and far-reaching prospects as an expert in energy conversion. The operating principle of the air compressor and the energy conversion process it performs are scientifically rigorous and extremely practical.

According to a research report by the US Department of Energy, a standard industrial air compressor can have an energy efficiency of more than 80%, i.e. 80 kW of electrical energy can theoretically generate about 64 kW of compressed air energy. Behind this efficient conversion is an ingenious design based on the principles of gas mechanics.

When an electric motor or an internal combustion engine turns the rotor inside the compressor, the volume of air entering the compressor is drastically reduced through three successive phases of intake, compression and discharge, resulting in a significant increase in pressure energy.

In a standard screw compressor, for example, two intermeshing screws rotate in the chamber and form a series of gradually decreasing spaces so that the air drawn in is gradually compressed and finally compressed air is discharged at a pressure of 7 to 13 bar (equivalent to around 700 to 1,300 kPa).

In this process, although there is a certain degree of mechanical loss and heat loss, after optimizing the advanced cooling technology and sealing design, the overall energy efficiency is still excellent, effectively reducing the company’s operating costs and energy consumption.

In addition, there is a wide range of air compressors, so you can choose the right one for your needs. Small and medium-sized businesses with limited budgets, for example, may opt for compact, easy-to-maintain piston air compressors, while large manufacturers often prefer screw air compressors, which are characterized by smooth operation, low vibration, low noise, long service life and high energy efficiency.

According to statistics, screw compressors account for over 60 of the industrial market. The screw compressor has thus become the leading product, which once again confirms its professionalism and reliability in the field of energy conversion.

Wide application and case study of air compressor in various industrial fields

The wide application and importance of air compressors in the industrial field is self-evident. According to the “Global Air Compressor Market Research Report”, the global air compressor market is expected to reach nearly USD 40 billion by 2025, with a growth rate of more than 5%, which largely reflects the common application and huge demand for air compressors in various industries.

In the manufacturing industry, air compressors are called the power heart, supporting the operation of countless production links. According to statistics, more than 90% of the world’s manufacturing enterprises rely on air compressors to provide compressed air for operation, for example, the use of pneumatic tools is extremely high, whether it is the assembly line screwdriver, grinder, or spraying workshop spray gun, they rely on the power of the compressed air from the air compressor into the compressed air. In addition, the chemical industry also has a large number of applications, such as in some fine chemical reaction process, precise and controllable compressed air can be used as both stirring power, can also be used as a medium for conveying materials, according to statistics, the use of compressed air in the chemical plant can reach about 30% of the total energy consumption.

In the mining industry, air compressors play a key role in blasting and ventilation. High-pressure air prepared by air compressors is used to complete the task of rock drilling and blasting in underground mines, which greatly improves the efficiency of mining. At the same time, the ventilation system of underground mines can not be separated from the support of air compressors, according to statistics, to ensure the safety of miners in the adequate ventilation, about 70% of the volume is provided by air compressors.

In addition, in building construction, food processing, pharmaceutical manufacturing, transportation and other industries, air compressors also play an important role.

For example, in the construction site, air compressor driven piling machine, concrete sprayer and other equipment to protect the progress of the project; in the food processing industry, compressed air used in packaging machines, blowing machine drive and cleaning process, to ensure food safety and hygiene; in the field of pharmaceutical manufacturing, compressed air is used in the mixing of pharmaceuticals, filling, packaging and other links to meet the stringent cleanliness requirements. All kinds of examples show that air compressors, as energy conversion experts, have deeply penetrated into every corner of our daily life and industrial production.

Technological progress is leading to a new generation of air compressors: High efficiency, energy saving and intelligent trends

With the continuous progress of science and technology and the increasing awareness of environmental protection, air compressor technology is experiencing unprecedented change and development. According to a report by a relevant research institute, the market demand for energy-efficient air compressors has shown a significant upward trend in recent years, and the global market share of energy-efficient air compressors is expected to exceed 70% by 2030, reflecting the industry’s urgent need to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

New air compressors have achieved remarkable results in improving energy efficiency, such as air compressors with frequency converter speed control. Compared to conventional fixed frequency models, the energy saving effect can be up to 30% or more, significantly reducing operating costs. In addition, the application of permanent magnet synchronous motor in the air compressor has also been popularized, the efficiency of such motors is as high as 95%, compared with the ordinary asynchronous motors to improve nearly 5 percentage points, so that the overall efficiency of the air compressor has been greatly improved.

In view of increasingly stringent environmental regulations, oil-free, low-noise and pollution-free air compressors are in great demand on the market. According to statistics, the market share of oil-free compressors in the medical, food, electronics and other industries with extremely high air quality requirements is over 45%, effectively ensuring the safety and cleanliness of the production environment.

Looking to the future, the development of intelligent manufacturing and Internet of Things technology has brought completely new development opportunities for air compressors. More and more intelligent air compressor systems with real-time monitoring, remote control, fault warning, automatic adjustment, etc. are being introduced to the market. It is predicted that the global market for intelligent air compressors will double by 2025. These intelligent solutions can not only help companies refine the management of compressed air systems and reduce the waste of resources, but also promote the digital transformation of industrial production and improve overall competitiveness.

In short, the air compressor industry is innovating and iterating at an unprecedented pace, and with the ever-improving technology and environmentally friendly concept, air compressors have earned the reputation of “energy conversion experts in the industrial field”, which also signals the arrival of a new era of compressed air that is more efficient, energy-saving and intelligent.

Wide range of applications for air compressors

A compressor is a machine that compresses gases to increase gas pressure or to transport gases. With the rapid development of the national economy, the compressor is widely used in industry, so it is called “general-purpose machinery”. In the mining industry, metallurgy, machinery manufacturing, civil engineering, petrochemical industry, refrigeration and gas separation engineering, as well as the defense industry, the compressor is one of the essential key equipment. In addition, medical, textile, food, agriculture, transportation and other sectors of the demand is also increasing day by day.

According to the use of compressed gas nature of different characteristics can be divided into the following categories:

1. Compressed air as power:

For driving a variety of wind-driven machinery; for the control of instrumentation and automation devices; pharmaceutical industry, brewing industry in the mixing; fracturing of oil wells and so on. The pressure compressed air in the defense industry for its power, submarine sinking and floating, torpedo shooting and driving and shipwreck salvage, etc., are different pressure compressed air for its power.

 

2. Compressed gas is used for refrigeration and gas separation:

Gas is compressed, cooled, expanded and liquefied for artificial refrigeration (refrigeration and air conditioning, etc.) such as ammonia or Freon compressor. Its compression pressure is mostly 8 to 12 kg / cm², this type of compressor usually become “refrigeration machine” or “ice machine”.

In addition, if the liquefied gas is a mixture of gases, can be in the separation device, will be separated from each component separately, to get a qualified lip reading of various gases. Such as air liquefaction can be obtained after the separation of pure oxygen, pure nitrogen, and pure xenon, krypton, argon, helium and other rare gases.

3. Compressed gas for synthesis and polymerization;

In the chemical industry, gas compression to high pressure, often favorable synthesis and polymerization. For example, nitrogen and hydrogen to synthesize ammonia, hydrogen and carbon dioxide to synthesize methanol, carbon dioxide and ammonia to synthesize urea. Chemical industry, such as high-pressure polyethylene pressure of 1500 ~ 3200 kg / cm².

4. The compressed gas has difficult about the oil hydrogenation refining:

In the petroleum industry, the artificial method of hydrogen heating, pressurization and oil reaction, can make the hydrocarbons of the recombinant part of the hydrocarbon cracked into the light component of hydrocarbons, such as the lightening of heavy oil, lubricating oil hydrogenation refining, and so on.

5. Gas transportation:

Compressor used for pipeline transportation of gas, depending on the length of the pipeline to determine its pressure.