Air Cooled Compressors

Air Cooled Compressors are used more and more often in today's industries and come in three main types:

• Rotary Screw
• Rotary Centrifugal
• Reciprocating

I will explain how the three types work and how they vary from each other:

Rotary Screw Compressors

This type is known as a positive displacement compressor, they consist of two rotors, the rotors are enclosed in casing and internally compress the air. These systems are all oil cooled and contain no valves (the oil coolers themselves are water or air cooled).

The internal mechanism never experiences extreme temperatures whilst operating; this is due to all the cooling taking place inside the unit.

They are very easy to operate and maintain with a few advantages:

• Compact in Size
• Pulse-free Air
• Smooth Air
• High Output Volume
• Long Life

Rotary Centrifugal

These are known as dynamic compressors and rely on the transfer on energy from a rotating impeller to the air. They produce a very high pressure discharge, in order to achieve this they rotate at speeds far superior to the other two types, the flow through is continuous and therefore are designed for a higher capacity. They have guide vanes at the front of the system, these slides open and closed and are designed to reduce and increase the capacity. Rotary Centrifugal Compressors are oil free by design.

Reciprocating

Known as positive displacement machines, they are available air or water cooled and also lubricated or non-lubricated in configuration. They offer a very wide range of pressure and capacities, all varying in price and power.

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