Zoe Sewell
Different types of compressors are needed in numbers of industries. In such a context, the usage of gas can be a tricky affair. When any specific gas is used in manufacturing appliances, its natural volume is compressed mechanically, for increasing its pressure. A gas compressor, in light to that, can be highly useful, as it is a device used for compressing any gas, for industrial purposes. It is also called ‘air compressor’ and it functions in the same way as a pump works for pressurizing liquids.
The main varieties of gas compressors are positive displacement compressor and dynamic compressor, which are further divided into many other categories. All latest compressors are manufactured according to the mechanisms followed by these prime categories.
Prime Uses of The Gas Compressor in Industries:
- All industrial plants – These compressors are applied in all petroleum refineries, chemical factories, petrochemical plants, and natural gas processing units. Air compressors are used in all these plants for putting the required pressure on the gases that are formed in the midway or at the end of vital reactions.
- Gas pipelines – The transportation of natural gas through long pipelines needs a gas compressor to pressurize the gas for getting into the pipes. A network of such pipelines is provided with several compressors at various points, to force the gas towards the consumers’ places. Thus, no extra power is needed for pushing the gas from the production house to all the consumers.
- Filling gas cylinders – The gas cylinders of various sizes are filled up with the use of a small compressor, to force the gas pass into the cylinders. Oxygen gas cylinders are needed in healthcare services and for scuba diving while LPG cylinders are needed for driving vehicles and in cooking. Welding works are also done with the help of cylinders filled with several shielding gas mixtures.
- Gas turbine – A rotating compressor regulates the function of the turbine, as both parts are installed on the same shaft. This upstream compressor is effective in compressing the air entering the combustion engine. The shaft is rotated speedily to provide the necessary energy to the compressor, for driving the gas turbine.
- AC and refrigerators – Both refrigerator and air-conditioner work on the same principle and a gas compressor is essential equipment in both these appliances. This compressor circulates the heat for changing the refrigerant cycles, from liquid to gas and vice versa. Thus, the cooling effect of these appliances largely depends on the function of the compressor.
- Pneumatic tools – A pneumatic or air tool is widely used in various industries. This power tool is mainly driven by the force of compressed air and thus, a gas compressor is installed in each of these tools. Then the energy of compressed air is used in operating the pneumatic motor of the tool. Hence, these tools are much safer for users than electrical tools, in spite of the high power provided by compressed air.
- Jet engines – The engines used in jet planes are run by the force of compressed air. Turbojets and turbofans are two varieties of jet engines, which need a gas compressor to supply fuel for combustion in the engine. The turbines of these engines provide the necessary energy for the smooth functioning of this compressor.
- Aircraft and submarines – Air compressor is used in stabilizing the aircraft, by regulating the amount of air contained within the cabins of the plane. The air pressure in the cabins should be maintained at high altitudes where atmospheric air is much lesser. Similarly, the air compressor is needed in submarines to maintain the required depth within the ocean water, by using the air pressure to displace water from the buoyancy chambers.
Apart from the important ones which are aforementioned, there are many more applications of the gas compressor in many small and large industrial sectors. The pressurized air is now considered to be a safe source of power or fuel for driving many useful tools.
