COMPRESSORS

Heat exchangers for cooling air or gas discharged from

compressors. They provide most effective of removing
moisture from compressed air and gasses.
After Cooler
•
Machines cooled by atmospheric air circulated around the
cylinders or casing.

Air-Cooled Compressors
• Automatic control instrumentation designed to prevent compressors from
operating at or near pressure and flow conditions that result in surge.
Anti-Surge
• A metallic structure on which a compressor or other machine is
mounted.
Base Plate
The actual power input required by a compressor.

Brake Power
• The pressure containing stationary element that encloses the rotor and
associated internal components of a compressor. Includes integral inlet and
discharge corrections (Nozzles).

Casing
• A valve that permits flow in one direction only.
Check Valve
• The maximum cylinder volume on a working side of the piston minus the
piston displacement volume per stroke. It is usually expressed as a
percentage of the displaced volume.

Clearance
A specific type of filter that not only works to remove dust and
particulates from the air, but also oil from the airlines.
Coalescing Filter
• The full rated volume flow of gas compressed and delivered by
the compressor at conditions prevailing at the compressor inlet.
It sometimes means actual flow rate expressed in ft3/min or
m3/min.
Compressor Capacity
A device that promotes separation of liquids from gases.

Demister
A material having a large proportion of surface pores,
capable of attracting and removing water vapor from the
air.

Desiccant
Dries the air in the compressor tank, reducing the amount of
moisture collected.

Dryer
1. A stationary passage surrounding an impeller, in which velocity pressure
imparted to the flowing medium by the impeller, is converted into static
pressure.
•
Diffuser
Air pressure produced at the discharge flange of the compressor.

Discharge Pressure
The temperature at the discharge flange of the
compressor.

Discharge Temperature
A drain valve works to remove excess liquid from the
compressor. There are manual, float and electronic types
of drain valves.

Drain Valve
1. an easy-to-replace, low-leakage type of seal consisting of a series of
carbon rings that can be arranged with a buffer gas to prevent the process
gas from escaping.
Dry Carbon Ring
Any reference to efficiency of a dynamic type compressor must be
accompanied by a qualifying statement, which identifies the efficiency under
consideration, as in the following definitions.

Efficiency
are devices for separating and removing dust and dirt front air
before it enters a compress

• Filters
The flange connection (inlet or discharge) is a means of
connecting the casing to the inlet or discharge piping by means of
bolted rims (flanges).
• Flange Connection
Air at atmospheric conditions at any specific location. Because the
altitude, barometer, and temperature may vary at different
localities and at different times, it follows that this term does not
mean air under identical or standard conditions.
Free Air
The pressure determined by most instruments and gauges,
usually expressed in bars.
Gauge Pressure
The part of a dynamic compressor that affects energy to the
flowing medium by means of centrifugal force. It consists of a
number of blades mounted to rotate with the shaft.

Impeller
A pressure volume diagram for a compressor or engine cylinder
produced by direct measurement made by the use of a device
called an indicator.

Indicator Card
A pressure volume diagram for a compressor or engine
cylinder produced by direct measurement made by the
use of a device called an indicator.

Indicator Card
Heat exchangers for removing the heat of compression between
stages of a compressor. They usually condense and remove a
considerable amount of moisture as well.

Intercoolers
The removal of heat from the air or gas between stages or stage
groups.
Intercooling
a shaft seal designed to restrict flow by requiring the fluid to pass
through a series of ridges and intricate paths.
Labyrinth Seal
a close fitting bushing in which oil and water are injected in order to seal the
process from the atmosphere.

Liquid Buffered Seal

- a rotary compressor that uses an impeller with vanes to transmit centrifugal
force into a sealing fluid, such as water, driving it against the wall of a
cylindrical casing

Liquid Ring Compressor

a system that circulates and cools sealing and lubricating oils.

Lubrication System
The total pressure measured from absolute zero,
(i.e., from an absolute vacuum).
Absolute Pressure
The limiting value of saturation pressure as the saturation
temperature approaches the critical temperature.

Critical Pressure
Loss of pressure in a compressed air system or
component due to friction or restriction.

Pressure Drop
• the pressure point setting where the pressure switch stops the
compressor from increasing the pressure in the tank above this
point, also referred to as cut- out pressure.

Kick-out Pressure
the pressure point setting where the pressure switch starts the compressor
once the pressure in the tank goes below this point, also referred to as cut-in
pressure.

Kick-in Pressure
the difference between cut-in and cutout pressure.

Pressure Band or Pressure Differential

The difference between the discharge pressure and the intake
pressure.
Pressure Rise
The pressure measured in a flowing stream (liquid or gas) in such
a manner that the velocity of the stream produces no effect on the
measurement.

Static Pressure
a device that turns on or shuts off the electric motor
running the compressor. It is designed to react on the cut
–out and cut-in pressure settings of the system.

Pressure Switch
The elimination of undesired gas or liquid from a system.

Purging
devices designed to prevent the process gas from leaking from the
compressor shaft.

Seal System
a device used to physically separate two or more components
from a mixture.

Separator
device designed to compress the gas a single time before discharging the
gas.

Single-Stage Compressor
is the measure of the fluid slip in the impeller of a
centrifugal compressor.

Slip Factor
the intermittent flow of pressure through a compressor that occurs
when the discharge pressure is too high, resulting in flow reversal
within a compressor.

Surging
The power required to compress a gas adiabatically
without any provision for lost energy.

Theoretical Power
A compressor that operates with an intake pressure below
atmospheric pressure.

Vacuum Pump
The ratio of the actual quantity of air delivered to the actual
capacity of the compressor.

Volumetric Efficiency
The curved funnel that increases in area as it approaches the
discharge port of the compressor. The divergent shape of the
volute converts the velocity of the gas into static pressure.

Volute or Scroll Casing

These are machines cooled by water circulated through
jackets surrounding the cylinders or casings.

Water-Cooled Compressors