The function of an air compressor

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This post was last edited by tianyewei on 2019-3-20 08:17. An air compressor is the core component in air supply systems; it is a device that converts the mechanical energy of a prime mover (usually an electric motor) into gas pressure energy, serving as the mechanism for generating compressed air pressure. The characteristic of the air compressor is that an electric motor directly drives the compressor, causing the crankshaft to rotate; this rotation drives the connecting rod, which in turn causes the piston to move back and forth, resulting in changes in the volume of the cylinder. Due to changes in the pressure inside the cylinder, air enters the cylinder through the intake valve, passing through the air filter (silencer). During the compression stroke, as the volume of the cylinder decreases, the compressed air exits through the exhaust valve and, via the exhaust pipe and check valve, enters the air storage tank. When the exhaust pressure reaches the specified value of 0.7 MPa, a pressure switch activates to shut down the machine automatically. When the pressure in the air storage tank drops to 0.5–0.6 MPa, the pressure switch automatically activates the air compressor. There are many types of air compressors; based on their working principle, they can be classified as positive displacement compressors, reciprocating compressors, and centrifugal compressors. The working principle of positive displacement compressors is to reduce the volume of the gas, thereby increasing the density of gas molecules per unit volume and thus raising the pressure of the compressed air ； The working principle of a centrifugal compressor is to increase the velocity of gas molecules, converting the kinetic energy possessed by these molecules into pressure energy of the gas, thereby raising the pressure of the compressed air. The working principle of a reciprocating compressor (also known as a piston compressor) is to directly compress gas, which is then discharged once it reaches a certain pressure