Berdin, Lady Faith Rosana, Florenei Siclot, Karynne Bernardine

A gas compressor is a mechanical device that increases the pressure of a gas by reducing its volume.

Compressors are similar to pumps: both increase the pressure on a fluid and both can transport the fluid through a pipe. As gases are compressible, the compressor also reduces the volume of a gas.

GAS COMPRESSOR
A gas compression process may be designed either to be adiabatic or to involve heat transfer, depending on the purpose for which the gas is compressed. If the compressed gas is to be used promptly in an engine or in a combustion chamber, adiabatic compression may be desirable in order to obtain the maximum possible energy in the gas at the end of compression.

 The steady flow energy equation per unit mass for a compression process, assuming that changes in potential and kinetic energy are negligible may be written as:

TYPES OF COMPRESSORS

In the positive-displacement type, a given quantity of air or gas is trapped in a compression chamber and the volume it occupies is mechanically reduced, causing a corresponding rise in pressure prior to discharge. At constant speed, the air flow remains essentially constant with variations in discharge pressure.
Dynamic compressors impart velocity energy to continuously flowing air or gas by means of impellers rotating at very high speeds. The velocity energy is changed into pressure energy both by the impellers and the discharge volutes or diffusers.

 In industry, reciprocating compressors are the most widely used type for both air and refrigerant compression. They work on the principles of a bicycle pump and are characterized by a flow output that remains nearly constant over a range of discharge pressures. Also, the compressor capacity is directly proportional to the speed. The output, however, is a pulsating one.

 A compressor is considered to be single stage when the entire compression is accomplished with a single cylinder or a group of cylinders in parallel. Many applications involve conditions beyond the practical capability of a single compression stage.
Multi-stage air compressors pressurize air at two levels to improve efficiency on large jobs. These high output compressor units are usually found in the commercial and industrial sector where long-term use is required.

 To supply high-pressure clean air to fill gas cylinders To supply moderate-pressure clean air to a submerged surface supplied diver To supply moderate-pressure clean air for driving some office and school building pneumatic HVAC control system valves To supply a large amount of moderate-pressure air to power pneumatic tools For filling tires To produce large volumes of moderate-pressure air for large-scale industrial processes (such as oxidation for petroleum coking or cement plant bag house purge systems).