Air Compressor Reviews - Which Are The Best?
Selecting the best one out of all the available air compressor systems entails that we first need to find out which air compressor systems are available. We will feature air compressor reviews of the popular makes and models on this site. An air compressor system includes two important major components, namely the air compressor and the driver used to run the compressor. Let us talk about each one of them in turn and find in which condition each component should be in order to differentiate the best from the rest. The air compressor is essentially made up of three main types.
Reciprocating piston compressors form the best choice for small air volumes where the service condition is intermittent duty (short term) and the load fluctuates. A tire shop is one such situation where this condition holds. Recips feature high energy efficiency even at part loads, low running speed, easy adaptability to wide range of loads and capacities, and suitability for high pressures. They are almost always driven through high efficiency V-belt transmissions. The downside with them is high maintenance cost, high end temperatures, and noisy operation. Cost-wise, they are relatively inexpensive. Rotary screw compressors, on the other hand are also positive displacement compressors like the reciprocating compressors, but are used best more or less where you would require a relatively constant base load air supply. They would form the best choice in production lines in which operation is on a continuous basis. It is important to size a screw compressor optimally to reduce idle time. During off-load, the inlet valve closes and the screw compressor power consumption drops down to 25% of the full load power. Variable speed regulation is therefore often used in screw air compressor systems when they are used for heavily intermittent duty conditions. This helps provide better energy efficiency of the compressors under these conditions of operation. Rotary screw air compressors feature quiet running and have lower end temperatures. They are convenient to use for heat recovery and are more compact than recips. Their downside is oil residues in the air due to oil lubrication. Centrifugal air compressors are high speed machines. They are used best where high air capacities are required and where the load is primarily constant with only occasional fluctuations in demand. An additional unit is kept on standby to meet the extra demand. These compressors are high efficiency units. They feature controllable capacities and quiet operation. These units are sensitive to dirt in air and their cost is comparatively high. Centrifugals are almost always driven by high-speed gas, steam, or water turbines. A stationary rotary screw compressor or recip is mostly an electrical air compressor, as a motor proves to be cheap and quiet. A portable screw or recip unit is often a diesel air compressor or a gas air compressor. This is because the portable units are used during motion. An electric motor drive would be unsuitable in this case due to wiring issues. Ingersoll Rand is a reputed name in compressor systems. Its stationary electrical air compressor and portable gas and electrical air compressor systems are the best in their respective categories. Likewise, the Quincy 17-Gallon 111DV17PC3 electrical air compressor system is also one of the best in its category of application. Other well known brands include Campbell Hausfeld, Husky, Kobalt, Sanborn, Devilbliss, Emglo and Curtis. |
