How Does an Air Compressor Work?

An air compressor is a handy equipment that has versatile uses in different sectors. There are different types of air compressors, and all of them work in separate ways.

The most common type of air compressor is the reciprocating air compressor. To know more about how an air compressor works, you can follow this article.

The piston type of air compressors is prevalent in use. This compressor works similar to the pistons in your car’s engine. The pump has a crankshaft, a piston, a cylinder, a valve head, and a connecting rod.

The cylinder sucks the air through the inlet valve, which is located on the top of the cylinder. There is another valve on the opposite side of the cylinder head that releases the compressed air. The air from the outside won’t get access to get into the cylinder if the piston does not act.

The piston moves down gently from the inner walls of the cylinder when the power from the electric motor is drawn. It creates an air filter or vacuum in the space. Therefore, it lowers the pressure in the space, which allows the outside air into the inlet valve.

After the piston reaches the cylinder bottom, the upper chamber gets air-filled. So, the air pressure already closes the inlet valve, and no additional air can enter.

The piston goes back to the cylinder, and it compresses the present air within the top part of the cylinder. By the time the pressure reaches the limit, the valve opens and the pressurized air transfers to the storage tank.

The cycle of the compressor keeps performing and will pressurize the air into the tank storage every time. Modern compressors generally use a pressure switch that allows the system to shut down the power when the pressure reaches the limit.

Small compressors for car tires and other types of air compressors work the same way. Before the tank storage turns empty, the pressure switch reactivates the motor to perform an air compressor again.

Most of the household applications do not require high pressures. Therefore, the best portable air compressor has a pressure regulator to help the users get a fine-tuning feature while using it.

However, after shutting down the air compressor, it will still have the pressurized air in its cylinder. So, this is the entire process of how air compressors work.

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elain john Joined: July 28th, 2019