Gas compressor

A gas compressor is a mechanical device that takes in a gas and increases its pressure by reducing its volume. Compression of a gas naturally produces heat.

Compressors are loosely related to pumps: a compressor pumps a gas and pump moves an incompressible liquid.

Table of contents

1 Compressor designs
2 Applications
3 Temperature
4 Staged compression
5 Prime movers

Compressor designs

Some important designs of compressors include:

Reciprocating compressors - use pistons driven by a crankshaft
Centrifugal compressors - a rotating disk in a pressure vessel forces the gas to the rim of the vessel increasing the pressure
Axial-flow compressor - a fan or series of fans spinning on a shaft in a tube draw in gas from one end, compress it and output it at the other end.

Applications

Gas compressors are used in various applications where either higher pressures or lower volumes of gas are needed:

in pressurised aircraft to provide a breathable atmosphere of higher than ambient pressure

in jet engines to provide a high enough concentration of oxygen for combustion of the air and fuel mixture. The power to turn the compressor comes from the jet's own turbines.
in medicine and manufacturing to store purified or manufactured gases in a small volume
as a medium for transferring energy, such as to power pneumatic equipment
in refrigeration equipment to move heat from one place to another
in pipeline transport of domestic gas to move the gas from the production site to the consumer
in SCUBA diving, hyperbaric oxygen therapy and other life support devices to store breathing gas in a small volume such as in diving cylinders
in submarines to store gas for later use as buoyancy
in turbochargers and superchargers to increase the performance of internal combustion engines by concentrating oxygen

Temperature

Charles Law says "when a gas is compressed heat is generated".

There are two possible relationships between temperature and pressure in a gas undergoing compression:

isothermal - gas at final stage of compression is same temperature as at beginning of compression. This is impractical for a working machine.
adiabatic - the rise in air and temperature ratio means compression does not follow a simple pressure to volume ratio. This is less efficient, but quick.

Staged compression

Since compression generates heat, the compressed air is to be cooled between stages making the compression less Adiabatic and more Isothermal. The inter-stage coolers cause condensation meaning water separators with drain valves are present. The compressor flywheel may drive a cooling fan.

For instance in a typical diving compressor, the air is compressed in three stages. If each stage has a compression ratio of 7 to 1, the compressor can output 343 bar (7 x 7 x 7 = 343).

Prime movers

There are several options for the "prime mover" or motor which powers the compressor:

jet turbines power the axial flow compressors that are part of jet engines
steam turbines or water turbines are possible for large compressors
electric motors are cheap and quiet for static compressors. Small motors suitable for domestic electrical supplies use single phase AC. Larger motors can only be used where an industrial electrical three phase AC supply is present.
diesel engines or petrol engines are suitable for portable compressors