Selecting the appropriate air compressor for your business involves considerations that extend beyond price and affordability. The effective operation of material handling, spray painting, machine tools, etc depends on the mechanism of a compressed air system. When it comes to selecting the right air compressor, experts often recommend screw air compressors for their high efficiency, continuous operations, low noise levels, compact design, and reliability.
Overview of Air Compressors:
There are mainly two types of air compressors, including reciprocating, and rotary screw compressors.
Reciprocating compressors use pistons to compress air, while rotary compressors employ rotating elements to generate compressed air. Rotary screw compressors consist of two interlocking helical rotors that compress the air as it moves through the compression chamber. This design allows for continuous and efficient operation.
Understanding Screw Air Compressors:
Screw air compressors are known for their efficiency, reliability, and ease of operation. They are often oil-injected, as they use oil for cooling, sealing, and lubrication within the compressor. The design of screw compressors involves two rotors, usually referred to as the male and female rotors. These rotors have interlocking helical grooves that reduce the volume of air as it moves through the compression chamber. As the rotors rotate, the air is drawn into the chamber, trapped between the rotors' lobes, and compressed as the volume decreases. The oil injected into the compressor provides cooling and lubrication, ensuring smooth operation and reducing wear and tear on the components. The compressed air and oil mixture is then separated, with the oil being cooled and recycled, while the compressed air is discharged.
Types of rotary screw air compressors:
Two primary types of rotary screw air compressors are frequently employed in businesses and manufacturing operations: Oil-free and Oil-lubricated compressors. These variants boast unique features designed to meet specific application needs and demands.
Oil-free screw air compressors: An oil-free screw air compressor operates on the principle of screw action to compress air, eliminating the need for oil lubrication. Instead, alternative lubricants such as PTFE, distilled water, or proprietary coatings facilitate lubrication and dissipate heat. This design typically results in lower to medium discharge pressure capabilities. Oil-free compressors are crucial for industries where the slightest trace of oil contamination is unacceptable. Such applications include the production of food and beverages, pharmaceuticals and research, packaging, and numerous other sensitive sectors. By ensuring the absence of oil in the compressed air, these compressors conform to the stringent purity requirements for maintaining product quality, safety, and regulatory compliance in these industries.
Oil-lubricated screw air compressors: Oil is introduced into the compression chamber of an oil-lubricated rotary screw compressor to facilitate lubrication and ensure efficient heat dissipation. The oil undergoes a separation process from the discharge stream, followed by cooling, filtration, and recycling, ensuring superior performance and longevity of the compressor.
Applications that use oil-lubricated screw air compressors include those that can tolerate minimal traces of oil. These applications span across industries, such as tools, heavy drilling and mining operations, metallurgical processes, mobile tire services, and numerous others.
Advantages of Screw Air Compressors
Some of the noted advantages of screw air compressors that make them highly recommended by air experts:
High Efficiency: They are known for their high energy efficiency. The continuous compression process reduces energy waste compared to reciprocating compressors, where compression occurs intermittently.
Continuous Operation: Screw compressors provide a steady and continuous supply of compressed air. Their design allows for continuous operation without the need for frequent start-stop cycles, which can be detrimental to both efficiency and equipment lifespan.
Low Noise and Vibration: Screw compressors are relatively quiet and generate less vibration compared to other types. The helical rotors produce smoother airflow, resulting in reduced noise levels, making them more suitable for noise-sensitive environments.
Maintenance and Reliability: They are known for their reliability and require minimal maintenance. The innovative design results in reduced downtime and maintenance costs.
ELGi’s Rotary screw air compressors:
Rotary screw air compressors serve as the backbone for most industries worldwide. With an exclusive airend configuration, cutting-edge attributes, and technology advancements, these compressors deliver a reliable compressed air solution that caters to various industrial needs, from lighter tasks to more demanding heavy-duty applications.
AB SERIES
ELGi is one of the few air compressor companies to design and manufacture airends for Oil-free compressor technology. The AB series air compressors offer exceptional efficiency, reliability, and air quality, resulting in cost savings and improved uptime. With the Class-"0" certification, it produces high-quality air that is crucial for sensitive applications in pharmaceutical, food, and beverage industries, where the presence of oil traces or moisture is unacceptable.
EN SERIES
ELGi's EN Series oil-lubricated screw air compressors are known for their reliability, low maintenance, compact design, and efficiency, making them ideal for industrial applications where size, cost, and performance matter. They feature efficient air-oil separation technology and belt drive transmission for optimal power transmission over long distances. Optional variable frequency drives are available to match output with demand, saving energy by eliminating frequent load-unload cycles. The EN series is widely used in textile, automotive, paper, and food processing industries, as well as small machining and fabrication workshops.
EG SERIES
ELGi's EG Series oil-lubricated screw air compressors offer a significant advancement in design and performance. Each component is carefully crafted for reliability and easy maintenance. These compressors feature highly efficient airends with eta-V profile rotors. Manufactured in compliance with international standards (CE, ASME, UL, and others), ELGi offers three variants to meet diverse requirements. With energy-efficient eta-V profile rotors, these compressors provide optimal performance. They also come with a top-tier warranty program and low operating costs.
For inquiries, quotes, or additional information, please feel free to reach out to our air experts www.elgi.com/af/contact-us/.
