Rotary screw air compressors are rotary positive displacement machines capable of high-speed operation over a wide range of operating pressures and flow rates at high efficiencies. In screw air compressors, there are no valves or other mechanical forces that can cause unbalance. This allows a compressor to operate at high speeds while combining a large flow rate with small exterior dimensions. The main advantage of using a rotary screw air compressor is that it can supply compressed air continuously with minimum fluctuation in delivery pressure and generate less heat than standard air compressors, which causes energy efficiency. Other advantages of using rotary screw air compressors include:
- Rotary screw air compressors are convenient and safe as they deliver air continuously for the required purposes and the causes of any accident are minimal.
- Rotary screw air compressors can function at extreme temperatures from high to low temperatures and at any form of energy or temperatures.
- Rotary screw air compressors offer lower maintenance costs.
- Rotary screw air compressors are long-lasting as they have little or no capacity reduction.
- These compressors are designed to run tools that generate more power than standard equipment.
- Low noise output machine.
- Minimum oil-carryovers as low as three ppm in oil lubricated machine.
- ELGi rotary screw air compressor profile consists of several segments of different shapes.
- Large positive displacement increases the air’s pressure by reducing its volume.
- A strong female rotor helps in tapping more air and reducing space continuously.
- A short sealing line maintains a seal over the entire contact length, eliminating the need for a sealing strip.
- Better clearance distribution.
Here we will go through the basic principle of Rotary screw air compressors.
The Screw air compressor uses a rotary-type positive-displacement mechanism. The screw element consists of two rotors similar to a helix, each with a different shape and number of grooves/ teeth. Atmospheric air is sucked into this screw element, and as the air progresses along with the rotors, it gets compressed. The main characteristic is a male and a female rotor element that brings the air to trap and release when required.
- In an oil-lubricated rotary screw type air compressor, the male rotor is driven by the motor or engine, and the female rotor is driven by the male rotor, or actually by the thin film of oil that’s between them.
- In an oil-free rotary screw type air compressor a set of gears control the timing between the male and female rotor. There is no oil to seal the chamber.
The basic principle of a rotary-type screw air compressor is that the male and female rotors spin in opposite directions. The prime mover turns the rotor of the airend in a rotary screw air compressor. This develops a vacuum which results in surrounding air being driven into the airends through the air filter. As the rotors turn progressively, the air gets trapped in the spaces between the two screws (rotors).
Air is taken from the atmosphere into the rotary screw compressor through the air intake system. First, it passes through a filter that helps in removing suspended particles from it. Next, the filtered air goes in the airend, which is the heart of the rotary screw air compressor. Here the air is trapped within the spaces between the two rotors with lobes that mesh with each other. As the rotors turn, they progressively compress the trapped pockets of the air, discharging the compressed air at the outlet of the airend.
ELGi’s EN & EG series are good examples of best-in-class rotary screw electric air compressor technology, an ideal footprint for industrial applications.
Industries like food, beverage, and textile use rotary screw air compressors for their operations. The rotary screw air compressors are used in various applications like food processing plants, breweries, etc. Food and beverage companies rely on rotary screw air compressors to keep their finished products fresh. Textile companies make use of these compressors for drying purposes. In addition, farms commonly use them to run sprayers that work on liquids like insecticides, liquid fertilizers, etc., easily carried by compressed air.
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