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Showing posts from March, 2017
Decoding the Duty Cycle Rating of Piston Compressors Selecting the correct air compressor for your application can be a complicated process. Before making a purchase, operators need to specify the quality and amount of air their application requires. Each compressor technology (rotary, piston, centrifugal, etc.) has an optimal flow output, so users should choose compressor technology based on the compressed airflow requirement of their application. Some compressors, like rotary screw and centrifugal, are designed to run continuously at full speed while maintaining peak airflow (defined in cubic feet per minute, or CFM). The motors and cooling systems of these compressors are engineered to run 100 percent of the time without overheating. However, this isn’t true for all compressors. Piston compressors do not have the cooling capabilities to run continuously for extended periods of time. Therefore, each piston compressor must have a specified flow output and pressure, as
Splash and Pressure Lubrication in Piston Compressors Piston compressors  have been around for centuries. They can be either oil-injected or oil-free, depending on the application and end use. In oil-injected models, the oil typically serves three crucial purposes: cooling, sealing and lubricating. But not all oil-injected piston compressors lubricate components the same way. There are two common methods of lubricating the pump in piston compressors: splash and pressure lubrication. Splash lubrication In splash lubrication, oil is applied to the cylinders and pistons by rotating dippers on the connecting-rod bearing caps. Each time they rotate, the dippers pass through an oil-filled trough. After running through the oil trough, the dippers splash oil onto the cylinders and pistons to lubricate them. While splash lubrication is effective for smaller engines and pumps, it’s not a precise process. Parts of the pump may be insufficiently oiled or oiled too much. The amou