U3 Reciprocating Air Compressor: Title

U3 Reciprocating Air Compressor
Sheikh Shahir Muhammad Afiful Islam

KEM120702

TITLE:

Two stage reciprocating air compressor

ABSTRACT:

Air compressors have a variety of applications in the engineering field. It is used often in a variety of
devices. An example would be the nail gun that is used to shoot nails. It simply provides more pressure in
that particular device so that in turn the gun is able to provide enough pressure to the nail and help it
penetrate materials such as wood. Here in this experiment, we will study effect of delivery pressure on the
performance of reciprocating air compressor. The compressor is operated at a constant speed 700rpm. The
model that used for this experiment is the Cussons P9050 Two Stage Reciprocating Air Compressor Test
Set. This model is constructed in two major assemblies which is an instrumentation and a control console
which straddles on a welded steel base-frame carrying the air compressor system. As soon the experiment
starts, the air compressor discharges pressure, inlet air flow orifice manometer reading and dynamometer
are recorded at an increments of air receiver pressure of 0.5bar with constant compressor speed at
100rpm. At the end of experiment all the data and results are collected and graphs of the discharge
pressure against the inlet air flow and against the power output plus the efficiencies are plotted. Any
discrepancies in the results were discussed.

THEORY:

What is an air compressor?

An air compressor is considered to be a device that converts power (often from an electric motor, a
diesel engine or a gasoline engine) into kinetic energy by compressing and pressurizing air, which, on
command, can be released in quick bursts. There are numerous methods of air compression, divided into
either positive-displacement or negative-displacement types. (Wikipedia, 2014)

How does it work?

Years ago, it was common for shops to have a central power source that drove all the tools through a
system of belts, wheels and drive shafts. The power was routed around the work space by mechanical
means. While the belts and shafts may be gone, many shops still use a mechanical system to move power
around the shop. It's based on the energy stored in air that's under pressure, and the heart of the system is
the air compressor.

You'll find air compressors used in a wide range of situationsfrom corner gas stations to major
manufacturing plants. And, more and more, air compressors are finding their way into home workshops,
basements and garages. Models sized to handle every job, from inflating pool toys to powering tools such
as nail guns, sanders, drills, impact wrenches, staplers and spray guns are now available through local
home centers, tool dealers and mail-order catalogs.

The big advantage of air power is that each tool doesn't need its own bulky motor. Instead, a single motor
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on the compressor converts the electrical energy into kinetic energy. This makes for light, compact, easy-
to-handle tools that run quietly and have fewer parts that wear out.

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Air compressor types:

The type of air compressors range far and between.
While there are compressors that use rotating impellers to generate air pressure, positive-displacement
compressors are more common and include the models used by homeowners, woodworkers, mechanics
and contractors. Here, air pressure is increased by reducing the size of the space that contains the air.
Most of the compressors you'll run across do this job with a reciprocating piston.

Like a small internal combustion engine, a conventional piston compressor has a crankshaft, a connecting
rod and piston, a cylinder and a valve head. The crankshaft is driven by either an electric motor or a gas
engine. While there are small models that are comprised of just the pump and motor, most compressors
have an air tank to hold a quantity of air within a preset pressure range. The compressed air in the tank
drives the air tools, and the motor cycles on and off to automatically maintain pressure in the tank.

At the top of the cylinder, you'll find a valve head that holds the inlet and discharge valves. Both are
simply thin metal flapsone mounted underneath and one mounted on top of the valve plate. As the piston
moves down, a vacuum is created above it. This allows outside air at atmospheric pressure to push open
the inlet valve and fill the area above the piston. As the piston moves up, the air above it compresses,
holds the inlet valve shut and pushes the discharge valve open. The air moves from the discharge port to
the tank. With each stroke, more air enters the tank and the pressure rises.

Typical compressors come in 1- or 2-cylinder versions to suit the requirements of the tools they power.
On the homeowner/contractor level, most of the 2-cylinder models operate just like single-cylinder
versions, except that there are two strokes per revolution instead of one. Some commercial 2-cylinder
compressors are 2-stage compressorsone piston pumps air into a second cylinder that further increases
pressure.

Compressors use a pressure switch to stop the motor when tank pressure reaches a preset limitabout 125
psi for many single-stage models. Most of the time, though, you don't need that much pressure. Therefore,
the airline will include a regulator that you set to match the pressure requirements of the tool you're using.
A gauge before the regulator monitors tank pressure and a gauge after the regulator monitors air-line
pressure. In addition, the tank has a safety valve that opens if the pressure switch malfunctions. The
pressure switch may also incorporate an unloader valve that reduces tank pressure when the compressor is
turned off.

Many articulated-piston compressors are oil lubricated. That is, they have an oil bath that splash-
lubricates the bearings and cylinder walls as the crank rotates. The pistons have rings that help keep the
compressed air on top of the piston and keep the lubricating oil away from the air. Rings, though, are not
completely effective, so some oil will enter the compressed air in aerosol form.

Having oil in the air isn't necessarily a problem. Many air tools require oiling, and inline oilers are often
added to increase a uniform supply to the tool. On the down side, these models require regular oil checks,
periodic oil changes and they must be operated on a level surface. Most of all, there are some tools and
situations that require oil free air. Spray painting with oil in the airstream will cause finish problems. And
many new woodworking air tools such as nailers and sanders are designed to be oil free so there's no
chance of fouling wood surfaces with oil. While solutions to the airborne oil problem include using an oil
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separator or filter in the air line, a better idea is to use an oil free compressor that uses permanently
lubricated bearings in place of the oil bath.

A variation on the automotive-type piston compressor is a model that uses a one-piece piston/connecting
rod. Because there is no wrist pin, the piston leans from side to side as the eccentric journal on the shaft
moves it up and down. A seal around the piston maintains contact with the cylinder walls and prevents air
leakage.

Where air requirements are modest, a diaphragm compressor can be effective. In this design, a membrane
between the piston and the compression chamber seals off the air and prevents leakage.

Compressor power
one of the factors used to designate compressor power is motor horsepower. However, this isn't the best
indicator. You really need to know the amount of air the compressor can deliver at a specific pressure.

The rate at which a compressor can deliver a volume of air is noted in cubic feet per minute (cfm).
Because atmospheric pressure plays a role in how fast air moves into the cylinder, cfm will vary with
atmospheric pressure. It also varies with the temperature and humidity of the air. To set an even playing
field, makers calculate standard cubic feet per minute (scfm) as cfm at sea level with 68 degrees F air at
36% relative humidity. Scfm ratings are given at a specific pressure3.0 scfm at 90 psi, for example. If
you reduce pressure, scfm goes up, and vice versa.

You also may run across a rating called displacement cfm. This figure is the product of cylinder
displacement and motor rpm. In comparison with scfm, it provides an index of compressor pump
efficiency.

The cfm and psi ratings are important because they indicate the tools that a particular compressor can
drive. When choosing a compressor, make sure it can supply the amount of air and the pressure that your
tools need.
(Popular Mechanics, 2014)
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In this experiment we are supposed to use the two stages air compressor. But due to some technical and
mechanical problems, we werent able to use the 2 stage air compressor. So the diagram for our
experiment will be like this :

Diagram 1

These set up is consist of dynamometer, 1
st
stage compressor, belt drive system, water cooled system, air
receivers, and bedplate assembly. All of them have their own important role to play in this system.

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The first stage compressor is an industrial twin cylinder air-cooled machine with 70mm bore and 50mm
stroke having a capacity of 385ml constructed with a Vee configuration at between the cylinders, both
connecting rods are driven from a single crankpin overhung from the crankshaft, which is supported, by
one roller bearing and one ball bearing. The cylinders and cylinder heads are heavily finned and are air-
cooled by a fan integrated within the 90 flywheel pulley. The crankcase acts as an oil reservoir.
Lubrication of all working parts is achieved using oil mists generated by a splash pin protruding from the
bottom of one of the connecting rods, dipping into the sump oil at each revolution. An oil sight glass is
also incorporated in the crankcase. Each piston incorporated two oil scrapper piston rings and two
pressure piston pressure piston rings. The inlet and outlet valves are spring leaves or reed type, both are
fitted with diaphragm operated head unloaders which unload the compressor by holding the inlet valves
open under the control of an automatic pilot unloader valve which is fitted to the lower air receiver when
the air receiver pressure exceeds a pre-set value. The delivery valve acts as a non-return valve when the
compressor is unloaded, thus preventing discharge of the air back into the compressor. The two cylinders
outlet ports are each connected to a 0.8 litres capacity anti-pulsation chamber located between the two
cylinders. Compressor minimum speed is at 300 rpm while maximum speed is at 1300 rpm.

The dynamometer is a separately excited direct current motor arranged as a swinging field machine by
mounting the stator on a trunnion end frame extensions supported in pedestals and fitted with self
aligning bearings. The non-drive end the dynamometer shaft carried a 100-toothed wheel that is used with
a magnetic pick up to provide speed measurement. Two torque arms are attached to the stator
diametrically opposite to each other on a horizontal centreline. If necessary, during manufacture, weights
can be bolted to these torque arms to provide static balance. Spherical joints to attach the right hand arm,
viewed from the driven end of a strain gauge load cell at a radius of 250mm that measures the retraining
torque required to prevent rotation of the dynamometer stator. Two weight hangers are provided with a
set of weights to calibrate the load cell.

The belt drive system is to drive the compressor. The compressor is driven by a single vee wedge belt of
13mm x 10mm section; the outer rim of each compressor flywheel is machined to form a 364.5mm
diameter pitch driven pulley. This arrangement also makes removal of the second stage belt easier when
converting between single stage and twin stage. The compressor is mounted on an adjustable slide base,
fitted with a single hexagon head adjustment screw of 24mm across flats, allowing easy adjustment of the
drive belt tension. An extended hexagon-locking nut is provided to secure in the position.

The water-cooled intercooler is a shell and tube heat exchanger, which is mounted vertically on a bracket
behind the first stage compressor. The heat exchanger uses a counter flow configuration of water flowing
upwards through the tubes and air entering the shells at the top and leaving at the bottom. A three port
two-bay ball valve at the inlet to the intercooler is provided to allow the intercooler to be bypassed. A
moisture separator is fitted at the exit of the intercooler to provide automatic periodic discharge of
collected condensates. The moisture separator has a maximum operating temperature of C. 80

The two horizontal air receives are welded steel construction of 457mm diameter, and 1524mm long
having a nominal capacity of 250 liters each. Both air receivers are fitted with feet, saddle, drain valve,
safely relief valve pressure gauge and delivery valve. The lower air receiver is fitted with a non-return
valve, a connection from the compressors, an off-loading valve and a moisture separator directly to the
drain valve. This arrangement provides lower air receiver to always be used with the upper air receiver
available and doubling the receiver capacity.

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The bed plate is a welded structure manufactured from standard steel sections. The lower air receiver is
directly mounted across one end of the bedplate with the second air receiver mounted on top of the first.
A steel plate cross member barriers the dynamometer and load ceil while two pairs of hollow section
square tube support the two compressor slide bases. The bedplate is mounted on six spring mounts that
provides vibration isolation from the floor. (Laboratory manual)

In this experiment, several parameters associated with the calculations of air compressor inlet air flow,
power input, power output and efficiency are as follow:

Intake Air Pressure

hg
atm

.3ka .8
3
h h in mm

Inlet Air Flow
2.2h
.5
.m
3
hour

Discharge Air Flow
.5 (
h
)
.5
m
3
hour
Swept Volume
V
4
.
2
.5
3.84845
.23
m
3
hour

Dynamometer Power Output

.25

Compressor Air Power Input

offload

Isothermal Power Input
ln

Isentropic Power Input
[(
] , .4
Volumetric Efficiency
vol
28.
h
.5

Isothermal Efficiency
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Isentropic Efficiency

OBJECTIVE:

Our objective in this experiment is to investigate the effect of delivery pressure on the
performance of a reciprocating air compressor.

RESULTS AND CALCULATIONS:

Measured data

t
1
= Air-First Stage Inlet
t
2
= Air-First Stage Outlet
t
3
= Water-Intercooler Inlet
t
4
= Water Intercooler Outlet

P
2
, bar
Abs
h, mm
H
2
O
L, N t
1
, C t
2
, C t
3
, C t
4
, C
2.0 8.0 18.0 27.0 51.0 28.0 30.0
2.5 7.5 19.0 27.0 57.0 28.0 30.0
3.0 7.5 20.0 27.0 61.0 28.0 30.0
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3.5 7.0 20.7 27.0 66.0 28.0 30.0
4.0 7.0 21.7 27.0 71.0 28.0 31.0
4.5 6.5 22.0 27.0 75.0 28.0 31.0
5.0 6.0 22.8 27.0 78.0 28.0 31.0
5.5 6.0 23.2 28.0 82.0 28.0 31.0
6.0 5.5 23.5 28.0 84.0 28.0 31.0
6.5 5.5 23.7 28.0 86.0 28.0 31.0
7.0 5.0 23.9 28.0 88.0 28.0 31.0
7.5 4.5 24.1 28.0 90.0 28.0 31.0
8.0 4.5 24.2 28.0 91.0 28.0 31.0
8.5 4.0 24.5 28.0 92.0 28.0 31.0
9.0 4.0 24.6 28.0 93.0 28.0 31.0
9.5 3.5 24.6 28.0 93.0 28.0 31.0
10.0 3.5 24.7 28.0 94.0 28.0 30.0
Off Load 1.10
Table 1

Calculated data

P
1
,
kPa
P
2
,
kPa
h,
mm
H
2
O

m
3
/hr
L, N
vol
,
%
T
,
%
S
,
%
101.222 200 8.0 8.406 18 0.907 0.685 0.161 0.178 52.01 23.48 25.92
101.226 250 7.5 8.139 19 0.958 0.736 0.207 0.236 50.36 28.12 32.08
101.226 300 7.5 8.139 20 1.008 0.786 0.249 0.292 50.36 31.62 37.08
101.231 350 7.0 7.863 20.7 1.043 0.822 0.274 0.329 48.65 33.39 40.07
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101.231 400 7.0 7.863 21.7 1.094 0.872 0.304 0.372 48.65 34.84 42.67
101.236 450 6.5 7.577 22 1.109 0.887 0.318 0.396 46.88 35.83 44.68
101.241 500 6.0 7.280 22.8 1.149 0.927 0.327 0.414 45.04 35.26 44.68
101.241 550 6.0 7.280 23.2 1.169 0.948 0.346 0.446 45.04 36.57 47.02
101.246 600 5.5 6.970 23.5 1.184 0.963 0.349 0.455 43.12 36.23 47.22
101.246 650 5.5 6.970 23.7 1.195 0.973 0.364 0.481 43.12 37.47 49.45
101.251 700 5.0 6.646 23.9 1.205 0.983 0.361 0.482 41.11 36.77 49.09
101.256 750 4.5 6.305 24.1 1.215 0.993 0.355 0.479 39.01 35.76 48.26
101.256 800 4.5 6.305 24.2 1.220 0.998 0.367 0.500 39.01 36.73 50.06
101.261 850 4.0 5.944 24.5 1.235 1.013 0.356 0.490 36.77 35.11 48.32
101.261 900 4.0 5.944 24.6 1.240 1.018 0.365 0.507 36.77 35.88 49.82
101.266 950 3.5 5.560 24.6 1.240 1.018 0.350 0.490 34.40 34.39 48.16
101.266 1000 3.5 5.560 24.7 1.245 1.023 0.358 0.506 34.40 35.01 49.42
Off Load 1.1

Table 2

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Graph of discharge pressure P
2
against inlet air flow

0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
0.000 1.000 2.000 3.000 4.000 5.000 6.000 7.000 8.000 9.000
d
i
s
c
h
a
r
g
e

p
r
e
s
s
u
r
e

(
P
2
,
k
p
a
)

inlet air flow (Q
c
,M
3
/hr)
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Graph of discharge pressure, P
2
against power,
and

0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
0.000 0.200 0.400 0.600 0.800 1.000 1.200 1.400
Wd(kW)
Wc(kW)
Wt(kW)
Ws(kW)
Power output (W
C
, W
D
, W
S
, W
T
,kW)
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Graph of efficiency,
vol
,
S
and
T
against intake air pressure, P
1

DISCUSSION:

Using the data we recorded, we were able to plot some graphs. But this experiment turned out to be a
dynamic test and we could not achieve steady state conditions and as a result an energy balance of the
compressor will not have attained equilibrium and the volumetric efficiency and power input may have
some error. This limitation can be avoided by operating the compressor with air being discharged from
the air receivers, with the air receiver pressure being controlled at each value in turn as a steady state
condition by careful adjustment of the discharge valve.
From the table and graph of inlet pressure, we can see that inlet air flow is decreasing as the pressure
increases. Whereas we can see that in the other graph, the power output increases gradually as the
pressure increases. Lastly in the efficiency graph, it can be seen that fluctuations the intake air pressure
increases. From this it is clear that the machine is not 100 percent efficient. Energy is lost in many forms.
In addition they might have many errors and mistake during the experiment. Parallax error is one
common error that happens during these kinds of experiments. Next is the machine itself might have its
own errors. In this experiment we are supposed to use a two stage air compressor but due to some
technical problem we have to use only one stage compressor. The second stage compressor was broken
0.00
10.00
20.00
30.00
40.00
50.00
60.00
101.210 101.220 101.230 101.240 101.250 101.260 101.270
E
f
f
i
c
i
e
n
c
y

v
o
l
,

S

,
T

(
%
)

intake air pressure,P
1
(kpa)
Nvol
Nt
Ns

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down. Since there was lacking of a component in the whole air compressor system, we were unable to use
the compressor.
We should undertake some precautions and safety measures before carrying out this experiment. First of
all, students should wear proper attire before running the machine. This is to prevent any accidents. This
because the belt drive system might pull the loose clothing as it rotates very fast. Reading and
measurements must be done at least 3 times to get an average value. The machine must be maintained in
an orderly manner and should undergo check-ups from time to time.

CONCLUSION:

We can say that we successfully studied the effect of delivery pressure on a reciprocating air compressor
machine.

REFERENCES:

1. Laboratory manual.

2. Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_compressor

3. Popular Mechanics
http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/improvement/energy-efficient/1275131

4. Thermodynamics : An Engineering approach

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U3 Reciprocating Air Compressor

Sheikh Shahir Muhammad Afiful Islam

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