4500psi air compressor

[gus]

Hi Entropy455

Super explanation, this is exactly the problem with HPACs it's the shock that does the damage, lubricating oil is even worse sometimes as has been pointed out, not only does it instantly vapourise at these T & Ps but spontaneously combusts leading to the "dieselling" effect

Regards Mark

Hi Mark,

Way back 1970,Gus had to turn down a request to quote on a watercooled IR ESV Compressor(alternative offer ---IR T-40 Model 40HB) on the grounds Gus has no experience install either of each on the 3rd floor of GE multi story factory.
Vibration would be hard to isolate from floor and building.
I got shot for not quoting by Sales Dept.
Holman UK got the order. Day one of startup.Owner rejected intallation.Tenants on top floor and floor below raised hell as it interfered with microscopic assembly of ic circuits.

Took months to get landlord approval to build compressor room in the carpark. Startup. Two weeks after startup,Holman single stage recip caught fire due to high room temperature saturation.
We got the replacement order for watercooled compressor
My own experience with compressor lube oil.Use oil bath with heater to bring temperature to 410 F to calibrate Hi temperature shutdown switch.
410 is very near flash point.I did get flash over.

Single stage discharge air temperature was recorded at 300--380 F max.

Look at a very simple temperature calculation.

T2= T1 x P2/P1 (from memory,did I erred?,My IR Compressed Air Data Book given away)

Theoretically T2 gets to be very high if cylinder jacket cooling andintercooling
not provided for.

Cleaning compressor parts.Our ruling is use safety solvent.Never diesel.
Parts contaminated with diesel/kerosene can lead to fire when compressor runs into normal air discharge temperature.

This forum is interesting.

 

[skyline1]

Hi Gus

Yes compressors can be dangerous things especially big high pressure ones if you don't know what you're doing. So can big Hydaulic systems for similar reasons. I've had a few scary (and funny) moments with them in the past.

You were spot on with the maths I imagine you tend to remember stuff like that after thirty odd years of working with it. Universal gas law strikes again!

Good job it does or no diesel engines and no refrigerators, and actually no weather if you think about it.

A bit of boat fishing and modelling sounds a much safer way to spend your day unless you hook into a big shark or something like that.

Putting a dirty great reciprocating compressor right above a microchip fab
what bright spark came up with that idea. I'm not surprised they were a bit "antisocial" about it and there's the problem of getting the thing up there in the first place. I can understand you not being too keen on it I wouldn't either.

As for using Diesel or Kerosene for cleaning compressor parts you don't need a degree in Thermodynamics to suss that one out. the equation is quite simple

Diesel fuel + Air + high pressure = big bang (very big one probably)

I was working on a Diamond press a few years ago that ran at such high pressures even hydraulic oil would explode they had to use ethylene glycol in it.

Amazing machine but that's another story.

Regards Mark