Air compressors of various designs are used widely throughout DOE facilities in numerous applications. Compressed air has numerous uses throughout a facility including the operation of equipment and portable tools. Three types of designs include reciprocating, rotary, and centrifugal air compressors.
R eciprocating C om pressors
The reciprocating air compressor, illustrated in Figure 1, is the most common design employed today.
The reciprocating compressor normally consists of the following elements.
a. The compressing element, consisting of air cylinders, heads and pistons, and air inlet and discharge valves.
b. A system of connecting rods, piston rods, crossheads, and a crankshaft and flywheel for transmitting the power developed by the driving unit to the air cylinder piston.