![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.exair.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/pressure-drop-prob-1-e1457963779853.jpg?ssl=1\")
<\/a>They say that necessity is the mother of invention, so it\u2019s no coincidence that mechanical means of compressing air came about in the early days of the Industrial Revolution, eventually becoming known as the \u201c4th Utility\u201d along with electricity, water, and gas. For most of the 20th Century, compressed air system pressure was commonly generated in the neighborhood of 100psig, although many modern industrial air compressors can be operated at 160 to 200psig. Operating an air compressor at higher discharge pressure increases the cost of operation, though, so it\u2019s in EVERYONE \u2018S best interests to run compressed air systems at the lowest pressure possible, that still gets the job done for all the air-operated gear in the facility.<\/p>\n
So, what if most of your compressed air loads operate at 80-100psig, but one (or a handful) needs 120psig? Or 160psig? Or even higher? Increasing your compressor discharge pressure from 100psig to 160psig means you\u2019re using 30% more power to run the compressor. That\u2019s a LOT for one (or a handful) of operations.<\/p>\n
Good news: the laws of physics say that pressure is the amount force applied to a specific area\u2026as in pounds(force) per square inch, or psi. So, if we apply a certain pressure to a large diameter piston, and attach that with a shaft to another smaller diameter piston, the amount of force doesn\u2019t change, but the area does, so the pressure on the other side of the smaller piston HAS to:<\/p>\n
<\/a>This is the same force applied to the air on the other side of the secondary piston (D2), which has a diameter of 2\u2033 and a surface area of 3.14 in2<\/sup>. Since pressure is force divided by area, that 1,256 lbf<\/sub> applied to 3.14 in2<\/sup> results in a secondary pressure (P2) of 400psi.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
This is the basic theory behind how air (pressure) amplifiers \u2013 also known as booster regulators \u2013 work. Essentially, you\u2019re trading compressed air flow (into the larger cylinder) for pressure. Now, if EVERYTHING you operate needs higher pressure, the best way to do that is to increase the compressor discharge pressure. But if you only have one, or a few, loads that need higher pressure, the increase in air consumption for those loads is likely less costly than compressing the air to a higher pressure than is needed for the majority of your loads.<\/p>\n
The other type of air amplifier is the one that EXAIR manufactures \u2013 it\u2019s an air FLOW amplifier, and here\u2019s how it works:<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nIn this case, we\u2019re trading pressure for flow, and getting a much higher total developed air flow rate than just the amount of compressed air it uses. Not only does the entrained air make them incredibly efficient, it also develops a low-velocity boundary layer that attenuates the sound level of the total air flow. They can be used for cooling, drying, cleaning, ventilation, fume exhaust, and even material conveying, especially if the material to be conveyed is very light, or already airborne.<\/p>\n
<\/a>EXAIR Air Amplifiers<\/a> come in a range of sizes, from 3\/4\u2033 to 8\u2033. Super Air Amplifiers<\/a> are lightweight, durable aluminum, and Adjustable Air Amplifiers<\/a> are available in aluminum or 303SS. If you\u2019d like to find out more about them, give me a call<\/a>.<\/p>\n Russ Bowman, CCASS<\/p>\n Application Engineer<\/a><\/figure>\n
Visit us on the Web<\/a>
Follow me on Twitter<\/a>
Like us on Facebook<\/a><\/p>\nLike this:<\/h3>\n