Positive-displacement compressors work by forcing air in a chamber whose volume is decreased to compress the air. High-pressure air compressors (HPACs), which have a discharge pressure above 1,000 pounds per square inch (69 bar).Medium-pressure compressors which have a discharge pressure of 151 to 1,000 pounds per square inch (10.4 to 68.9 bar).Low-pressure air compressors (LPACs), which have a discharge pressure of 150 pounds per square inch (10 bar) or less.When tank pressure reaches its lower limit, the air compressor turns on again and re-pressurizes the tank.Īn air compressor must be differentiated from a pump because it works for any gas/air, while pumps work on a liquid.Ĭompressors may be classified according to the pressure delivered: The kinetic energy provided by the compressed air can be used for a variety of applications such as pneumatic tools as it is released and the tank depressurizes. The compressed air, then, is held in the tank until called into use. When the tank's pressure reaches its engineered upper limit, the air compressor shuts off. By one of several methods, an air compressor forces more and more air into a storage tank, increasing the pressure. Air compressor supplies air into a nail gunĪn air compressor is a pneumatic device that converts power (using an electric motor, diesel or gasoline engine, etc.) into potential energy stored in pressurized air (i.e., compressed air).

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