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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. What is compressed air and how is it used in industrial processes?
A. Compressed air is air kept under a pressure that is greater than atmospheric pressure. Compressed air is an important medium for transfer of energy in industrial processes, and is used for power tools such as air hammers, drills, wrenches, and others, as well as to atomize paint, to operate CNC machines and air cylinders for automation, and can also be used to propel vehicles.
Compressed air is also used as a breathing gas by industrial workers in hazardous atmospheres.
Q. Is compressed air safe to use?
A. As far as energy sources go, compressed air is clean, safe, simple and efficient. There are no dangerous exhaust fumes or other harmful by-products when compressed air is used as a utility. It is a non-combustible, non-polluting utility.
However, compressed air can be dangerous when used improperly or if air receiver tanks aren’t properly maintained. Therefore, operators should always follow Workplace Safety and Health Regulation, and the guidelines set by manufacturers.
Q. Does air receiver need to be registered?
A. In accordance with the Workplace Safety and Health (General Provisions) Regulations, you must register the following types of Pressure Vessels:
- Air receivers (AR)
- Steam receivers (SR)
- Refrigerating plant pressure receivers (PR)
- Steam boilers, including autoclaves (BR)
- Economisers (BE)
- Superheaters (BS)
Pressure vessels of types BR, BS and BE with a heating surface of more than 1,000 square metres must be examined and registered by MOM-authorised boiler inspectors.
Heating surface is defined as the total surface of all plates and tubes exposed to heat on one side, and in contact with water on the other. It is measured on either the water or fire side, depending on which side has a greater heating surface (excluding the heating surface of any economiser and superheater connected to the boiler).
You do not need to register the following types of Pressure Vessels:
Pressure vessels that only process chemicals and other substances, not with air, steam or water (when being used as a refrigerant).
Pressure vessels that operate under vacuum or negative pressure.
Air receivers, steam receivers or refrigerating plant pressure receivers where the safe working pressure does not exceed 0.5 bar or the product of its safe working pressure and volume does not exceed 100 bar litres.
Steam boilers where the maximum permissible working pressure does not exceed 0.5 bar.
Q. How much pressure drop is normal between the compressor discharge and any point of use?
A. A well-designed compressed air system exhibits no more than 10% psig of pressure drop between the compressor discharge and any point of use.
Q. What is the operating principle of an inverter compressor?
A. It has almost the same components as a conventional compressor, but there are, of course, a few main differences. It has an integrated inverter and often a more advanced control system. The inverter adjusts the motor speed to the actual air demand. This is controlled by a sensor that measures the system pressure and is notified to the controller of the compressor. The controller registers the pressure and sends a signal to the inverter, which regulates how much air the compressor needs to produce in order to keep the set pressure.
Q. Why is an inverter compressor saving energy?
Because an inverter-driven air compressor is not producing more air than needed. A conventional air compressor works within a pressure band. When reaching the higher pressure the machine goes into unload mode (the motor is running but no air is produced). When reaching the lower pressure value the air compressor starts to build up pressure again until it reaches its unload pressure again. An inverter-driven air compressor has less unload time and works towards a set pressure value, this makes the inverter compressors in general 30% more energy efficient than a conventional load/unload compressor.
Q. Do you ship internationally?
A. We do not ship internationally.
