Question

 

It is required to select a compressor for a car manufacturing plant which uses Pneumatic tools and equipment 24 hours a day continuously. Therefore, following tasks are required:
a. Research different compressors and select the most suitable compressor for such application.
b. Provide the diagrams, specifications and detailed information for the selected compressor.
c. Justify your selection with appropriate reasoning and comparisons.
d. Suggest alternative compressor type/s which could also be used for this application with justifications.

Answer 1

Air compressor became an essential tool in the Automobile industry because of its multipurpose usage. The compressed air is used from cleaning of the casted parts to cleaning of the shop floor as soon as the manufactured vehicle leaves. In the assembly line the pneumatic operated robots are being used to minimize the cycle time in production and also to increase the productivity.

a.

There are various types of compressors available in the market. I the shop floor various pneumatic machines like impact wrenches, drillers, blowers etc. may be used for the better productivity of the parts the capacity of the compressor plays a major role in supporting all the machines or tools simultaneously. Each and every tools will have different specifications for proper functioning. For proper functioning the pressure supplied and the flow rate of air are the important factors. Another major factor to be considered for selection of the equipment is its working time period. The design of the compressor is to be in a better way to provide good supply of air and also has a ability to run at controlled temperatures with no lack in supply of air. For an automotive industry a Centrifugal compressor is sufficient because the compressor may be used for the entire 24 hours of time period even though there may be some gap in the utilization of it. These type of compressors are providing good efficiency in when compared to other type of compressors for a normal working. The initial Investment on the compressor is quiet high.

b.

Pressure Range : 0-24 bar

Capacity Range : 7-560 m3/min

Air Quality : High

Duty Cycle : 100%

Inital cost : High. But 5 Year cost is Low.

c.

Centrifugal Compressor can be easily installed and there is no large number of moving parts in it. Hence the maintenance is quiet low when compared to other type of compressors like screw compressors, reciprocating compressors. The output from the compressor can be stored or directly utilized with the continuous flow rate. The options for utilizing these type of compressor is larger when compared with the other type of compressors.

d.

Alternative compressor for this one may be screw compressor on the basis of 100% duty cycle. The cost of the screw type compressor may be similar to that of centrifugal compressors. The screw compressor has few number of rotating parts that are to be maintained and serviced periodically for better performance.