MadSci Network: Physics |
Phil, The reason why water condenses on the inside of the air compressor is not during compression of the air but rather when it is de-compressed during use. If you removed the water prior to compression it will not condense in the tank. You can also dry the compressed air prior to decompression, which is more economical as you can dry more air when it is compressed. The simple way to do this is to put a dessicant filter, such as silica gel or mol. seive, upstream of the regulator which controls discharge air pressure. Try to keep this filter changed at regular intervals. Some of the silica gel filters come with an indicator which changes color when water is present. Trying to keep air cool during compression is not really practical. You would have to have a heat exchanger present on the discharge side of the air compressor and prior to the storage tank. Temperature increase during compression is one of those physical properties which cannot be overcome. The ideal gas law states PV=nRT, where: P=pressure, V=volume, n=number of molecules, R is a constant, and T is temperature. Since the volume of gas and the amount of gas both increase proportionally during air compression, they will cancel each other out proportionally. R is a constant so it will not change. So you are left with the equation P=T. So if you increase pressure, temperature has to increase. Hope this helps. Carlin Gregory Texas Gas Transmission
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