Compressor Capacity

CompCap (Compressor Capacity) App is developed mainly to estimate different key performance indices in single stage Industrial Air compressors. It also assists in running quick tests to estimate FAD and leakage in the compressed air systems in order to assess the potential energy savings.

Manufacturers give compressor specification data such as FAD, power and other efficiencies at certain standard operating conditions. But, most compressors normally operate between two set pressure points for loading and unloading. Therefore app uses a hypothetical pressure ratio of average discharge pressure to ambient to compute different performance indices. Further, any change in operating conditions such as atmospheric pressure due to altitude, temperature, humidity etc. could also have considerable impact on compressor performance. A typical example is shown in screen shot. Thus app can be a helpful tool for different operation and maintenance personnel to evaluate compressor performance time to time.

Ambient Properties:
Ambient properties such as atmospheric pressure, temperature and humidity values are taken as key input to the computation model. The app computes the pressure for any given altitude. Data for some of the higher altitude (> 1000m) cities around the world are also provided for convenience.

Compressor Specification Data:
A typical compressor specification data sheet is show in the screen shot. FAD, pressure rating and motor hp and rpm data are the minimum requirement based on manufacturers data sheet. Additional data pertaining to reciprocating cylinder data helps to determine the range for FAD for general verification. Volumetric efficiency is primarily depended upon cylinder clearance and generally present in most compressors and in the range of 2% to 8% of total swept volume.

FAD/Leakage Testing
As the compressor put more hours on service, the natural wear and tear could bring down the performance of any compressor. Therefore, it is often necessary to run tests to determine its capacity and also any excess leakage in the compressed air system. This app helps to run quick tests to estimate the losses and concern for any further investigation.

Result Summary:
A comprehensive result summary provided that includes heat load for the inter coolers, moisture content etc. as shown in screen shot. Additional information is provided in app notes that includes FAD, leakage computation models for quick reference.