Today, the use of compressed air is crucial to industry in the UK. Basically, compressed air is air that has been forced under a pressure that is greater than atmospheric pressure. The concept is similar to how air is forced into a pump to fill a bicycle tyre. Compressed air is used, to name a few of its common functions, in air tools, HVAC systems, energy storage and pneumatic tubes. Compressed air works best in applications where the tool must be connected directly to the power source.
There are essentially two types of air compressors: reciprocating and rotary. Reciprocating air compressors have a piston that moves in an up and down motion in a cylinder to compress air and are common in power drills. Rotary air compressors compress air by using circular motion and are common in powered hammers. The circular parts that compress the air are called rotors. Because rotors move so fast, they often make a high-pitched noise, although some compressors have features built in to dampen this.
Compressed air has a number of positive feature. Compressed air can be used at places where there is no other readily available energy source. This makes it useful for outdoor equipment in remote wilderness settings. It has less of an explosive risk than energy sources like gas, making it a safer energy source than gasoline, for instance, in a closed environment. Compressed air can be used at any temperature, therefore it is good for industrial situations where there is either extreme heat or cold. Compressed air is extremely clean, therefore it is good for medical and dental tools where cleanliness is paramount. Compressed air can be stored and used later in applications such as spray paint cans or scuba diving air tanks. Power tools that run on compressed air weigh less than power tools that don’t, which makes them easier to use.
Many different types of industries use compressed air in the UK. Compressed air drills, for instance, are common in construction. Compressed air is used to nail pallets in the timber industry. The mining industry uses powerful compressed air drills to drill through rock in tight, enclosed areas where any other type of drill would be unsafe and useless. Compressed air is used to cool down hot tools in foundries. In the plastics industry, it is used to force finished plastic from molds; in the chemical industry it is used in valves.
Today, About 70 percent of companies in the UK use air compression in some way. Therefore, selling air compressors is a big industry in Great Britain. Any type of HPC compressor is common in the UK . Any type of HPC compressor follows the same basic principal; the two basic product lines are HIRE Air systems and Oil Free air systems. These air compressors allow users to create compressed air when and where they need it.
To conclude, air compression is vital to industry in the UK. It allows industry of various types to accomplish things that would be less safe, efficient and cheap done with other energy sources.