VARIOUS names are used for the oil injected screw air ends. As the saying goes, a dear child has many names. Most commonly used names are air end, screw air end, screw block, block, oil lubricated air end, and rotary screw. Air end is not called “the heart of it all” for nothing. Where there are industrial operations, there are usually compressed air needs. Air ends are needed by compressor and compressed air system manufacturers. There are several different kinds of technologies to produce pressured air, for example reciprocating (=piston), membrane, vane, z-screw, liquid-ring, and turbo–compressors.
Air end is the part, where the actual compression takes place. Inside the air end are female and male rotors that rotate in opposite directions. They physically squeeze the air by an external force. Oil injected screw air end’s benefit is its very simple construction, where the air is compressed between two meshing rotors and against the frame with a thin oil film in between. The oil works as a coolant, sealant, and lubricant.
Screw air ends are designed to produce continuous, steady airflow. By this ultimate design criterion, screw air ends are great for applications where consistent airflow is a must, for example in industrial plants and operations. In addition to the continuous operation of the screw air ends, they are reliable and durable even in harsh conditions. For example, mining and construction rigs, as well as firefighting equipment manufacturers, choose screw air ends due to their reliability and durability. With oil injected screw, you can economically compress some 15 bar(g) max. and in two stage 45 bar(g) max. If higher pressures are required, multi-stage recips (pistons) are needed. For breathing air for divers and fire fighter tanks, 200 – 350 bar(g) can only be compressed by using multi-stage piston compressors, for example.
Information supplied by Ingersol Rand / Tamrotor. https://www.ingersollrand.com/en-za/
