Are you in the market for an industrial air compressor? If so, you may be feeling overwhelmed by the many options available. Choosing the right compressor for your needs can be a daunting task, but fear not! In this blog post, we'll guide you through the process and help you make an informed decision.

Here at PSL Total Air Ltd we are finding more and more customers are choosing to lease their capital equipment rather than purchasing it outright. Is leasing the right option for you?

To understand why, we need to understand the difference in how each type of blower creates pressure. Lobe blowers shift air. Any compression (creation of pressure) occurs only when the movement of air hits a surface, creating back pressure. Because of this, lobe blowers can perform without failure regardless of whether or not there is back pressure. This situation often occurs during the air conveying of product. With screw blowers, the compression takes place inside the screw block. If there is no back pressure in the pipe, you will have rapid compression and expansion of the air, which will create a lot of noise and potential pump damage. For this reason, screw blowers are ideally suited for applications where there is consistent back pressure, like the aeration of ponds. If your operation has back pressure, a screw blower is a great option and can lead to significant energy savings.

Pressure drop occurs every time a filter is put in the line, a dryer is installed, or pipework is run. Having pressure drop across these items means your compressor needs to run at a higher pressure to achieve the required down-stream pressure. You may not realise that a 1 bar increase in compressor pressure equates to a 6% increase in energy consumption. This is money that doesn't need to be wasted. To avoid energy loss from pressure drop, the following points should be considered when designing or replacing a compressed air system: Filters: Every filter installed in the line increases pressure drop. Keep filters to a minimum - but make sure they are the right size and grade. Refrigeration dryers: Refrigeration dryers, especially the cheaper ones, can have quite a high pressure drop - check the value before making the decision. Timing: The most economical time to get your pipework the right size is when it's being installed. It will normally cost about the same amount of labour to go a size larger.