| Term |
What it means |
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| Aftercoolers |
Designed to reduce the temperature and liquefy condensate vapors |
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| Air Dryer |
A device that is generally associated with
larger air compressor systems that helps with the removal of
water from the tank and line. |
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| Check Valve |
A device that allows fluid or air to flow in only one direction. |
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| Coalescing filter |
A specific type of filter that not only works
to remove dust and particals from the air, but also oil from
the air lines. |
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| Cubic Feet Per Minute (CFM) |
The volume of air that is able to pass through an opening in one minute. |
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| Dessicant |
A material used with air compressors and air
dryers that helps to remove water vapor from the air. |
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| Drain Cock |
Used to release accumulated moisture from the
compressor tank (Also see drain valve) |
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| Drain Valve |
A drain valve works to remove surplus liquid
from the compressor. There are manual, float and electronic
types of drain valves. |
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| Dryer |
Compressor tanks are made of steel, when water gets into the tank,
the tank can rust thus reducing the life of the compressor. A dryer dries the air
in the tank, reducing the amount of water collected |
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| Dual Stage |
Compressors where air is compressed from initial pressure to an intermediate
pressure in one or more cylinders |
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| Duty Cycle |
Amount of time that a compressor can operate
at full load over a thirty minute time period. |
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| Filter Efficiency |
The rate of which a filter can remove
particles from an air flow. |
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| Filter housing |
Cover which protects the filter assembly |
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| Kick-in Pressure |
Factory set low pressure point of the pressure switch that starts the
compressor to re-pressurize the tank to a higher pressure |
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| Kick-out Pressure |
Factory set high pressure point of the pressure switch that stops the
compressor from increasing the pressure in the tank above a certain level |
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| Load Time |
The time it takes for a compressor to go from
load to unload |
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| Low oil shutoff |
A feature which shuts off the engine if it runs low on oil, preventing
damage or failure. |
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| Oil free compressor |
Air compressor that has no oil inserted into the compression chamber
for lubrication, cooling or sealing. Typically used in the medical and food processing
field |
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| Pneumatic |
Related to the movement of air |
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| Pneumatic power |
Compressed air power |
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| Point of use |
An outlet in a building used to connect tools or equipment
to the air compressor system.
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| Pounds Per Square Inch (PSI) |
A unit of measurement referring to the pressure applied on one square
inch of an object's surface. |
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| Pressure Switch |
An instrument which senses a change in pressure and automatically adds
or decreases air in the tank. |
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| Preventative Maintenance (PM) |
A
maintenance program performed on a fixed schedule that
includes compressor service as well as routine repair and
replacement of parts. |
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| Purging |
The elimination of undesired gas or liquid from a system. |
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| Receiver |
Generally a tank used for storage of
compressed air. Often times in large air compressor systems
there can be a primary and secondary receiver. |
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| Reciprocating Compressor |
A reciprocating compressor uses pistons driven by a crankshaft to deliver
air at high pressure |
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| Rotary Screw Compressor |
A compressor which utilizes two intermeshing helical rotors to trap
a volume of air, then compress it to a higher pressure. Rotary screw compressors can
be run at lower temperatures for 24 hours per day, 365 days a year. |
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| Safety valve |
A valve which limits fluid pressure by releasing some of the pressurized
liquid or gas. a.k.a. Pressure Relief Valve |
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| Single Stage |
A compressor in which the air is compressed from initial pressure to
final pressure in one step. |
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| Unloader |
A valve that is between the compressor pump
and tank. It opens when the compressor stops, that "psssssst"
sound. This enables the compressor to start easier the next
time. |
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| Vacuum Pumps |
A vacuum pump is a compressor that operates with an intake
pressure below atmospheric and discharge pressure.
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