- Peg Minichiello
What Performance Standards Do Your Air Compressors Need to Meet?
What Performance Standards Do Your Air Compressors Need to Meet?
Ensuring that your air compressor complies with performance standards will not only allow you to match industry requirements but will benefit your business as well. This way you can find the right air compressor for your purposes.
We’ve collected all the information on performance standards you need to know. If yours meets these requirements, you’ll have a worthwhile air compressor.
Why Do You Need Acceptance Test Codes?
Acceptance Test Codes were developed in the US so that compressor manufacturers had a guide to testing and evaluating air compressor equipment. Although custom built compressors can be designed to suit a customer’s specific needs, mass produced machines need to follow a standard design.
These standards designs are based on the following customer requirements:
Flow
Pressure
Power
As a result, the current standard Acceptance Test Codes are based on Annex C of ISO 1217. This allows for the regulated manufacturing of all “electrically driven packaged displacement air compressors.”
How Does Volume Flow Affect Standardized Reference Conditions?
Volume Flow refers to how much air is taken in by the compressor based on standardized referencing conditions. In the United States, it’s measured as actual cubic feet per minute (ACFM). This volume flow figure is used to determine whether an air compressor will produce enough air for other devices, despite variances in metric equivalents.
Not all standardized conditions will be the same for all air compressors. But by using these conditions you can determine how much compressed air your equipment will produce based on its ACFM.
The Standardized Conditions used for the U.S. Acceptance Test are:
Inlet Air Pressure: 14,5 PSIA
Inlet Air Temperature: 68?F
Relative Water Vapor Pressure: 0
Cooling Water Temperature: 68?F
If your conditions meet these standards, then the compressed air will be the same as the ACFM put into the device. Otherwise, you’ll need to factor in changes in these variables when calculating whether your air compressor will meet your requirements.
It’s important to note that the Water Vapor Pressure is 0 because it’s not actually considered when calculating a compressor’s volume rating.
How Can We Help You Meet Regulation Requirements?
So, how do you factor in changes between standard conditions and your own conditions? Our team at CDA can assist you in making an informed decision when looking for an air compressor. CDA Systems’ expertise in clean dry air will assure the proper solution for your process. KNW Kobelco Oil-Free compressors is one option for CDA Systems to assist you with. To get started, all you have to do is contact us on: 925.667.3400/sales@cdasystems.com