A screw compressor uses two screws to force air into a sealed chamber, with two types available: dry screw compressors and oil immersed units. Dry compressors use timing gears to maintain compression, while oil immersed units use lubricating oil to create a hydraulic seal and provide compression. These compressors are commonly used in industrial and construction settings.
A screw compressor, also often referred to as a rotary screw compressor, is a gas compressor unit that uses two opposed-thread screws as a way of forcing air into a sealed chamber. These two screws, often called rotors, have spaces between the threads and the threaded taps where the gas is pushed into the threads. This causes air to travel with the thread as it spins within its chamber. As the gas is pushed through the wire, it is compressed in the chamber.
There are generally two types of screw compressors. The first type of rotary screw compressor is more often called a dry screw compressor. It gets this name because it doesn’t use any lubricated seals in its function or inside any of its chambers.
With both male and female rotors in the dry compressor unit, compression is precisely determined and maintained through the use of a set of timing gears. These timing gears are imperative to dry running screw compressor operation because any variation in the operation of the screws can cause the compressor system to fail. The tolerances within the threads that create the compression are highly dependent on the stability and maintenance of the operating times of the screws.
The second type of rotary screw compressor is referred to as an oil immersed unit. It has this name because the chamber that houses the two rotors is completely filled with lubricating oil. This lubricating oil is the dividing force between the two opposing rotors, or screws, and performs two functions within the unit.
The first purpose of the lubricating oil is to create a hydraulic seal between the two rotors as they perform their duties. This is imperative because rotors need to be precise in their movements, meaning that there can be no room for air or other gases to escape from the rotor threads. The second function that lube oil performs is with the compression it provides with its weight; acts as a mechanical force in opposition to the rotors as they spin.
The most typical applications for both types of rotary screw compressors occur in the industrial and construction fields. The dry compressor is most often used in larger applications such as industrial plants using compressed air systems. Oil immersed compressor units are often used in smaller applications on construction sites to power compressed air construction tools.
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