Air Compressor Intake

[eaw1]

I have two gardner denver air compressors (screw) that supplu instrument air on my platform. I would like to extend the re-locate the air ducting or airinlet to the air compressor from next tot he air end to approx. 40 ft. from the air intake valve on the compressor. I belive that once I have placed it in an area where there is suffcient air flow that this modficiation would not starve the compressor or cause issues in effciency. What do you gusy think ?

 

[nickelkid]

You need to gather enough information to calculate your pressure drop. Length of pipe is a good start, but you will need air flow rate, pipe/duct size, material, number of bend, etc...

With a good design relocating the filters should not be a problem.

 

[zdas04]

Screw compressors in natural gas service often have miles of suction pipe without detrimental effects. You need to be careful sizing the suction pipe, especially if the GD screws are dry screws instead of oil-flooded. A dry screw can only do about 4 compression ratios without overheating, so a machine that can go from atmospheric air to 45 psig (i.e., 15 psia suction and 60 psia discharge) will be limited to 25 psig discharge if you lose 5 psi in the suction pipe.

An oil flooded screw handles the heat of compression much better and could easily give you rated discharge pressure at a pretty serious vacuum (but that will increase your fuel consumption and limit your throughput).

David