how do you calculate the cfm of a compressor 3

[dimitre]

i,m an intern at a manufacturing company. i,m suppose to findout the cfm of the compressors in my department. my supervisor believes he could use the cfm of compressors to determine what size dryer would work properly along with the compressor.
i already know that i could use an anemometer, however; its a small company and we don't have one. i am therefore seeking a formula or some other method of determination.
if there are any other ways to find the proper size dryer for a compressor.

 

[FACS]

Have you looked for the Name plate on the compressor?

Charlie

http://www.facsco.com

 

[tygerdawg]

yup, FACS is correct. The nameplate will have a "(quantity) CFM at (quantity) psi" or other pressure rating.

TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Advanced Robotics & Automation Engineering

http://www.bluetechnik.com

 

[dimitre]

Thanx for your reply, however i alredy checked the nameplate and CFM is not there. its a hydrovane compressor about 10 years old. i looked through the manual also but i had no luck.

i looked through a catalog and saw that the compressors there all had thier cfm stated. Maybe it is a new thing to do that.

My original question still stands, can the cfm be calculated?

i saw a couple formulae for piston types, but i have never seen any for vane types. If anyone knows a formulae or any way to determine the cfm, please respond.

 

[MechanicalChef]

Of course it can be calculated. Crack open your fluids textbook. You've had fluids, right?

 

[mappel]

In my fluid power book it states that it takes one horsepower to compress four standard cubic feet of atmosphere (14.7 PSI) into a standard cubic foot of space in one minutes time.

So if you know how many HP your compressor is you can use this formula to calculate SCFM.

1 HP = 4 SCFM

 

[dimitre]

Thank you very much mappel. you saved me, i didnt have access to a fluids text, and searching the internet is like looking for a needle in a hay stack.

thank you 2 chef i'll find a fluid text after this.

 

[Ataloss]

I hate to sound like 'Captain Obvious', but if the nameplate is still on the compressor and you have the manual, you probably know who made the compressor. Have you tried calling them? If you decide to calculate it, make sure you take into account the efficiency of the compressor (your fluids book may only give the 'theoretically 100% efficient' compression formula).

Bob