3.6 General overview of a compressed air system
The ship's compressed air system provides compressed air for generators, main engine start-up and submarine door debris removal, and other places on-board that need compressed air. Compressed air is used on ocean-going ships as a powerful and storable energy source for starting large diesel engines.
Air is compressed by air compressors. Air compressors draw in air at an inlet valve, they then compress the air to the required volume and release the pressurised air through the discharge valve into a storage tank. The compression process is usually powered by an electric motor. With a marine air compressor in place, ships and marine vessels can do smooth sailing and quickly respond to any changes in engine and deck departments such as preparing for cruising or responding to bursts of speed that require extra power. The Efficiency of an air compressor on a ship depends on several factors. A compressor provides highly pressurized air which increases the temperature to exceptionally high levels. In order to get quality performance out of air compressors, it is important to check and control the pressure and temperature within optimum range. In this article, we will learn as to what it takes for efficient running of an air compressor on a ship.
An air compressor is to provide air at high pressure. The temperature during the compression process is known as the compression temperature. The compression temperature that is generated is enough to ignite vaporized oil if present in the system. Moreover, in the process, a lot of energy is also wasted in the form of heat. To avoid the loss of heat and overheating of internal parts, inter-coolers are fitted in the air compressor. With the help of inter-coolers, it is possible to approach the ideal isothermal compression to achieve maximum volumetric efficiency.