The Power of Air

People outside the industry sectors I work in have asked me what Atlas Copco does and this is a question that cannot be answered in one line since our company is involved in so many segments that affect our day to day lives.

I have, in some occasions, given the following answer "If our equipment & solutions were to be switched off for one hour then many industries (Pharmaceuticals, Packaging, Food & Beverage, Hospital, Drilling, Construction, Power Generation, Cement, Metals, Oil & Gas, Assembly, Electronics, Glass, etc.) would come to a standstill . The main reason is that industries use the Power of Air for their crucial processes. Air to them plays a big role like electricity or water does." So how does this work?

Consider the simple car tyre which must have pressurized air in order for the car to move smoothly. A truck can carry loads of cargo but without compressed air in the tyres the movement will be difficult. The air in the tyre not only carries the truck and its load, but also facilitates smooth movement of the truck. This is the power of air. Air is taken from the atmosphere and compressed to high pressure and then filled into the tyre. A simple form of compressor would be the bicycle pump, while more powerful compressors would be used to inflate truck tyres.

Compressed air is used in many industrial processes such as operating machinery, conveying products, cleaning, mixing, among many others. Process equipment is designed to use compressed air as the prime source of energy, which is the most efficient form of all. In a typical factory you would therefore have air compressors installed either in a central room and the compressed air piped to the different process equipment, or the compressor could also be installed right next to the usage points. The compressed air distribution is therefore crucial as any leakages or wrongly sized piping could prove to be very inefficient and ineffective.  It is also important to ensure that the compressed air is of good quality, by filtering out particles to acceptable purity levels as well as removing moisture that is carried in the compressed air. Moisture and impurities can be harmful to many industrial processes. Filters remove the particles with dryers remove the moisture. In certain processes it is necessary to ensure that that compressed air is completely free from compressor oil and in this case Oil Free Compressors are used.

There is much to say about compressed air and Atlas Copco has prepared information that gives some basic understanding of compressed air in several portions. Please watch this What is Compressed Air? link for a better understanding. Enjoy.