The tooth compressor
There are two ways of compressing air, dynamic and displacement compression. We are talking about the latter here. There are a lot of compressor types that classify as a displacement compressors. One of these types is the tooth compressor.
What are tooth compressors?
The compression element in a tooth compressor consists of two rotors that rotate in opposite directions inside a compression chamber. The compression process consists of intake, compression and outlet. During the intake phase, air is drawn into the compression chamber until the rotors block the inlet. During the compression phase, the drawn in air is compressed in the compression chamber, which gets smaller as the rotors rotate. The outlet port is blocked during compression by one of the rotors, while the inlet is open to draw in new air into the opposite section of the compression chamber.
Discharge takes place when one of the rotors opens the outlet port and the compressed air is forced out of the compression chamber. Both rotors are synchronized via a set of gear wheels. The maximum pressure ratio obtainable with an oil-free tooth compressor is limited by the limiting temperature difference between the inlet and the discharge. Consequently, several stages with inter-stage cooling are required for higher pressures.
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