Sometimes known as a reciprocating compressor, a piston compressor is a positive displacement compressor with pistons driven by a crankshaft to deliver air at high pressure.
Intake air enters a suction manifold and passes into the compression cylinder. Here, it is compressed by a piston driven by a crankshaft using a reciprocating motion, then discharged. Typical applications include oil processing, pipelines, chemicals, natural gas and refrigeration.
The benefits of reciprocating compressors include a significantly extended service life over other compressor types, as well as reduced maintenance requirements and energy costs, with almost 100% of the energy going into the process used fully and little energy wasted as reject heat.
At ACE, we develop, install and maintain high-performance piston compressor systems from leading manufacturers including: