Now granted the devices the ancients utilized for compressing air bear little similarity to the modern-day air compressor. The basic principle is the very same and without the primitive air compressors, civilization would not have progressed as fast it has. A lot of people today would not equate a bellows as an air compressor, however that is precisely what it is.
Engines running from steam power ended up being the very first approach to power an air compressor. One of the first uses of a steam powered air compressor was in underwater diving equipment. Steam powered rock drills eventually gave way to drills powered by air compressors. Today for commercial applications, diaphragm compressors are well suited for process gasses.
As the internal combustion engine gained popularity, they began to be used as a source of power for air compressors. Gas engines are today typically used in piston type air compressors. This would be a common air compressor you would find in your garage or on the back of a service truck. The fuel engine drives a crankshaft and piston. As the piston moves into the downstroke postion, air streams into the cylinder on the low pressure end. When the upstroke begins, air moves into the high pressure. This action produces compressed air. In bigger industrial applications, a rotary type air compressor is used. Rotary air compressors produce compressed air by turning a vaned rotor inside of a long enclosed chamber. As the engine spins the rotor, air is sucked inside the chamber. The air is then required down the vanes into smaller and smaller locations. This action compresses the air and blasts it out the others end. Because they are capable of producing big quantities of compressed air for extended durations of time, rotary vane air compressors work extremely well in industrial applications.
Now given the gadgets the ancients used for compressing air bear little resemblance to the contemporary air compressor. Engines running from steam power became the first approach to power an air compressor. Steam powered rock drills ultimately offered way to drills powered by air compressors.
Rotary air compressors produce compressed air by turning a vaned rotor inside of a long enclosed chamber. Rotary vane air compressors work really well in commercial applications due to the fact that they are capable of producing big amounts of compressed air for extended durations of time.