As per the gas law, when the pressure on a specific gas volume is increased, the temperature of it will increase as well.
In the case of an air compressor, air is the gas! Therefore, when operating the air compressor, it is important to regulate the temperature as well. The compressed air can reach a temperature of up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Therefore, cooling systems are of utmost priority to keep the temperature of air under control, without which serious damage can occur to both equipment and users.
High temperatures aren’t good for both sealing materials as well as lubricants. Moreover, hot air consists of moisture vapour, which can also condense and lead to rusting problems or wash out the lubricants. For worse, it can cause freezing issues while being operated in cold weather.
In this article, we shall learn about the difference between intercooler and aftercooler, which are both equally essential for cooling the compressed air and keeping the equipment safe.
A] Why Air Compressor Cooling Is Necessary?
Air compressor piping systems are made with complex hardware, and overheating of the air can cause serious and expensive damage to the equipment. Not only that, but it will cause your system to undergo downtime and might result in personal injury as well. Beyond this, there are some other serious reasons why you must seek air compressor cooling on priority, which include:
- Excessive heat in the compressed air can degrade the seals and probably wash away all lubricants in tools or equipment that are used downstream. Thus, it might lead to the failure of major system components.
- If you are unable to control the heat that is created due to the air compression process, it will eventually heat up the entire compressor room and the surrounding spaces. Thus, it might contribute to further overheating of the air compressor.
- When the air compressor is operating indoors, excessive heat that’s generated by the system will exert a lot of strain on the air conditioning systems, especially during the summer.
There are two types of air compressor cooling mechanisms that are recommended by experts for you to avail yourself. And they are aftercoolers and intercoolers. The purpose of intercoolers is to cool the compressed air after it leaves the outlet of the first stage and before it enters the second stage. On the other hand, aftercoolers are responsible for cooling the air while they leave the final outlet.
You shall learn more about aftercooler vs intercooler, further in this article!
B] A Detailed Overview Of Aftercoolers
All industrial air compressors require a proper cooling system to remove the additional heat that the system generates. As stated above, aftercoolers are ideal solutions for limiting this excessive heat production before the air is passed onto its application.
Aftercooler is a type of heat exchange solution that tends to work by absorbing the heat out of compressed air. The heat is then carried away to the connected section, where it can be efficiently dissipated. Hence, this cools down the compressed air and brings the temperature down to a saturation point.
Hence, the aftercooler system acts as a complete cooling system for the air compressors, whereas it is also implemented as the first stage of a drying system for the same air. It is stated around 70% of the moisture within compressed air will be dried right before it leaves the aftercooler. Only 30% of the left-out moisture will then be handled by the specific dryers.
Without the aftercooler, the industries will have to spend on installing an oversized dryer mechanism to handle the entire 100% moisture. With these service benefits, an aftercooler keeps all the downstream equipment safe from being exposed to overheated compressed air. It reduces the risk of fire by cooling down the discharge air prior to its contact with dedicated hoses.
C] A Detailed Overview Of Intercoolers
An intercooler is a device that is used over the two-stage compressors for cooling the air that travels from the first stage to the second stage of compression. This action will increase the density of cool air, which will make the compression process easy in the next stage in comparison to that of the hot air.
Intercoolers take the responsibility of keeping the compressed air temperature close to that of the ambient rating. To be precise, these devices can cool down the hot compressed air by 20 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. The process of cooling starts by passing cold water through the intercooler through the tubers.
The fins that are attached to these tubes will enhance the stability while increasing the surface area of cooling. Moisture content from the air with lower velocity will condense and separate from the air when it passes through the intercooler. The moisture will be drained from the compression unit using a valve at the bottom enclosure of the intercooler.
The reduced temperature of the air will provide the piston rings and cylinder with better lubrication, which increases the compressor efficiency. The drainage of the excessive oil and moisture helps in preventing the corrosion or air explosion effects. Moreover, this also saves the pipes and intercoolers from being damaged.
D] Advantages Of Aftercoolers
Some of the advantages of aftercoolers for air compression are as follows:
- It provides an additional drying or cooling process to the air, which is beneficial for applications where there is a high chance for moisture to damage your final product.
- All the downstream equipment is protected from excessive moisture and heat damage. Thus, it will ensure that your air compression system functions seamlessly for a long time, alongside keeping the dryer functions optimised.
- With an aftercooler installed onto your air compression system, you will need a smaller dryer, as it will have to deal mostly with just 30% of left-out moisture. This is because the aftercooler handles the drying part of the compressed air to some extent, reducing the strain on the specific dryer system. Thus, you will save a lot of money.
- Hot compressed air when it comes in contact with the pipes or hoses fitted onto the system without being cooled down, there is a risk of fire ignition. Aftercoolers are responsible for reducing this risk immensely.
E] Advantages Of Intercoolers
Some of the advantages associated with using intercoolers in the air compressor are as follows:
- It will drop the excessive rise in the temperature of the air, which is directly associated with that higher ratio of compressors. Using intercoolers will help the system reach the rate of isothermal compression.
- Helps you with power savings in running the air compression system and increases the volumetric efficiency.
- The compressor size and air volume delivery are reduced with the use of intercoolers.
- The temperature suction is less, and the delivery valves also remain clean, as all the carbonised oil gets drained through the dedicated valve in the intercoolers.
- Reduces the risk of explosion within the compressor cylinder.
- The compressor piston experiences better lubrication when air cooling is approached through intercoolers.
- Separating moisture from the air is easier with intercooler drain valves.
F] Difference Between Aftercoolers And Intercoolers
Both air compressor intercooler and aftercooler have their own share of proficiency in terms of cooling the compressed air. However, they both vary in terms of their applications and other parameters. So, if you want to know what is the difference between an intercooler and an aftercooler, here is the answer:
- The intercoolers are mostly used in multi-stage compressors, whereas the aftercoolers are only required in single-stage air compressors.
- The intercoolers are placed in between two stage outlets to control the temperature of the air before it enters the next stage. The aftercooler is placed at the end of the compression system to cool the air at the discharge stage.
- Aftercooler is referred to as the double-pass type with a U-tube, whereas intercooler is the single-pass type.
G] Choosing The Cooling System For Your Requirements
When you are in search of the best air compressors distributor, you must take note of whether they are supplying you with the right cooling system or not. Depending on the type of air compressor you get for your industrial application, you can seek an aftercooler or intercooler system for controlling overheating problems. There is a very minimal difference between aftercooler and intercooler applications.
Take it in a way such that if your compressed air application needs an intake of cooled compressed air for seamless function, then an intercooler is the right pick. For all the other cases where there is a necessity for removing heat from the compressed air for any industrial application, you can use the aftercooler system.
Conclusion
Hence, this intercooler vs aftercooler article might have given you clarity on which cooling system is better for your air compressor applications. Depending on the specific end applications, either of these cooling systems can be used for controlling or eradicating excessive heat, but some applications might restrict the use to just one type of cooling.
With this, you must now have clarity on how important it is to cool the compressed air before it reaches its end application! Therefore, you should take the help of the experts while choosing the adequate systems to fit the applications and last longer.
Bimpex Machines Pvt Ltd. manufactures the best quality air compressors along with both aftercooler and intercooler systems to help the longevity of applications. If you want to know more about our product offerings, you must contact us right away! We shall help you pick the best type of compressor for your applications and will suggest the right cooling system.