HIGH PRESSURE AIR COMPRESSORS--A RELIABLE FORCE?

A review is given of the historical and technological development of high-pressure air compressors used in navies and of how these units have come to fall within the top ten most unreliable forms of equipment in submarines and surface ships. Ever since the introduction of high technology air compressors to private industry in the early 1980s, navies have been challenged to adopt these new advances. The new machines have ten times greater reliability and cost two-thirds less than current "special" units. New developments in compressor design, cooling system, condensate control, and synthetic oils considerably reduce maintenance costs in the modern compressor. Further advances that may foreseeably be applied to the future air compressor are discussed. It is expected that these modern compressors will form the backbone of units supplied to navies for at least the next two decades.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Conference paper
• Authors:
  • Robinson, W N
• Conference:
  • Past, Present and Future Engineering in the Royal Navy
  • Location: Plymouth, England
  • Date: 1989-9-6 to 1989-9-8
• Publication Date: 0

Media Info

• Pagination: 6p.+discuss.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Compressed air; Compressors; Pressure; Synthetic crude oil; Technological innovations
• Uncontrolled Terms: High pressure
• Old TRIS Terms: Synthetic oils
• Subject Areas: Marine Transportation; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00660979
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Maritime Technical Information Facility
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 21 1994 12:00AM