An Air Compressor is a mechanical device that increases the pressure of a gas by reducing its volume. Compressors are similar to pumps: both increase the pressure on a fluid and both can transport the fluid through a pipe. As gases are compressible, the compressor also reduces the volume of a gas. Liquids are relatively incompressible, so the main action of a pump is to pressurize and transport liquids. Centrifugal Compressors, sometimes referred to as Radial Compressors, are a special class of radial-flow work-absorbing turbo machinery that include pumps, fans, blowers and compressors. Centrifugal compressors are used throughout industry because they have fewer rubbing parts, are relatively energy efficient, and give higher airflow than a similarly sized reciprocating compressor (i.e. positive-displacement). Their primary drawback is that they cannot achieve the high compression ratio of reciprocating compressors without multiple stages. Centrifugal fan/blowers are more suited to continuous-duty applications such as ventilation fans, air movers, cooling units, and other uses that require high volume with little or no pressure increase. In contrast, multi-stage reciprocating compressors often achieve discharge pressures of 8,000 to 10,000 psi (55 to 69 MPa). One example of an application of centrifugal compressors is their use in re-injecting natural gas back into oil fields to increase oil production. Centrifugal compressors are often used in small gas turbine engines like APUs (auxiliary power units) and smaller aircraft gas turbines. A significant reason for this is that with current technology, the equivalent flow axial compressor will be less efficient due primarily to a combination of rotor and variable stator tip-clearance losses. There are few single stage centrifugal compressors capable of pressure-ratios over 10:1, due to stress considerations that severely limit the compressor's safety, durability and life expectancy. Additionally for aircraft gas turbines; centrifugal flow compressors offer the advantages of simplicity of manufacture and relatively low cost. This is due to requiring fewer stages to achieve the same pressure rise. The fundamental reason for this stems from a centrifugal compressor's large change in radius (relative to a multi-stage axial compressor); it is the change in radius that allows the centrifugal compressor to generate large increases in fluid energy over a short axial distance.
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