What is Air Compression? Please explain in detail.
2007-07-04 13:08:14 · 3 answers · asked by K * 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Engineering
What is Air Compression? Please explain in detail. Relate it to a CAR.
2007-07-04 21:10:26 · update #1
In relation to a car there are two parts to answer. As a car moves forwards the air in front gets compressed and has to flow around the car which causes some drag. However, the more significant compression happens in the engine. To get energy from the fuel it is burnt in the engine and the heat of combustion causes the gas to expand. When this happens inside the cylinder of an engine it pushes the piston down the cylinder and this linear push is converted to a rotary motion by the crankshaft. In order to create a cycle in the engine the air (or air/fuel mixture) is first compressed as the piston comes up in the cylinder to prepare for the following power stroke when the fuel is burnt. A 4 cycle engine has 4 "strokes" or movements of each piston - the power stroke down, the exhaust stroke up (to push the waste gas out) the intake stroke down (to suck new air and fuel in) and the compression stroke up to prepare for ignition. In a diesel engine the compression is higher enough to raise the gas temperature enough to ignite the fuel when it is injected. All gases undergo a rise in temperature when compressed and a fall in temperature when they expand.
2007-07-04 22:52:47 · answer #1 · answered by oldhombre 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Air compression is used where high pressure air is required as in the Air 'Pumps' found at service stations for inflating tires.
It is used to power instruments in process operations and is de-hydrated and filtered before compression.
Sound waves, passing through the air depend on the compression of the air for their propagation to the ears.
The compression waves act on the ear drums where, in the ear, they are converted back into sound..
Air compression is also used to add pressure to clean, dry atmospheric air used in the production of Liquefied gases like Nitrogen and Oxygen and the 'Noble' gases present in the air.
There are hundreds of applications that use compressed air for their operation.
2007-07-04 22:02:04 · answer #2 · answered by Norrie 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its the process of 'squeezing' air, quite literally.
There is a lot of 'space' between air molecules normally and we can reduce that space and reduce the volume.
2007-07-04 20:15:08 · answer #3 · answered by philip_jones2003 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋