Two-stage compressors are machines in which air or gas is compressed from an initial pressure to an intermediate pressure in one or more cylinders or casings in one step, and then compressed to a final discharge pressure in one or more cylinders or casings in a second separate mechanical and thermodynamic step. Multistage compressors are machines employing two or more separate stages to compress air to a final pressure. Return to index Related terminology Intercoolers are heat exchangers between stages of a compressor used to remove heat from the compressed air, thus reducing the volume of the gas and removing some of the moisture. Aftercoolers are heat exchangers for cooling gas or air discharged from compressors. Thsy provide the most effective means of removing moisture from compressed air and gases.
Air receivers are tanks used for the storage of compressed air discharged from a compressor.
They help to eliminate pressure pulsations in the discharge line. Reheaters are heat exchangers used to raise the temperature of compressed air in order to increase its volume. Air filters are devices for separating and removing dust and dirt particles from air before it enters a compressor. Compressed air is air that has been pressed into a volume smaller than it normally occupies. Because compressed air exerts a pressure, it performs work when released and allowed to expand in a suitable machine to its normal free state.