Plumbing additional air tanks & stainless steel tanks?

by Gary

I have an 80 gal.receiver mated to a true 5 HP motor.

I have a media blast cabinet (modified with a pressure pot ,rather than siphon feed , for more efficiency).

My question is : I have two stainless steel ,60 gal. air receivers (salvaged,for free, from liquid nitrogen containers) that I wish to add to my air supply.

They will let an increased volume of air accumulate , giving me more blasting time.

Because I will have more volume on hand, I will have the compressor shut off at ,say, 100 lbs. rather than 180 lbs., thereby reducing the strain on the compressor.

Is this a good idea ?

I know the compressor would love it because I understand it works much harder at higher compression numbers.I am just not sure if I am on the right track . I never use more than 90 lbs. when blasting.

Thoughts ?

The stainless vessels might be a topic to mention in your book. Can you imagine the cost of a stainless vessel if you were to buy it ? No rust from moisture, etc. . Yes, one must Tig weld stainless fittings as needed but it is still , I think , a great idea. Probably though, for liability reasons, you can only recommend certified pressure vessels.

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Bill answers...

Hi Gary:

First off, yes, your email is now on the list to get an introductory price on my new ebook "The Home Compressor". When it's ready, I'll let you know, and if you want to take advantage of the intro price, you will be welcome to do so for a limited time. The ebook is actually coming along nicely. I was working on it today, in fact.


Good question, and a good tip. Though you are right, I would never recommend the use of a non-ASME tank, because if it isn't rated and tested for the pressures being used, it could suffer catastrophic failure.

Turning down the 'cut-out' pressure (high set point) of your compressor from 180 can't hurt it...though if that's the setting on the pressure switch when you got the compressor, then it should be built for producing compressed air at that pressure, you would think.

But you are right, compressing air to a lower level uses less energy and creates less wear and tear on the compressor.

However, have you considered that your air compressor will have to cycle on and off more often when the 'cut out' pressure is lower?

I expect you would simply transfer the wear and tear from the piston to the starting circuit...?

Media blasting (or sand blasting) equipment sucks up a lot of compressed air, and if you lower the differential between high set point and low, your compressor will have to cycle on and off more often as it attempts to keep the pressure in the tank above the 'cut in' pressure. Since the high pressure is now lower, the compressor air tank's pressure will reach the 'cut in' pressure faster, resulting in more rapid cycling of your unit.

It's a toss up...but I'll go with my first comment. If it's designed and built to produce 180 PSI, then it darn well should do so while lasting a long, long time.

Cheers,

Bill