Table of Content
Understanding Air Compressor Duty Cycle
- Defining a Duty Cycle
- Factors influencing duty cycle selection
- Selecting the right compressor based on duty cycle
If you plan to procure a new air compressor, you will inevitably come across a specification called Duty Cycle in percentage terms. While a 100% duty cycle may be emphatically advertised by a seller and even seem alluring, you will require a more nuanced and in-depth understanding of the concept. VEMC is one of the leading ELGi air compressor dealers in Mumbai and in this blog, we tell you all you need to know about air compressor duty cycles.
Defining a Duty Cycle
The duty cycle of an air compressor simply refers to the time taken to fill its air tank. Every time the tank of an air compressor is full, the pump stops and then starts again. This is known as the run-time versus rest time of a compressor. However, in case a compressor doesn’t have a tank, then its duty cycle will always be 100%.
A compressor with 25% duty cycle means the compressor will have 45 minutes of downtime every hour and be active for only 15 minutes. Likewise, for a compressor with 50% duty cycle will have a downtime for 30 minutes and be active for 30 minutes.
Factors influencing duty cycle selection
- Air demand: If your air demand is high, you will require an air compressor with longer duty cycle.
- System size: A larger system will require a longer duty cycle and vice versa.
- Pressure requirements: Duty cycle also depends upon the pressure required for your task. This means more the pressure required, more should be the duty cycle.
Selecting the right compressor based on duty cycle
Air compressor with intermittent duty cycles
Applications like filling a tyre, powering mechanical tools like wrenches and nailers, or DIY home projects can make use of compressors with intermittent duty cycles.
Air compressor with continuous duty cycles
Applications like powering tools in electronics, furniture and automobile industries, and operating conveyor belt systems use compressors with continuous duty cycles.
A duty cycle can be a critical determining factor when it comes to selecting the right compressor. However, you must be mindful of a few considerations.
- Avoiding overloading: While it may be quite tempting to select a compressor with highest possible duty cycle, over-cycling can be problematic. Over-cycling could seriously impact the health of your system and reduce its lifespan significantly due to wear and tear. It also reduces the efficiency of the system as quick cycling consumes more energy.
- Ensuring sufficient capacity for peak demand: When the demand of compressed air is high, you must have adequate capacity to match it. You can use a larger storage tank or try a wide pressure band to ensure this.
Duty cycles are clearly a significant factor to determine the right air compressor type for the right task. For more information on duty cycles or any other air compressor parameter, feel free to call us on 022 43436655 or email us at marketing@vemc.co.in. We are the top ELGi reciprocating compressor and screw compressor dealers based in Mumbai.