compressor 2 stage

mgmm

New User
how do you determine by viewing the compressor if single stage or double stage compessor unit? What are the advantages of 220v vs 110v
Thx in advance
 
(quoted from post at 07:19:51 12/19/14) how do you determine by viewing the compressor if single stage or double stage compessor unit? What are the advantages of 220v vs 110v
Thx in advance
ith a 2 stage compressor you can get higher pressures because the air goes from the large cylinder to the small cylinder then to , with a single stage you get more volume because both cylinders go directly to tank. 220v runs cooler and cheaper
 
A two stage compressor will have two different sized pistons that allow it to achieve a higher output pressure than a single stage. The larger one is the first stage, and will compress the air to a point and discharge it to the smaller cylinder. The smaller, second stage cylinder will compress it a little more, and discharge it to the tank.

Now be careful when you look at a compressor and try to determine if it is a single, or two stage, because there are plenty of single stage compressors out there that have more than one piston. With those, the air is only compressed once, by each piston, but having more than one lets it achieve a higher volume of air, but typically at a lower pressure.

As for the advantages of a 220v over a 100v, the 220 is "twice as strong". Basically running the compressor on 220v makes the amp draw on the motor to be 1/2 of what it would be at 100v. The result is that you can essentially run a larger compressor, and make more air, on 220v than you will be able to on 110v. It's actually a bit more complicated than that, but in general terms that's what it usually comes down to when someone is making the choice on what to buy.
 
It's all about efficiency. As others have said, one cylinder will be larger than the other.

You'll find the higher end, commercial/industrial compressors to be 2 stage, more expensive but last longer and operate cheaper in the long run. The single stage are typically for low demand, home shop use, cheaper to buy, disposable.

You get a little more starting power from a 220v motor. But the main reason is wire and breaker size. A 120v motor is limited to 2 HP. That's as high as you can go on a 20a, 120v circuit.
 
If it has two cylinders with an air cleaner on each cylinder it is single stage.

Two stage should have plumbing between two cylinders with finned pipe or some other type of heat exchanger.

Rich
 
The short answers,

2 stage is more efficient. RCP is correct, read his comments.

As for the 110v and 220v. The maximum a 110v compressor can put out is 15 amps which is about 2HP max. A 220v system will give way more amps and you can easily get 5hp out of a 220v unit.
And.....in a piston compressor you will get 3.6 CFM per horsepower at a set pressure.

A 5hp unit should be able to handle most anything a home hobby shop needs, with an 80 gallon receiver tank.
 
A single stage compressor only compressed the air one time (hence the term single stage). The max PSI of these is usually 120 - 130 PSI. The two stage compressor has a second cylinder that compresses the air a second time and runs the PSI up to approximately 175 psi. The two stage will have more overall volume, but if you want to talk efficiency, the single stage is more efficient because as the PSI increases, the less volume you're pushing.

As far as 110v vs 220V, bear this in mind, If you double the voltage, you'll require approximately half the current to do the same job, therefore, you can run a higher horsepower with comparable wall current. Personally, I chose the largest portable single stage compressor I could find which was a 220v unit. It puts out about 17 cfm at 40 psi, but about 9 at 110. I chose not to go with a two stage because it would cost more in electricity to run. Now if I were running a body shop with lots of air tools running, I'd definitely go with a two stage just to keep up with the demand.
 
Two stage will have cylinders in pairs with one large for the first stage and one small for the second.
 
I worked as a compressor design engineer while in college as an intern. I'm not an expert but got to mess around a bit in the lab and try some neat stuff. You can get 200 psig out of a single stage but at the expense of volumetric efficiency which gets into single digits. With some tweaking and higher tolerance parts you can reduce piston the valve plate or head clearance at TDC and get some of that back. Multi stage compressors work to reduce pressure ratio and improve efficiency in each stage effectively supercharging the next stage. You can intercool between stages and improve efficiency and reduce discharge and interstate temps too which reduces carbon buildup on pistons and valves. Two stage compressors generally deliver 175psig air while single stage are typically limited to 120 psig. The predominate advantage to two stage compressors and higher discharge pressure is getting more standard cubic feet of air into the same volume letting you use high air volume tools longer before compressor kicks on again. These would include HVLP paint sprayers and sandblast cabinets and the like. If you just need something for filling tires occasionally a single stage will work fine and cost less.

120v is limited to 3 hp compressors or less, if you need more air you need to be on 220 to keep current draw down.
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top