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September 17, 2024What is the Air Compressor Inlet Valve, and How Does it Work?
Kaishan USA | September 11, 2024| Uncategorized
The inlet valve has a significant impact on the operation and efficiency of your rotary screw air compressor.
The inlet valve is one of the most important and complicated parts of a rotary screw air compressor.
No part of the compressor so uniquely differentiates the various manufacturers. Each has its own proprietary design for the part because it has a major impact on the performance of your compressor. And inlet valves differ not only by manufacturer but also by individual model.
Inlet valves significantly impact a compressor’s overall efficiency and energy savings. And they keep the airend from locking up. They regulate how much air gets into the airend and how much oil.
But that’s the short version. Here’s how that works in your compressor.
What It Does
The inlet valve is the gatekeeper for your compressor. It allows air into the compression chamber, opening fully when it’s in the load portion of the cycle and closing in the unload part.
It has two major functions:
- It regulates the amount of air entering the compression cycle.
- It ensures you have enough oil flow to adequately lubricate the airend
Here’s why that’s so important:
If there’s not enough air entering the chamber, your compressor will struggle to provide enough air pressure.
If the inlet valve brings too much air into the chamber, it could cause over-pressurization, damaging the compressor and nearby equipment.
There’s another key factor that is almost as siginifcant.
Air Pressure Creates the Oil Pressure You Need
When your unit is compressing air, we use the air pressure as a fluid-motion device, creating oil pressure as well.
That’s especially important when you have enough air pressure.
You could shut the compressor down when you’re in that unload portion of your cycle. But that’s inefficient for two reasons.
- It would require that your compressor stops and start frequently. That’s not good. A three-phase motor draws three times as many amps during startup as it does in normal operation, so starting and stopping requires a lot more energy. And many utilities charge for peak-hour usage. So, all those restarts will cost you a lot of money. And they’ll cause a lot of wear that shortens the lifespan of your compressor.
- You must keep the oil flowing to keep your airend lubricated and prevent damage.
As a result, when you reach the unload state, you want to keep your compressor idling, avoiding the constant stops and starts (and higher electricity bills) and keeping the oil flowing to the airend.
But even more importantly, we are one of the few manufacturers who use an adjustable inlet valve on most of our models.
An Inlet Valve That’s Adjustable
Most of our premium KRSP units and most of our KRSP2 rotary screw air compressors have an adjustable inlet valve.
Kaishan’s KRSP premium rotary screw compressor is one of the few in the industry with a variable inlet valve.
The inlet valve on a Kaishan compressor creates the differential pressure that allows the lubrication system to add oil when the compressor is in its unloaded state.
Because it’s adjustable, you can keep the oil pressure exactly where you want it. Adjust it too high, and you’ll waste power. But if the pressure’s too low, you run the risk of locking up and causing significant damage to the airend.
Most of our competitors use a fixed intake valve, which means that not enough oil enters the air flow until the compression cycle begins. That creates more friction and shortens the life of the unit. And it takes longer to restart.
Pressure Is Set on Delivery
The adjustable inlet valve should be set to operate within the appropriate parameters when a new compressor is installed.
Generally, the pressure parameters are set up at the factory, but the installation team should check the pressure to make sure the valve did not go out of adjustment during shipping.
That can happen. Compressors that are not set up properly can quickly run into problems, locking up and damaging the airend before the end of the day.
It is so critical to the operation of a compressor, inspecting the inlet valve should be included in any routine maintenance.
Maintenance
After it is installed, the valve should be inspected at least once a year to ensure it is working properly.
Because it’s such a critical part of your rotary screw air compressor, you’ll want to inspect your inlet valve at least once a year, replacing seals and making sure the valve is in the right position.
Typical issues include:
- Worn seals. On our units, we recommend disassembling and rebuilding the inlet valve and replacing the seals annually. But you need to follow your manufacturer’s instructions: Some suppliers require specialty tools to maintain their valves, which can cause damage, injury or even death if they are tampered with. Kaishan does not require the use of specialty tools to maintain our inlet valve, making it one of the safest and most user-friendly on the market.
- Position. The inlet valve can be stuck in the open position, causing potentially catastrophic damage.
One way to ensure an inlet valve is working properly is to check the sump pressure during the unload stage. As long as it is above 8 PSIG, it is working correctly. If it isn’t, you should seek the help of your compressed air professional.
If you’re having any problems with the inlet valve on your rotary screw air compressor—especially if the sump pressure is below 8 PSIG, get help from your local professional.
Problems? Get Your Local Pro Involved
Both its importance to proper operation and the consequences of a non-functioning unit underscore the value of working with a local professional.
Kaishan USA works with a nationwide network of independent distributors, who can provide on-site help and consultation as needed. They have been specially trained to maintain and adjust our inlet valves as needed.
These factory-trained air compression experts can service any part of your air compressor system without a problem. And they have staff members who are skilled in advanced technology.
Key Takeaways
- The inlet valve is one of your compressor most important and complicated parts.
- The inlet valve is the gatekeeper for your compressor, allowing air into the compression chamber. It opens fully when it’s in the load portion of the cycle and closes in the unload part.
- It regulates the amount of air entering the compression cycle, also helping to create the oil flow that lubricates the airend.
- The inlet valve on a Kaishan compressor is adjustable and creates the differential pressure that allows the lubrication system on a Kaishan premium compressor to add oil when the compressor is in its unloaded state.
- Because the inlet valve is adjustable on a Kaishan compressor, you can keep the oil pressure exactly where you want it. Adjust it too high, and you’ll waste power. If it’s too low, you run the risk of locking up and causing significant damage to the airend.
Let Us Help
The air inlet valve is critical to the operation of your rotary screw air compressor. If you need help maintaining your air inlet valve, get in touch with the experts at Kaishan. Contact us today.
