The main differences
The first compressor in the world created in 1934 was a screw compressor. Several decades later, the reciprocating compressor was invented. In our time, the struggle for the first place in the ranking, between these two systems, is still being waged. To figure out which one is better, you need to understand how they work. The task of the compressor is to compress air. At the same time, any compressor heats up and generates heat. emits a negligible amount of heat, because it has a small number of parts in contact with each other ... A pair of screws rotating in opposite directions create air pressure. The oil in between reduces friction to zero. We must not forget that it consumes much less electricity, in contrast to the piston. not only generates more heat and electricity, it needs an additional ventilation system and its life is shortened due to the rapid wear of parts. The piston group, consisting of rings and valves, requires constant maintenance. If in the screw version it is only necessary to change the oil filters, then in the piston group you need to monitor the cylinders, pistons, rings, valves, liners, etc. In addition, it is worth noting the considerable cost of such maintenance.
Cooling system
Screw compressors are cooled using the air that it pumps. This is an excellent engineering solution that solved the problem of cooling the unit without additional parts and costs. This is not the case with a piston engine. He needs water. Air simply won't do its job. The amount of heat generated by the pistons is too high. To solve this problem, it was necessary to create a whole independent cooling system, which will create pressure for the water. This increased not only the weight and dimensions of the unit, but also made the task of its maintenance more difficult. The compact and lightweight screw compressor is easy to move to another place if necessary. Its competitor will need more movement and a little special foundation.
Latest Analysis
Drawing conclusions, it is clear that the differences between the two different compressors are enormous in terms of maintenance. And in terms of work, they are practically in no way inferior to each other. An engineering solution created more than a century ago, until now no one has been able to surpass them.
