This comprehensive guide to the compressed air regulator covers all of its components, the benefits of regulating your air compressor, and other factors.
To keep a proper downstream pressure for pneumatic systems, compressed air regulators are a type of pressure-reducing valve. Regulators play a crucial role in safeguarding downstream pneumatic systems and are a practical tool for preserving compressed air in blow-off applications.
Finding and adjusting a pressure regulator are covered in the blog that follows.
About Compressed Air Regulators
Compressed air regulators are pneumatic components that can accept air at any pressure that falls within their tolerance and then release air at a pressure that is no higher than their intended output. And so, in most cases, air enters at a higher pressure and leaves at a lower pressure.
For the purposes of this blog, everything that comes before the air regular is ‘upstream’, and everything after it is ‘downstream.’
We have introduced other compressed air energy storage products:
- Compressed Air Cars
- Compressed Air Filters
- Compressed Air Piping System
- Compressed Air Tank
- Compressed Air Dryers
Components of An Air Compressor Pressure Regulator
A regulator’s fundamental components are a diaphragm, a stem, a poppet valve, an orifice, compression springs, and an adjusting screw. I will break down the function of each item as follows:
- Diaphragm – it separates the internal air pressure from the ambient pressure. To allow for stretching and deflection, they are frequently made of rubbery material. They come in two varieties: relieving and non-relieving. When you need to lower the output pressure, the relieving style has a small hole in the diaphragm that lets the downstream pressure escape to the atmosphere. The non-relieving style does not allow this, and they are mainly used for gases that are expensive or dangerous.
- Stem – It connects the poppet valve to the diaphragm. This is the “linkage” to move the poppet valve to allow compressed air to pass. The poppet valve will close and open as the diaphragm flexes up and down.
- Poppet valve – it is used to block the orifice inside the regulator. In zero-flow situations, it has a sealing surface that prevents compressed air from flowing. The poppet valve is assisted by a spring to help “squeeze” the seal against the orifice face.
- Orifice – it is an opening that determines the maximum amount of airflow that can be supplied by the regulator. More air can pass through and be supplied to equipment further down the line when the orifice is larger.
- Compression springs – they create the forces to balance between zero pressure to maximum downstream pressure. One spring is below the poppet valve to keep it closed and sealed. The other spring sits on top of the diaphragm and is called the adjusting spring. This spring is much larger than the poppet valve spring, and it is the main component to determine the downstream pressure ranges. Upstream pressure increases as spring force increases.
- Adjusting screw – it is the mechanism that “squeezes” the adjusting spring. The length of the adjusting spring is reduced overall by the adjusting screw to increase downstream pressure. The poppet valve can remain open for a higher pressure as a result of the increased compression force. It works in the opposite direction to decrease the downstream pressure.
The regulator’s goal is to maintain a constant downstream pressure by coordinating the aforementioned components. This constant rate is maintained during zero flow to max flow demands. It does, however, suffer from some inefficiencies. One of those issues is called “droop”. When the air begins to flow through a regulator, the amount of downstream pressure loss is known as droop.
At a steady state (the downstream system is not requiring any air flow), the regulator will produce the adjusted pressure (If you have a gauge on the regulator, it will show you the downstream pressure). The downstream pressure will drop once the regulator starts to flow. The regulator’s orifice size and stem diameter both affect how much it falls.
Why Regulate Your Air Compressor?
The pressure regulator, which regulates the flow of air through the system, is one of the most critical parts of an air compressor. Without this type of control function, there would be no way to regulate the pressure and intensity of the air that flows from the compressor tank into your pneumatic tools. The regulator guards against each tool having an excessive or insufficient amount of power, protecting the effectiveness of your pneumatic applications.
Air pressure regulators are important because different levels of pressure are needed for different types of pneumatic tools. A slow-moving tool would likely be overpowered if you attempted to use the same amount of pressure as required for a fast-moving operation. The latter operation would probably produce mediocre results if you did the opposite.
Your ability to regulate your air compressor will allow you to use less energy to run your air-powered operations. Even if only a small portion of your applications require this much energy, without the functions of a pressure regulator, you could end up using large amounts of energy throughout each working day to meet peak demands. Essentially, the reason to regulate your air compressor is threefold: to properly serve your air tools, streamline applications and save energy.
What Does the Regulator Do on An Air Compressor?
The pressure regulator is essentially a control valve that enables you to increase or decrease the airflow depending on your requirements for a specific application. The pressure regulator has a monitor that displays the precise pressure at every moment, making it simple to read and keep an eye on visually.
A pressure regulator’s settings must match the tool’s PSI value in pounds per square inch (PSI). There will be a PSI number on each pneumatic tool you have in your toolbox. You must set the regulator to that same number for the tool to function as intended.
If you oversee a large compressed air system, you will likely have several pressure regulators to monitor during a shift. For each air-powered machine or pneumatic tool, you would need a regulator if you run multiple applications simultaneously from the same compressor, for instance.
All of these tools would not function properly if they were operating at the same PSI because various tools, like pneumatic cutters and brushes, demand various amounts of pressure per revolution. If you try to force them to run at the same PSI, the tools that are not regulated properly could incur costly damage.
How to Read a Compressed Air Regulator?
The PSI rating is what you use for any type of pneumatic tool to assess whether it’s performing at the level that was intended. The performance power required from a tool won’t be present if it is designed for a certain rate but the pressure supply is significantly below that figure.
An air compressor’s pressure gauge will typically display PSI readings between 0 and 250. The figures will change depending on the air compressor’s capacity and the kinds of pneumatic applications the system handles.
Reading the PSI rating will allow you to determine the air pressure the compressor will produce per square inch. The maximum air pressure that your compressor may produce is 150 pounds per square inch if the maximum PSI listed on the unit is 150.
Aside from the maximum performance capacity of an air compressor, various other issues can negatively impact the machine’s ability to reach a certain PSI rating. If the ambient air is polluted, the impurities may infect the system and reduce the pressure.
The compressed air your system generates may still be harmed even if you have effective filters in place if the workspace doesn’t have the right ambient conditions. If the surrounding air is excessively moist and humid, your compressor’s PSI capabilities may also be reduced.
The Importance of Air Compressor Maintenance
It is essential to actively maintain the pressure regulator for many of the same reasons that you should perform routine maintenance on your air compressor. If the regulator is not properly maintained, it may gradually dry out and start to crack.
Cracking may develop as a result of ongoing system activity downstream. Air leakage and pressure loss will occur if a split does develop. Once these problems emerge, the corresponding pneumatic tool will lose most of its power.
There is a silver lining to this issue even if a pressure regulator does get damaged while the system is being used: pressure regulators are relatively cheap to replace.
Conclusion: Compressed Air Regulator
When using an air compressor, the air pressure itself plays a significant role in how well your projects turn out. You must ensure that the settings are correct for each application to receive the proper amount of pressure. The air compressor pressure regulator valve is a feature that allows you to make these adjustments and verify that your settings are accurate.
In addition to reducing the amount of air your compressor must process, an air compressor is necessary to protect delicate equipment or delicate work from changes in the upstream air pressure.
FAQs
How Many Pressure Regulators Do I Need for An Air Compressor?
If you use multiple tools at once, you should have a different regulator for each one. As long as the tools need the same PSI and are only used one at a time, you can use the same regulator. If not, you will need to modify the PSI to meet the specific needs of each tool that you connect to the air hose.
Is the Regulator Controlled by the Pressure Switch on the Air Compressor?
No, the pressure switch is set up based on preset PSI parameters to maintain the air tank’s pressurization within a range that is considered safe. You need to keep an eye on and adjust the pressure regulator to make sure the corresponding air tool receives the correct PSI. Although you might never need to adjust the air compressor pressure switch, if you use a variety of pneumatic tools, you’ll probably need to do so.
What Happens If I Don’t Adjust the Pressure Regulator?
If the pressure regulator settings are not kept under close observation, the wrong PSI could be applied to your air tools. The tool will be less effective and may even sustain damage if the air pressure that the machine produces does not match the PSI rating of the tool.
