Dynamic Compressor Lubricant Selection
Compressors are mechanical devices that pressurize and circulate a wide variety of gases (i.e., air, natural gas, oxygen, nitrogen and many types of refrigeration gases) for applications that include providing power for controls, maintaining tension, enabling chemical reactions, moving raw and finished production materials and supplying energy through pipeline transfer of gas to homes scattered throughout industrialized nations.
Without refrigeration compressors, the ability to supply food to entire nations would be lost. These same types of compressors make living in hot, humid climates more tolerable by supplying cool air for homes and offices.
In this article we address the lubricant selection criteria appropriate for continuous flow or dynamic compressors and their designs.