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Compressed air is air kept under a pressure that is greater than atmospheric pressure. Compressed air in vehicle and are commonly used for improved traction and reduced vibration. Compressed air is an important medium for the transfer of energy in industrial processes and is used for such as air hammers, Jackhammer, power wrench, and others, as well as to atomize paint, to operate air cylinders for automation, and can also be used to propel vehicles. Brakes applied by compressed air made large railway trains safer and more efficient to operate. Compressed air brakes are also found on large highway vehicles.
Compressed air is used as a breathing gas by underwater divers. The diver may carry it in a high-pressure diving cylinder, or supplied from the surface at lower pressure through an air line or diver's umbilical. Similar arrangements are used in breathing apparatus used by firefighters, mine rescue workers and industrial workers in hazardous atmospheres.
In Europe, 10 percent of all industrial electricity consumption is to produce compressed air—amounting to 80 consumption per year.
Industrial use of piped compressed air for power transmission was developed in the mid-19th century; unlike steam, compressed air could be piped for long distances without losing pressure due to condensation. An early major application of compressed air was in the drilling of the Mont Cenis Tunnel in Italy and France in 1861, where a 600 kPa (87 psi) compressed air plant provided power to Jackhammer, increasing productivity greatly over previous manual drilling methods. Compressed-air drills were applied at mines in the United States in the 1870s. George Westinghouse invented air brakes for trains starting in 1869; these brakes considerably improved the safety of rail operations.Lance Day, Ian McNeil (ed.), Biographical Dictionary of the History of Technology, Routledge, 2002, , p. 1294 In the 19th century, Paris had a system of pipes installed for municipal distribution of compressed air to power machines and to operate generators for lighting. Early air compressors were steam-driven, but in certain locations a trompe could directly obtain compressed air from the force of falling water.Peter Darling (ed.), SME Mining Engineering Handbook, Third Edition Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (U.S.) 2011, , p. 705
Workers constructing the foundations of bridges or other structures may be working in a pressurized enclosure called a caisson, where water is prevented from entering the open bottom of the enclosure by filling it with air under pressure. It was known as early as the 17th century that workers in experienced shortness of breath and risked asphyxia, relieved by the release of fresh air into the bell. Such workers also experienced pain and other symptoms when returning to the surface, as the pressure was relieved. Denis Papin suggested in 1691 that the working time in a diving bell could be extended if fresh air from the surface was continually forced under pressure into the bell. By the 19th century, caissons were regularly used in civil construction, but workers experienced serious, sometimes fatal, symptoms on returning to the surface, a syndrome called caisson disease or decompression sickness. Many workers were killed by the disease on projects such as the Brooklyn Bridge and the Eads Bridge and it was not until the 1890s that it was understood that workers had to decompress slowly, to prevent the formation of dangerous bubbles in tissues.E. Hugh Snell, Compressed Air Illness Or So-called Caisson Disease H. K. Lewis, 1896 pp.
Air under moderately high pressure, such as is used when diving below about , has an increasing narcotic effect on the nervous system. Nitrogen narcosis is a hazard when diving. For diving much beyond , it is less safe to use air alone and Breathing gas containing helium are often used. (2025). 9780702025716, Saunders. ISBN 9780702025716
In land-based applications, , UEBSS (USA), and EBBS (EU) provide breathable air for emergency responders, industrial workers, and military personnel in hazardous environments. These devices use compressed air cylinders to supply clean air to the wearer, ensuring safety in oxygen-deficient or contaminated atmospheres. To enhance operational safety and efficiency, Kee Connections Buddy Breather coupling allows users to share air in emergency situations. This coupling system enables firefighters or other SCBA users to connect their breathing apparatuses, providing life-saving air support when needed. Such innovations help improve survivability and teamwork in high-risk conditions.
Compressed air is used for many purposes, including:
Cooling the air as it leaves the compressor will take most of the moisture out before it gets into the piping. Aftercooler, storage tanks, etc. can help the compressed air cool to ; two-thirds of the water then turns to liquid. Quincy Compressors | All About Compressed Air Piping Systems
Management of the excessive moisture is a requirement of a compressed air distribution system. System designers must ensure that piping maintains a slope, to prevent accumulation of moisture in low parts of the piping system. Drain valves may be installed at multiple points of a large system to allow trapped water to be blown out. Taps from piping headers may be arranged at the tops of pipes, so that moisture is not carried over into piping branches feeding equipment. COMPRESSOR INLET PIPING by Hank van Ormer, Air Power USA, Compressed Air Best Practices, 06/2012 Page 26, column 2, Note 12. Piping sizes are selected to avoid excessive energy loss in the piping system due to excess velocity in straight pipes at times of peak demand, or due to turbulence at pipe fittings.
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