In modern industrial plants, most pneumatic equipment operates at a standard compressed-air pressure. However, some applications require significantly higher pressure than the main air network can provide. Increasing the pressure of the entire plant air system for these individual applications can lead to unnecessary energy consumption and higher operating costs.
An air booster compressor provides an efficient alternative. It takes already-compressed air from a primary compressor and increases it to the higher pressure required by a specific application. This allows industries to maintain a lower general plant pressure while supplying high-pressure air only where it is needed.
Utility Engineers provides industrial compressed-air solutions, including air booster compressors, high-pressure compressor systems, compressor spares, and technical services for demanding industrial applications.
What Is an Air Booster Compressor?
An air booster compressor is a secondary compression unit designed to increase the pressure of compressed air supplied by a primary compressor. Unlike a conventional compressor that compresses atmospheric air, a booster receives air that is already compressed and raises it to a higher pressure.
For example, a plant may operate its main compressed-air system at approximately 7–13 bar while a particular process requires 25, 40, 100, 200, or 300 bar. Instead of increasing the pressure of the complete plant network, an air compressor booster can be installed near the application that requires higher pressure.
This makes booster systems particularly useful for industries where high-pressure air is required only for selected processes.
How Does an Air Booster Compressor Work?
The working principle of an air booster compressor is based on compressing air that is already above atmospheric pressure.
A typical system works through the following stages:
- Primary compression: Ambient air is compressed by the main compressor to the plant’s normal operating pressure.
- Booster inlet: The compressed air enters the booster at the required inlet pressure.
- Pressure amplification: The booster further compresses the air to achieve the required discharge pressure.
- Cooling: Compression increases air temperature, so intercooling or aftercooling may be used between or after compression stages.
- High-pressure delivery: The compressed air is supplied to the specific equipment or process requiring higher pressure.
Multi-stage compression may be used when a large pressure increase is required. The exact configuration depends on inlet pressure, outlet pressure, flow requirement, gas type, duty cycle, and air-quality requirements.
Air Booster Compressor Pressure Requirements
The required booster pressure varies significantly between applications. Some industrial processes require moderate pressure increases, while specialized applications may require several hundred bar.
Typical requirements may include:
- 20–40 bar: PET bottle blowing, industrial cleaning, and selected manufacturing applications.
- 40–100 bar: Specialized process and pressure-testing applications.
- 100–300 bar: High-pressure gas applications, cylinder filling, and other demanding processes.
- 300 bar and above: Specialized high-pressure applications requiring specifically engineered compressor systems.
The correct pressure should always be determined from the equipment manufacturer’s specifications and the actual process requirement.
Types of Air Booster Compressors
Air booster compressors can be classified according to the compressed medium, pressure requirement, compression technology, and air-quality requirements.
Typical applications include PET bottle production, pressure testing, industrial cleaning, and specialized manufacturing processes.
Oxygen booster compressors therefore require appropriate materials, cleanliness procedures, lubrication practices, and safety measures. Oil-free compression technology is often selected for applications where contamination must be minimized.
Oil-Free Air Booster Compressors
Oil-free air booster compressors are used where compressed-air contamination can affect the quality or safety of the final product.
They are particularly relevant to industries such as:
- Pharmaceutical manufacturing
- Food and beverage
- Medical applications
- Electronics
- Chemical processing
The required compressed-air purity should be specified according to the applicable standards and process requirements.
Oil-Injected Air Booster Compressors
Oil-injected booster systems use oil for lubrication and cooling within the compression process. They can be suitable for general industrial applications where the required air-quality specification allows oil-lubricated technology and appropriate downstream treatment is provided.
Industrial Applications of Air Booster Compressors
An air booster compressor is useful whenever a specific process requires higher pressure than the existing plant compressed-air system.
PET Bottle Manufacturing
PET bottle blowing is one of the well-known applications for booster compressors. The preforms require high-pressure air during the blowing process, while other plant equipment may operate at a much lower pressure.
A booster allows the manufacturer to generate high-pressure air specifically for the PET blowing process.
Pressure Testing
Manufacturers and engineering companies use high-pressure compressed air or gases for testing components, pipelines, vessels, and other equipment.
An air compressor booster can provide the required test pressure without operating the complete plant compressed-air system at unnecessarily high pressure.
Industrial Cleaning
Certain industrial cleaning operations require higher air pressure to remove dust, particles, or contaminants. A booster can supply additional pressure to selected cleaning equipment while the main plant network continues to operate at its normal pressure.
Laser Cutting and Manufacturing
Some specialized manufacturing and cutting processes require controlled high-pressure gases or compressed air. A booster system can be integrated into the process where the required pressure is higher than the available plant supply.
Oxygen and Gas Applications
Booster systems are also used to increase the pressure of oxygen and industrial gases for specific process requirements. These systems require careful selection based on gas compatibility, pressure, flow, cleanliness, and safety requirements.
Cylinder Filling
High-pressure booster compressors can be used in suitable gas-filling applications where gas must be compressed to elevated storage pressures. The compressor configuration must be selected according to the gas, required pressure, filling rate, and applicable safety standards.
Benefits of Using an Air Booster Compressor
Targeted High-Pressure Air
An air booster compressor allows high pressure to be generated only where it is required. The complete plant does not need to operate at the higher pressure.
Improved System Efficiency
Operating the main compressed-air network at an appropriate pressure and boosting only selected applications can help avoid unnecessary compression work.
Lower Infrastructure Requirements
Increasing the pressure of an entire plant may require modifications to compressors, piping, storage receivers, valves, and other components. A localized booster can provide a more targeted solution.
Flexible Installation
Boosters can be integrated downstream of an existing compressor system and positioned close to the high-pressure application, depending on the process layout.
Reduced Pressure Loss Impact
Installing the booster near the point of use can help provide the required pressure without requiring the entire distribution network to carry high-pressure air.
Suitable for Specialized Applications
Booster compressors are available for different pressures, gases, flow rates, and air-quality requirements, making them suitable for a wide range of industrial applications.
Air Booster Compressor vs High-Pressure Compressor
An air booster compressor and a high-pressure compressor can both produce elevated-pressure air, but their operating principles and applications differ.
Feature | Air Booster Compressor | High-Pressure Compressor |
Inlet source | Already-compressed air | Atmospheric air or specified gas source |
Main purpose | Increase existing pressure | Compress gas from a lower starting pressure |
Typical installation | Downstream of primary compressor | Independent compressor system |
Application | Localized high-pressure demand | Dedicated high-pressure systems |
System flexibility | High for selected applications | Suitable for complete high-pressure systems |
Best suited for | Plants with mixed pressure requirements | Applications requiring dedicated high-pressure generation |
If only one or a few processes require high pressure, a booster can be an attractive solution. If the entire facility requires high-pressure air continuously, a dedicated high-pressure compressor may be more appropriate.
How to Select an Air Booster Compressor
Choosing the correct air booster compressor requires more than simply selecting the desired discharge pressure. Important parameters include:
Inlet Pressure : Determine the pressure available from the primary compressor. The booster must be designed to operate reliably within the expected inlet-pressure range.
Discharge Pressure : Identify the actual pressure required at the point of use. Consider pressure losses between the booster and equipment when determining the required discharge pressure.
Air Flow Requirement : The required flow rate is one of the most important sizing parameters. A booster should be selected according to actual peak and average demand.
Gas Type : For compressed air, nitrogen, oxygen, CO₂, hydrogen, or other gases, the compressor materials and design must be compatible with the gas.
Duty Cycle : Consider whether the booster will operate continuously, intermittently, or under variable demand. The duty cycle affects compressor selection, cooling requirements, and overall system design.
Air Quality : For sensitive applications, determine the required compressed-air purity and select appropriate oil-free or oil-injected technology and downstream filtration.
Cooling Requirements : High-pressure compression generates heat. Proper intercooling and aftercooling are important for controlling temperature and protecting downstream equipment.
Conclusion
An air booster compressor is an effective solution for industrial facilities that need higher pressure for selected processes without increasing the pressure of the entire compressed-air network. By boosting already-compressed air at the point of need, industries can create a flexible and application-specific high-pressure system.
Selecting the right booster requires careful consideration of inlet pressure, discharge pressure, flow rate, gas type, air quality, duty cycle, cooling, and safety requirements.
Utility Engineers can help industries evaluate their compressed-air requirements and identify suitable air booster compressor and high-pressure compressor solutions for their applications.
Looking for an Air Booster Compressor? Contact Utility Engineers for technical assistance and application-specific compressor solutions.