What is the normal pressure in the factory’s compressed air pipes?
The pressure setting of the factory’s compressed air pipeline needs to take into account equipment requirements, pipeline losses and safety margins. Its normal range varies depending on the industry and gas consumption scenarios. The following is explained from four aspects: pressure standards, setting basis, industry differences and operation and maintenance recommendations to provide reference for corporate pipeline design.
1. Pressure standard for compressed air pipes
The pressure in the factory compressed air piping is usually set to0.6-1.0MPa(i.e., 6-10 kg force/square centimeter), the specific value needs to be determined based on the following factors:
- End equipment requirements
- Pneumatic tools (such as wind cannons and spray guns) usually require 0.6-0.7MPa.
- CNC machine tools and automated equipment require 0.7-0.8MPa.
- Special processes (such as plasma cutting, high-pressure cleaning) may require more than 1.0MPa.
- Line pressure loss
- When compressed air flows in a pipe, the pressure drops due to friction, and the loss value is related to the pipe diameter, length, and number of elbows.
- example: For a pipeline with a diameter of 50mm and a length of 100 meters, the pressure loss is about 0.1-0.2MPa.
- Safety margin reservation
- In order to cope with peak gas consumption or pipeline leaks, the system design pressure needs to be 0.1-0.2MPa higher than the end demand.
2. Core principles for pressure setting
- Meet equipment needs
- Ensure that the pressure at all gas points is higher than the minimum starting pressure of the equipment to avoid downtime or performance degradation due to insufficient pressure.
- Optimize energy efficiency balance
- Excessive pressure will increase the load on the air compressor and the risk of pipeline leakage, so a balance needs to be struck between equipment demand and energy consumption.
- Reserve space for expansion
- Reserve pressure margins for future expansion or new equipment to avoid frequent renovations of pipeline systems.
3. Differences in pressure configuration in different industries
| industry | Typical pressure range | Gas use scene |
|---|---|---|
| machining | 0.6-0.8MPa | CNC machine tools, pneumatic fixtures, sandblasting equipment |
| food and medicine | 0.5-0.7MPa | Pneumatic valves in packaging machinery and aseptic workshop |
| electronic semiconductor | 0.7-1.0MPa | Positive pressure maintenance for chip etching, lithography machine, and clean room |
| chemical | 0.8-1.2MPa | Pneumatic conveying, reaction kettle stirring, high-pressure reaction device |
4. Impact of abnormal pressure and monitoring recommendations
- Risk of low stress
- Equipment efficiency declines: pneumatic tools lack power, and the production cycle is prolonged.
- Fluctuation of process quality: uneven spray thickness, welding strength is not up to standard.
- Danger of excessive pressure
- Increase in energy consumption: Air compressor loads increase and electricity costs increase.
- Pipeline leakage aggravated: seal life shortened, compressed air waste.
- Daily monitoring and maintenance
- Install pressure gauge and sensor, record trunk pressure regularly.
- Conduct quarterly pipeline leak detection and repair leaks.
- Check the safety valve every year to ensure normal overpressure protection.
conclusion
The pressure setting of the factory’s compressed air pipeline must be based on equipment requirements, combined with pipeline characteristics and energy efficiency requirements, and differentiated plans must be formulated. Enterprises should establish a pressure monitoring system and regularly evaluate the operating status of the system to ensure stable and efficient compressed air supply. Through scientific design and refined operation and maintenance, energy consumption costs can be significantly reduced and production safety can be improved.