Skid Mounted Compressors: Definition and Uses

February 29, 2016

Modularization has transfixed the chemical processing industry by redefining the installation of complex assemblies and enabling those assemblies to seamlessly integrate within a complex infrastructure. Skid mounted compressors fit into this alloy-reinforced framework like a piece of a gargantuan puzzle, thus providing a primary source of power for pneumatic controls, instrumentation, and processing machinery.

Spark-Free Controls

Air is the dominant force in explosive environments. If you have the opportunity to stroll through the gantries on a chemical processing platform, it's valves and tubes that thread through the facility, because electricity has no place in a structure where flammable chemicals are present. Skid mounted compressors find a home in this zone. They mete out the pressurized air that powers pneumatic controls and tools.

A Definition of the Form

The skid condenses the fundamental parts of an industrial-grade compressor into a reduced footprint, a profile that can be shipped efficiently and set to work promptly. Rotary screw models are currently favoured, mostly due low maintenance costs and an ability to pump high pressures while retaining smaller dimensions. Reciprocating models are more efficient, but they incur added vibrations, a shimmy that requires added dampening on the skid. Secondary components include the receiver tank, filters and dryers, pressure gauges, and the associated auxiliary components that govern the gear. These include but are not limited to valves, intercoolers, and piping. Once secured to the skid, the mounted equipment is inspected and approved for use in the factory before being shipped.

Process-Driven Applications

Every chemical processing environment, fuel storage depot, and oil refinery depends on a compressor to control vital equipment and power important tools. Even run-of-the-mill garages and underground sewage ejectors use these units. The modular skid just keeps the package compact. Next, imagine the semi-permanent units crouching in freight ships as they use diesel to drive their engines. They even slip off the ship to settle in the corner of the shipyard and actuate hoses and tools, using the power to strip paint from the massive hulls. Sticking with the maritime setting, air compressors on skids are built to be offshore compliant and rigsafe, again ensuring the frame is the ideal match for its hazardous environment, especially when instrumentation tubing and control valves require their air-driven lifeblood.

Whenever the location is explosively hazardous or just plain tough to install a standard engineering setup, portable air compressors and their accompanying skids have a place. This includes agricultural settings, quarries, and difficult to traverse mining complexes, places that need pneumatic drills and ore-exposing sprays.

Contact Details

Fusion - Weld Engineering Pty Ltd
ABN 98 068 987619

1865 Frankston Flinders Road,
Hastings, VIC 3915

Ph: (03) 5909 8218

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