There are two main cooling methods for screw air compressors:
Water cooling: The water cooling method uses the fluidity and temperature difference of the cooling water to keep the temperature of the air compressor equipment within the appropriate range. In this way, the cooling water passes through a shell-and-tube (or tube-and-tube) cooler and is heat exchanged with high-temperature oil and compressed air, thus taking away the heat. The advantages of the water cooling method include good cooling effect, high heat exchange efficiency, simple and compact structure, and relatively low noise of the whole machine. However, the water cooling method requires the company to have a cooling water system, and the quality of the cooling water (e.g., whether it has been softened or not) will affect the cooling effect and the service life of the equipment.
Air cooling: The air cooling method is to blow the cooler through the rotation of the fan inside the compressor to achieve the effect of cooling. In the air-cooled method, a plate-fin cooler is usually used, which is made of aluminum or aluminum alloy, and the heat is carried away by forced convection by a cooling fan. The advantages of air cooling are that its layout is more flexible, it is not limited by the ambient water source, and the maintenance of the air-cooled air compressor is relatively simple. However, air cooling is greatly affected by the ambient temperature and installation environment, and due to the presence of a cooling fan, the wind noise is relatively large during operation.
To sum up, the cooling methods of screw air compressors mainly include water cooling and air cooling, each with its own advantages and disadvantages, and which way to choose needs to be decided according to the specific use environment and conditions.