How Does a Liquid Ring Compressor Work?
- The impeller is eccentrically mounted -- mounted on a spindle that is off-center from the compressor housing -- and the liquid moves in and out of the blades as it turns. The impeller transmits centrifugal, or outward, force to the liquid, which forms a ring around the walls of the compressor housing. The liquid transfers energy from the impeller to the gas or vapor.
- The liquid ring provides a frictionless alternative to a piston for compressing gas. Kinetic energy from the liquid ring is converted into static energy, which in turn is used to compress the gas.
- The liquid, usually water, in a liquid ring compressor comes into direct contact with the gas being compressed. This creates a direct cooling effect, so that the temperature of the compressed gas increases very little. The compressor is either refilled with fresh liquid, or the liquid is cooled and recycled.