What a booster does
A booster takes air at an existing pressure and raises it to a higher one, typically without changing the rest of the plant. Our booster range covers 30 and 40 bar duties, including configurations for filling medical oxygen cylinders, where the inlet is a lower pressure supply and the outlet has to reach cylinder pressure.
| Situation | Booster fit |
|---|---|
| One machine needs 30 bar, plant runs at 8 | Good - dedicated high pressure branch |
| Whole plant needs 12 bar | Poor - raise the header instead |
| Cylinder filling from a low pressure supply | Good - booster plus storage |
| Intermittent high pressure test work | Good - booster runs only when needed |
What to check
- Inlet pressure and flow - a booster's outlet flow depends on its inlet; state both.
- Outlet pressure - the working pressure at the point of use, not the relief setting.
- Duty cycle - cylinder filling is intermittent; process supply may be continuous.
- Air quality - boosting air that contains oil concentrates the contamination; filter upstream.
- Materials - oxygen service requires oxygen-compatible components and clean assembly.
Storage and control
A booster works best against a receiver. Filling a cylinder bank or a high pressure buffer lets the booster run at its design point rather than tracking every draw, and it gives the downstream process a stable pressure even when the booster is between cycles.
Service
Boosters run at higher pressure ratios than a standard compressor, so heat and seal wear are the maintenance themes. Cooling, oil condition and valve condition decide how long the unit stays efficient; a booster that takes longer to fill the same receiver is usually telling you one of those three has drifted.
Browse the range on the booster collection page.
Tell us the working pressure, flow and site conditions and we will propose a configuration. Contact OPPAIR.