Using an Engine as an Air Compressor???

[stlowry]

I'm trying to decide if this might work. I haven't found any useful info with my searches. I'm thinking that if I were to remove the valves from the head and replace them with some type of one way valve and build an exhaust manifold with a check valve inline and turn the crank with a PTO shaft from a tractor that an engine might make a good air compressor.



Anyone know if this might work? Ever seen one? I know that there would be more to it than stated above but I'm just trying to cover the basic concept.



I've heard if the VW and V8 conversions, but I'm talking about an 8 liter Cummins. I wonder how much power it would take to turn. How much pressure could you potentially make, would it be too inefficient to be worth while?



Any thoughts or ideas???

 

[SRadke]

A V8 with a custom exhaust manifold feeding one side then put your one way valves in the spark plug holes on the other side and you've got your compressor and drive in the same package.

 

[Skydiver]

An engine is an air compressor. I once used an air compressor that was (I think) a factory build ford v-8. One side ran gas and the other side pumped air. It took me a minute to realize how it operated. LOL

 

[Hoefler]

On a V-8, most factory and some after market intakes are dual plane. One half the carburetor feeds 4 cylinders, 2 on each side. Using the intake as a guide, disable the exhaust valves on one side of the carburetor. Install check valves in the spark plug holes and plumb them to a manifold to your air tank. Next plug off the jets in the carburetor to the corresponding side of the intake that is now your air compressor. If your carburetor has a balancing channel, plug it as well. Now plumb in your regulator and dump valve, required to let the air escape instead of going to your tank when your tank is at pressure. Now you have one hell of a air source.

 

[rscurtis]

This was commonly done years ago. Smith air compressors used Chrysler IND 32 industrial 6 cylinder engines, and later used Ford 351 and 460 engines, using one bank for power and one bank for compression with a special head. Schramm did this also with V4 Wisconsin engines, as well as the Pneumapower line, which used their own 6 cylinder engine, with 3 power cylinders and 3 compressor cylinders. As far as Cummins engines go, I believe Grimmer-Schmitt did this with some of the V8 engines when they were available.

 

[GCroyle]

I'm remembering from my Golf Course Mechanic days (mid '70's) that we had a V-4 Wisconsin Gas engine air compressor. It used two cylinders to run and two cylinders for the compressor. It was yellow and we used it to blow out the irrigation lines. Looked like something you could run a jackhammer with. That's all I remember.

 

[TFucili]

Grimmer-Schmidt was really known for Ford V-8 units that ran on four and pumped on four. I think they are part of Atlas-Copco now.

 

[Pawpaw]

My Father used to have a hose he used to air up tractor tires & such. You removed one spark plug from an engine and put in this adapter in it's place. Connect the hose, start the engine, and begin airing up.



I always wondered about filling tires with an explosive air/gas mixture though.



Bob

 

[rscurtis]

Grimmer-Schmidt was really known for Ford V-8 units that ran on four and pumped on four. I think they are part of Atlas-Copco now.

They also had some high capacity (500-600cfm) based on the Cummins 903 V8. They employed series turbocharging, with one feeding the engine and the other feeding the compressor.

 

[MEby]

My Father used to have a hose he used to air up tractor tires & such. You removed one spark plug from an engine and put in this adapter in it's place. Connect the hose, start the engine, and begin airing up.



I always wondered about filling tires with an explosive air/gas mixture though.



Bob

That might just be akin to smoking while filling a gas tank. :-laf:-laf

 

[Lil' Dog]

We had a VW conversion at our old place of work. You ordered a special cam shaft to still run the valve train on the compressor side, so it wasn't as efficient. Without spring loaded check type vlaves, the pressure in the cylinder gets higher than tank pressure and uses alot of horsepower. The rear 2 cylinders were air and we 2 staged it to provide about 35 SCFM at 135 psi. We had to add material to the pistons to reduce the clearance to get the compressor to be more efficient. Sure turned heads, but was more of a hassle to run.

A Cummins should work, the front 3 cylinders your engine and rear your compressor. I think a retrofit for actual compressor valves would be far better than using some special cam.

 

[DennyDay]

Thompson built vacuum pumps with a 6 cylinder Chevy engine that were used on vacuum trucks, 3 cylinders were vacuum, and three were compression. Check the net for Thompson, don't know if they are they are still in business.





Denny

 

[ThrottleJockey]

Hmmm, a 6BT block and head with 4BT injection... ... .