You want to buy an air compressor but you need to get the exact details to be able to get one. It is not easy to find a compressor CFM calculation online. Especially when there are many things to consider before you find a formula you think is deemed fitting. You can find different kinds of methods with contrasting examples which can lead to much confusion.
And writing down the formulas yourself on a piece of paper would definitely make you a tad bit mad. You have to think of everything at the exact time and moment and make sure that you are on track with the examples given. Imagine having to through different sites just to find out what you are looking for…manually. You even have to take into consideration the other techniques you find just in case you want to be completely sure.
Note, even manufacturers can misinterpret the CFM rate. Knowing that information, it is best to figure out how to get the CFM on your own.
But what is air compressor CFM? Cubic feet per minute, or as you know the “CFM”, measures the mass of the air flowing per minute rather than the volume. Sometimes, you will even see different acronyms that are related to it. These may confuse you so let us not look deeper into it. But now, we will be talking about ACFM.
ACFM stands for actual cubic feet per minute. It is a unit of volumetric flow. Unlike the CFM, ACFM measures the actual gas in inlet conditions. Note the word “actual”. That entails that the measurement should be done with a real-life environment. However, we must remember that different locations give different results due to the environment’s surroundings.
The demand for ACFM for tools maybe be higher if one or more of the conditions listed below are present:
the pressure of the atmosphere is lower
the humidity is higher
the temperature is higher
There are some instances wherein ACFM is mistaken to be SCFM. The difference between them is the word “actual” and “standard”. SCFM, which stands for standard cubic feet per minute, is the unit wherein the environment is working at exactly the standard condition. Although it is possible for them to be one and the same, it is not very probably due to the change in pressure.
As mentioned earlier, finding the right solution for the CFM is very tricky. Luckily, there is a calculator online that can formulate it for you. Just input the details that you are required to give and you will get your results. Visit Fluid-Aire Dynamics now!