Sealed Unit (Air Compressor)

Scrap Wiki

An air compressor is a device that compresses air and stores it for later use, primarily to provide high-pressure gas for various applications such as industrial production, automotive repair, construction, painting, scuba diving, and powering pneumatic tools. Air compressors can be classified into different types based on their working principles, including piston compressors, screw compressors, and centrifugal compressors.
Scrap air compressors often contain multiple recyclable materials, including metals (such as iron, aluminum, and copper), plastics, and electronic components. Due to the presence of valuable materials, scrap air compressors are of interest to the recycling industry.
In the ISRI naming convention, air compressors are referred to as "Vader." They consist of a complete steel-shell compressor with an electric motor, originating from air conditioners, refrigerators, and freezers. They do not contain hazardous substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Loose iron frames or iron contaminants are not allowed.
Refrigerator compressors are a common type of air compressor, characterized by their black, round or oval shape, and relatively small size compared to air conditioners, as they require less cooling capacity.

Common Classification

Air compressors can be classified into different types based on their working principles, design, and application fields, including reciprocating compressors, screw compressors, centrifugal compressors, and rolling compressors.

Common Sources

Common sources for recycling scrap air compressors include:
1. Scrap yards: These facilities typically accept various scrap metals and machinery, including air compressors.
2. Industrial equipment recycling companies: Specialized companies that recycle and reuse industrial equipment, including large industrial-grade air compressors.
3. Metal recycling companies: Companies that focus on recycling various metals, including the metal components of scrap equipment.
4. Equipment repair and refurbishment shops: Some businesses may purchase scrap air compressors, repair them, and resell them.

Value Points

Refrigerator compressors typically operate under relatively low loads, as they only need to maintain a small space at low temperatures. As a result, they are generally smaller in size, with lower cooling demands.
As shown in the figure, refrigerator compressors contain approximately 11% copper.

Processing Methods

Disassembling air compressors primarily relies on manual labor, requiring tools such as electric saws, wrenches, pry bars, and oxygen cutting torches. The disassembly efficiency is relatively low.

Cutting the Compressor with an Electric Saw

Detection Methods

Quantitative sampling or complete disassembly followed by detection of the copper content, while maintaining the original format. If HTML code is encountered, please keep it unchanged and translate the Chinese text within the HTML code into English.

Matching Direction

The highest purchase price for scrap air compressors is in Pakistan, due to the low labor costs in the country. Although copper prices are not significantly higher than in Malaysia and Thailand, the scrap iron price in Pakistan is relatively high, resulting in higher profits.

Special Attention

When dealing with scrap air compressors, attention should be paid to the following issues:
* Be cautious of discrepancies between the images and actual goods, as buyers often estimate the copper content based on the images. Discrepancies can result in losses.
* Aluminum compressors can be difficult to identify from their appearance. Occasionally, some compressors may have a label indicating they are made of aluminum. The price difference between aluminum and copper is significant, and can lead to high claims. It is recommended to drain the lubricating oil (as shown in the figure) before selling.

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