Do CFM ratings on HF compressors 'lie'?

Oct 27, 2011 4 Replies

We all know about the 'peak horsepower' lie... but what about CFM?



My $100, 8-gallon HF compressor is rated at 4.5 SCFM @115 psi. There are 7.48 gallons per cubic foot meaning that my 8 gallon compressor is just a little over 1 cubic foot.



Assuming I am basically at standard pressure & temperature conditions, this would seem to imply that my compressor should fill in under 15 seconds, i.e., (8/7.48)*(1/4.5)*60



But it takes more like 2 minutes to fill...



What am I missing here?


The charging flow's resistance isn't linear as the pressure increases in the tank. The answer to the original question is no.

You appear to be expecting approximately 1 CF of air to fill the tank. And it will, but not to 115PSI.

And, when account for that, (115 + 15)/15 = 8-something so the SCF input required is 8X times the final volume. Thus 8X the 15 seconds is for 1 SCF yields about 2 minutes for 8. Amazing!!! :)

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DOH me!!!! of course I forgot the old pv=nrt and therefore it's not 1 SCF in there but as you say (115+15)/15...

That makes a lot of sense of course...

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