Online compressed air pressure drop calculator

This online pressure drop calculator will help you determine the expected pressure drop based on the length and design of your distribution system. All compressed air systems will experience some pressure drop due to friction in the distribution system. The online calculator you will calculate the pressure drop through piping for you. The calculator will perform all the compressed air pressure drop calculations for you in just a few steps.

What is pressure drop?

Pressure drop in a compressed air system is the difference between the pressure discharged by the air compressor and the pressure delivered for compressed air applications. While all systems will lose some pressure as the air passes through the pipe, excessive loss can be a problem. To determine how much your system is losing, you can use a pressure loss in a pipe calculator like this one. Pressure loss in a pipe can be caused from many different sources and at numerous points throughout the system. Read more about pressure drop and how it's costing you money.

Online pipe pressure drop calculator

To measure air pressure drop using this calculator, you will need to know the flow rate, nominal length, absolute working pressure and the pipe work inner diameter. To find the nominal pipe length, add together the length of the straight pipes and the equivalent lengths of the installed fittings. If the equivalent fitting lengths is unknown, you can approximate the length by adding 10 feet per each elbow and tee or 60% to the length of the straight pipe.

Pressure Drop Calculation Formula

You could calculate the pressure drop for yourself using a bit of mathematics. The air pressure drop calculation formula that can be used is expressed as:

dp= 7.57q^1.85 L 10⁴ /(a⁵ p)

Assuming: 
dp = pressure drop (kg/cm²)
q = air volume flow at atmospheric conditions (FAD) (m³/min)
L= length of pipe (m)
d = inside diameter (mm)
p = initial pressure – gauge (kg/cm²)

Using this pressure loss calculation formula, you will be able to measure the pressure drop across a pipe. The pressure loss calculation formula will need to be applied to each section of piping. 

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