How Compressed Air Works

Compressed air is an essential staple to cleaning and maintaining your computer and its peripherals. It is used by both professional IT specialists and home computer enthusiasts to ensure that dust and other small debris are completely removed from areas of electrical boards and wiring. Otherwise, these contaminants can cause uneven heat distribution and even lodge between two parts on a circuit board, disrupting power completely.

The compression process

There are many ways to compress air; in fact, air is compressed so often, it is considered the "fourth utility" after electricity, natural gas and water. The compressed air found in canisters used for cleaning follow a standard process where air is kept at a pressure greater than the surrounding atmosphere. This pressure is formed by a gas compressor, an industrial machine that artificially compresses a certain mass of gas into a smaller volume.

Air flow and release

The compressed air is stored in sealed canisters that have a small opening that is manually released by the operator. A long tube is used to direct the air flow to a specific area, where dust and other small particles are blown away by the force of the gas expanding to its original volume. Many of these canisters require that the operator keep them level, as tilting them can disrupt the process. As the air escapes, the canister grows very cold after prolonged use: compressed gasses have a higher temperature, and thus the temperature of the canister decreases as the compressed gas leaves.