Many tools in the manufacturing industry have been around for a long time, and they are still in use today, along with more modern counterparts. A trompe is one of these tools. A water-powered gas compressor, the trompe is used for a variety of tasks in many different industries. They are mainly used to transport air and gases and to compress them. Only some types of gases can be effectively compressed by a trompe.
Trompes were more commonly used before electric powered compression became mainstream. They are still often used today, however, due to their ease of use and their low cost. A trompe is powered in the opposite way from an airlift pump, since it uses water as the major energy source instead of air. This does not mean that a trompe does not work in the same way; it simply uses a different power source. It is designed to achieve the same results as an airlift pump.
This type of water-powered gas compressor was commonly used to provide compressed air to bloomery furnaces, a type of operation that smelted iron. These furnaces were very popular in Spain and the United States, where iron smelting was frequently done. The falling water created pressure that forced air through the trompe and into the furnace, keeping the flames burning.
Another important way that these compressors were used was to provide fresh air to areas where fresh air is not normally found. Large trompes were often used to provide fresh, compressed air to people working in mines deep underground. The versatility of the trompe made it easy and efficient to provide air to tight spaces that couldn’t be reached by other types of airlift pumps or compressors. The fact that it could be powered by water made it that much more convenient to use in places where there was no electricity. They were especially easy to use near a large waterfall; they could utilize the resources found in nature to provide people with compressed air.
Since they are not used as widely today, some larger trompes are now popular tourist attractions. Trompes are particularly popular with tourists when they create displays of falling water or are powered by natural waterfalls. Due to the fact that they are environmentally friendly, since they do not use electricity and are naturally powered by flowing water rather than by fossil fuels, trompes are also becoming popular as a source of green energy.