Electrical enclosures and control cabinets come in all shapes, sizes and colors. They all have the same job, to protect and house critical electronics in order to ensure a machine or piece of equipment can… More
Hazardous Location Cabinet Coolers From EXAIR
With everything that has been going on in the world these last few months, it seems crazy to think we’re knocking on the door of summer. The weather is warming up and it’s time to break out the swimsuits and flip flops (I’m sure our beach bodies are all ready after our quarantine diets and closed gyms…) One thing you can be ready for is the heat related shutdowns on your control panels. Using Vortex Tube technology, EXAIR’s Cabinet Cooler Systems provide a source of clean, cold air keeping your sensitive electronics safe. The newest addition to the Cabinet Cooler line, the Hazardous Location Cabinet Coolers, is designed to be used in areas that are exposed to flammable or combustible materials.
EXAIR’s Hazardous Location Cabinet Coolers are engineered for use with purged (not included) electrical enclosures. The HazLoc Cabinet Coolers are not purged and pressurized control systems and should not be relied upon nor used in place of a purged and pressurized controller. They are meant for use in conjunction with a purged and pressurized control system. These systems have been approved and tested by UL for use in the following areas:
Class I Div 1&2 – Groups A, B, C, and D
- Class I Areas refer to the presence of flammable gases or vapors in quantities sufficient to produce explosive or ignitable mixtures. Class I Div 1 will have ignitable concentrations of flammable gases present during the course of normal operations. This is level of approval is one that differentiates the EXAIR Hazardous Location Cabinet Coolers from much of the competition. Class 1 Div 2 areas will have flammable gasses or vapors present only in the event of an accident or during unusual operating conditions.
Class II Div 1&2 – Groups E, F, and G
- Class II areas are locations in which combustible dust may exist. The end user shall avoid installation of the device in a Class II environment where dust may be readily disturbed from the exhausts of the Hazardous Location Cabinet Cooler. Any dust formed in the vicinity of the cooler must be cleaned regularly.
Class III
- Class III areas are locations that will have ignitable fibers or flyings present. This is common within the textile industry.
The Cabinet Cooler also carries a temperature rating of T3C, meaning it cannot be installed near any materials that could auto-ignite at temperatures in excess of 320°F. For a comprehensive list and description of all of the various Classified areas, check out the UL website.
The Hazardous Location Cabinet Cooler is available in (8) different cooling capacities ranging from 1,000 Btu/hr – 5,600 Btu/hr. The Cabinet Cooler is the best solution for protecting your sensitive electronics from heat, dirt, and moisture. With Nema 4/4X systems available, the Hazardous Location Cabinet Coolers will keep the cabinet cool without compromising the integrity of the enclosure.
If you’ve got an electrical cabinet installed within a hazardous location, fill out the Cabinet Cooler Sizing Guide and allow an EXAIR Application Engineer to determine the most suitable model for you.
Tyler Daniel
Application Engineer
E-mail: TylerDaniel@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_TD
Video Blog: Filter/Separator and Pressure Regulator Mounting and Coupling Kit Installation
Using EXAIR mounting and coupling kits you can assemble EXAIR Filters and Regulators into one plug and play assembly. Follow along with the video posted below to complete this task!
If you need a deeper understanding about how EXAIR’s products can be applied and help your process or product, feel free to contact us and we will do our best to give you a clear understanding of the benefits when using our engineered compressed air products. We can also explain proper implementation of accessory items such as compressed air filters and regulators.
Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer
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Henri Coanda: Founder of The Coanda Effect (1886-1972)
EXAIR uses the Coanda effect in many of our products. Henri Coanda is an important figure in the world of fluid dynamics and aerodynamics.
Henri Coanda was a prominent Romanian Inventor and aerodynamics pioneer is known for the creation of the Coanda-1910 experimental plane as well as discovering the Coanda effect. On June 7, 1886 Henri was born in Bucharest Romania to General Constantin Coanda and Aida Danet. In 1899 Henri’s father who desired him to have a military career had him transfer to a Military High School for additional years of schooling, where he graduated with the rank of Sergeant Major. Continuing his studies, he went on to technical school back in Bucharest for Artillery, Military, and Naval Engineering. In 1904 he was sent to an artillery regiment in Germany where he would enroll in Technische Hochshule. Henri did not give up on studying and in 1907 went to Montefiore Institute in Liege, Belgium, where he met Gianni Caproni.
In 1910 Henri and Gianni began a partnership to construct an experimental aircraft which was later called the Coanda-1910. The Coanda-1910 was unlike any other aircraft of its time as it had no propeller; instead it sported an oddly shaped front end with built-in rotary blades arranged in a swirl pattern. These blades were driven by an internal turbine screw that would suck air in through the turbine while exhausting the gases out of the rear, propelling the plane forward. This initial jet engine was quite impressive for the time, but sadly nobody believed it would ever fly and is believed that it never did achieve flight. Coanda is not credited with the invention of the jet engine, but his technology spurred the future of aviation into the future.
During World War 2 Henri spent his time developing the turbo-propeller drive system from his 1910 Biplane. After World War 2 had ended Henri began furthering his research on the Coanda Effect which would become the basis for several investigations into entrained and augmented flow of fluids. Later on in 1969 Henri would spend the last of his days in Romania serving as Director of the Institute for Scientific and Technical Creation. Coanda died on November 25, 1972 in his home town of Bucharest.
Here at EXAIR we have taken Henri Coanda’s, Coanda Effect and applied it to a number of our products to help amplify total airflow and save on compressed air. The most notable product lines are our Air Amplifiers, Air Nozzles, and Air Knives – which are some of the most efficient products of their kind. These products can help lower your compressed air demand.
If you have any questions about compressed air systems or want more information on any of EXAIR’s products, give us a call, we have a team of Application Engineers ready to answer your questions and recommend a solution for your applications.
Cody Biehle
Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
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Opportunities to Save On Compressed Air
Since air compressors use a lot of electricity to make compressed air, it is important to use the compressed air as efficiently as possible. EXAIR has six simple steps to optimize your compressed air system. (Click HERE to read). Following these steps will help you to cut your overhead costs and improve your bottom line. In this blog, I will cover a few tips that can really help you to save compressed air.
To start, what is an air compressor and why does it cost so much in electricity? There are two types of air compressors, positive displacement and dynamic. The core components for these air compressors is an electric motor that spins a shaft. Like with many mechanical devices, there are different efficiencies. Typically, an air compressor can put out anywhere from 3 SCFM per horsepower to 5 SCFM per horsepower. (EXAIR settles on 4 SCFM/hp as an average for cost calculations.) Equation 1 shows you how to calculate the cost to run your air compressor.
Equation 1:
Cost = hp * 0.746 * hours * rate / (motor efficiency)
where:
Cost – US$
hp – horsepower of motor
0.746 – conversion KW/hp
hours – running time
rate – cost for electricity, US$/KWh
motor efficiency – average for an electric motor is 95%.
As an example, a manufacturing plant operates a 100 HP air compressor in their facility. The cycle time for the air compressor is roughly 60%. To calculate the hours of running time per year, I used 250 days/year at 16 hours/day. So operating hours equal 250 * 16 * 0.60 = 2,400 hours per year. The electrical rate for this facility is $0.08/KWh. With these factors, the annual cost to run the air compressor can be calculated by Equation 1:
Cost = 100hp * 0.746 KW/hp * 2,400hr * $0.08/KWh / 0.95 = $15,077 per year in just electrical costs.
There are two major things that will rob compressed air from your system and cost you much money. The first is leaks in the distribution system, and the second is inefficient blow-off devices. To address leaks, EXAIR offers an Ultrasonic Leak Detector. The Ultrasonic Leak Detector can find hidden leaks to fix. That quiet little hissing sound from the pipe lines is costing your company.
A University did a study to find the percentage of air leaks in a typical manufacturing plant. For a poorly maintained system, they found on average that 30% of the compressor capacity is lost through air leaks. Majority of companies do not have a leak preventative program; so, majority of the companies fall under the “poorly maintained system”. To put a dollar value on it, a leak that you cannot physically hear can cost you as much as $130/year. That is just for one inaudible leak in hundreds of feet of compressed air lines. Or if we take the University study, the manufacturing plant above is wasting $15,077 * 30% = $4,523 per year.
The other area to check is air consumption. A simple place to check is your blow-off stations. Here we can decide how wasteful they can be. With values of 4 SCFM/hp and an electrical rate of $0.08/KWh (refence figures above), the cost to make compressed air is $0.25 per 1000 ft3 of air.
One of the worst culprits for inefficient air usage is open pipe blow-offs. This would also include cheap air guns, drilled holes in pipes, and tubes. These devices are very inefficient for compressed air usage and can cost you a lot of money. As a comparison, a 1/8” NPT pipe versus an EXAIR Mini Super Air Nozzle. (Reference below). As you can see, by just adding the EXAIR nozzle to the end of one pipe, the company was able to save $1,872 per year. That is some real savings.
By following the Six Steps to optimize your compressed air system, you can cut your energy consumption, improve pneumatic efficiencies, and save yourself money. With the added information above, you can focus on the big contributors of waste. If you would like to find more opportunities to save compressed air, you can contact an Application Engineer at EXAIR. We will be happy to help.
John Ball
Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb
Intelligent Compressed Air: Rotary Air Compressors
One thing that is found in virtually every industrial environment is an air compressor. Some uses for the compressed air generated are: powering pneumatic tools, packaging, automation equipment, conveyors, control systems, and various others. Pneumatic tools are favored because they tend to be smaller and more lightweight than electric tools, offer infinitely variable speed and torque, and can be safer than the hazards associated with electrical devices. In order to power these devices, compressed air must be generated.
There are two main categories of air compressors: positive-displacement and dynamic. In a positive-displacement type, a given quantity of air is trapped in a compression chamber. The volume of which it occupies is mechanically reduced (squished), causing a corresponding rise in pressure. In a dynamic compressor, velocity energy is imparted to continuously flowing air by a means of impellers rotating at a very high speed. The velocity energy is then converted into pressure energy. We’ve discussed the different styles of air compressors here on the EXAIR Blog in the past. Today I’d like to highlight the rotary compressors, one of the positive-displacement types of compressors.
Positive-displacement compressors are broken into two categories: reciprocating and rotary. The rotary compressors are available in lubricant-injected or lubricant-free varieties. Both styles utilize two inter-meshing rotors that have an inlet port at one end and a discharge port at the other. Air flows through the inlet port and is trapped between the lobes and the stator. As the rotation continues, the point inter-meshing begins to move along the length of the rotors. This reduces the space that is occupied by the air, resulting in an increase in pressure.
In the lubricant-injected varieties, the compression chamber is lubricated between the inter-meshing rotors and bearings. This lubricant protects the inter-meshing rotors and associated bearings. It eliminates most of the heat caused by compression and acts as a seal between the meshing rotors and between the rotor and stator. Some advantages of the lubricant-injected rotary compressor include a compact size, relatively low initial cost, vibration free operation, and simple routine maintenance (replacing lubricant and filter changes). Some drawbacks to this style of compressor include lower efficiency when compared with water-cooled reciprocating compressors, lubricant carry over must be removed from the air supply with a coalescing filter, and varying efficiency depending on the control mode used.
In the lubricant-free varieties, the inter-meshing rotors have very tight tolerances and are not allowed to touch. Since there is no fluid to remove the heat of compression, they typically have two stages of compression with an inter-cooler between and an after cooler after the second stage. Lubricant-free compressors are beneficial as they supply clean, oil-free compressed air. They are, however, more expensive and less efficient to operate than the lubricant-injected variety.
Each of these compressors can deliver air to your Intelligent Compressed Air Products. If you’re looking to reduce your compressed air consumption and increase the safety of your processes contact an EXAIR Application Engineer today. We’ll be happy to discuss the options with you and make sure you’re getting the most out of your compressed air usage.
Tyler Daniel
Application Engineer
E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_TD
Memorial Day 2020
Though it is an unusual year for memorials, parades and events – please do not forget the reason behind Memorial Day, to honor those that have sacrificed their lives while serving in the United States Military.
Enjoy your weekends,
The EXAIR Team
EXAIR’s Return on Investment For One Engineered Air Nozzle is Amazing!
Return on Investment (ROI) is a measure of the gain (preferably) or loss generated relative to the amount of money that was invested. ROI is typically expressed as a percentage and is generally used for financial decisions, examining the profitability of a company, or comparing different investments. It can also be used to evaluate a project or process improvement to decide whether spending money on a project makes sense. The formula is shown below-
- A negative ROI says the project would result in an overall loss of money
- An ROI at zero is neither a loss or gain scenario
- A positive ROI is a beneficial result, and the larger the value the greater the gain
Example – installing a Super Air Nozzles (14 SCFM compressed air consumption) in place of 1/4″ open pipe (33 SCFM of air consumption consumption) . Using the Cost Savings Calculator on the EXAIR website, model 1100 nozzle will save $1,710 in energy costs. The model 1100 nozzle costs $42, assuming a $5 compression fitting and $45 in labor to install, the result is a Cost of Investment of $92.00. The ROI calculation for Year one is-
ROI = 1,759% – a very large and positive value. Payback time is only 13 working days!
If you have questions regarding ROI and need help in determining the gain and cost from invest values for a project that includes an EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air® Product, feel free to contact EXAIR and myself or one of our Application Engineers can help you determine the best solution.
Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer
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Twitter: @EXAIR_JS
