I came up with this title for this week’s blog the other day, and I can’t think of something to compare an analogy to, in the context I wish to discuss today.  Isn’t that ironic?

I’ve always had good luck with analogies…if I need to explain something to someone, being able to draw a comparison to a well-known or easy to picture scenario just comes easy to me. Someone smarter than me once said “if you can’t explain it simply, then you don’t understand it well enough,” and analogies have always served me well in that regard.

They are, in fact, a popular tool of the trade in EXAIR’s Application Engineering department. The most common example is, in fact, the topic of my blog today.

If a caller wants to use a Vortex Tube to cool something that’s very hot, we may recommend a Super Air Nozzle, Air Amplifier, or Air Knife instead. The long answer is that there are two variables to consider in a conductive/convective heat transfer application using fluid flow: flow rate, and temperature differential between the object and the medium (air in this case.) If the item is indeed very hot, then you already have a very high differential between the item’s surface temperature and the temperature of the air (ambient) that you’ll be blowing on it…and our Intelligent Compressed Air Products serve to increase the air flow rate, by entraining “free” air from the surrounding environment. If there’s a moment of silence when we get to that part of the explanation, we’ll compare it to when you blow a quick breath on a spoonful of very hot soup, which, although your breath isn’t cold at all, it still cools that soup down in a hurry. In comparison to the temperature of the very hot soup your breath is cold. Then we take their order, ship their Super Air Nozzle (or Air Amplifier or Air Knife) and everyone’s happy.

If you’d like to discuss a compressed air product application – or if you can help me solve the problem of this blog’s title with a rapt analogy – please let me know. Either way, I’ll be as happy as a kid in a candy store to hear from you.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
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