Month: May 2016

Wearing Out Your Sole

Published on by John BallLeave a comment
3925 Adjustable Spot Cooler
3925 Adjustable Spot Cooler

A shoe manufacturer had a special abrasion test that was required by his customer to test special rubber compounds. The set up was to run a small chain across the bottom of the rubber sole.  The chain was looped to continuously rub against the sole of the shoe.  As they began their wear testing, they noticed that the chain was getting hot from the friction.  The heat would get high enough to change the composition of the rubber and cause a premature failure.  To properly test for wear, they needed to cool the chain.

As they discussed their application with me, they required the chain to be at a specific temperature. I suggested the model 3925 Adjustable Spot Cooler System.  This system comes with a dual point hose kit, a magnetic base, a filter separator, and two additional generators.  The generators of the Adjustable Spot Cooler are a piece which controls the total volume of air through the cooler. They can be switched in and out to produce more or less cooling capacity of the Adjustable Spot Cooler. The main concern was to keep the chain temperature constant.  With a temperature control knob and the additional generators, they could dial in the cooling capacity to keep the chain at the desired temperature.  If the chain was too cold, the sole would not wear properly, and if the chain was too hot, it would change the composition of the rubber material.

They mounted the Adjustable Spot Cooler to the abrasion machine with the dual points blowing on each side of the chain. They quickly noticed that they could keep the chain cooler than the specified temperature.  As a trial, they replaced the generator to the 30 SCFM (850 SLPM) flow rate.  This increased the cooling capacity of the Spot Cooler.  With the higher cooling capacity, they could increase the speed of the abrasion machine to shorten the failure cycle.  This was a great benefit to have as they were testing different rubber compounds to determine the best product; a pronounced advantage in research and development.

If you find out that heat is causing problems in your application, you can contact an Application Engineer at EXAIR for help in finding the correct cooling product. In this instance, friction was the culprit and the Adjustable Spot Cooler was the solution.

John Ball
Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb

Memorial Day 2016

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

On Monday, Memorial Day will be celebrated across the United States. It’s a third day to a (usually) fair-weathered weekend. It also means that Brian (and I, and I’m sure we’re not the only ones) will be making some S’mores. Lee’s sister can delve into the lighter colors in her closet. And, of course, American flags are in line up & down the streets in my neighborhood.

Many of us who are military veterans receive thanks for our service from time to time. And most of us will acknowledge that it was our honor to serve. But not on Monday – we didn’t earn that. Memorial Day is when we remember those who lost their lives while serving in our nation’s defense.

I got to serve during a time of peace. I’m grateful that I never saw combat, and I’m humbled to share the distinction of “veteran” with those who did. Those who saw combat may very likely know someone they will remember on Monday.  Others will remember a friend or family member…may they know comfort and peace from the thanks of a grateful nation.

Whatever your plans are this weekend, I encourage you to spend the time…even if it’s a just a moment…to consider the price that’s been paid for the freedoms we enjoy.  And have a great Memorial Day – it’s been paid for.

Memorial Day

 

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
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Calculating and Choosing the Right Cabinet Coolers

Published on by exaircorpLeave a comment

“I need one of your Cabinet Coolers for my control panel, the dimensions are 24″ H x 30″ W x 16″ D, what do you recommend?”. This is a very common inquiry we receive when discussing our Cabinet Cooler Systems for the first time with a potential customer. While it would be nice if it was a simple as using just the dimensions, there is more that goes in to making the proper selection.

Following explains how to go about calculating and choosing a Cabinet Cooler System. If, at any time, you prefer EXAIR to calculate and assist with your choice – contact our Application Engineering department and we will be happy to get you up and running.

Our Cabinet Coolers are sized by cooling capacity in Btu/hr., which range from our lowest of 275, up to our largest Dual System providing 5,600 Btu/hr. Now if you know the Watts loss , we can convert this over to Btu/hr. (Watts X 3.41 = Btu/hr.). If you are unsure, we need to determine the current heat load of the cabinet by using the dimensions, current temperatures (internal and external) and worst case external temperature and the desired temperature you are looking to maintain inside the enclosure. To simplify this process, we offer our Cabinet Cooler Sizing Guide.

Sizing Guide
EXAIR’s Cabinet Cooler Sizing Guide

The current internal and external temperature will determine one of your ΔT’s (temperature differential), which is used to determine a multiplier from the table below. We then take your maximum external temperature and your desired internal temperature to give us another ΔT and multiplier. Use the sq. ft. of the cabinet and multiplying it by the temperature conversion multipliers. Add these sums together to determine the total heat load in Btu/Hr. This value will help you to choose the proper Cabinet Cooler system to solve your heat problem.

Temp Conversion Table

Now that we have the heat load properly calculated, we need to know the NEMA class of the enclosure. We offer NEMA 12 for general use where there aren’t any corrosives or liquids present, NEMA 4 for wet or damp environments and NEMA 4X for wet, corrosive applications.

We offer Thermostatically Controlled Systems with available voltages of 120VAC, 240 VAC or 24VDC. This is the most efficient means of operation as the unit only operates when the internal desired temperature is exceeded. In addition, we also offer Continuous Operating Systems, providing constant cooling and positive pressure into the cabinet. Each system  includes a filter separator for the supply line to keep water and dirt from entering the cabinet as well as duct tubing.

Of course, if you need any additional assistance, you can always contact one of our application engineers. If you can provide a little bit of information, we can do the calculating and get you on your way.

Justin Nicholl
Application Engineer
justinnicholl@exair.com
@EXAIR_JN

Low Pressure Alarms Got You Down?

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

When the operating air pressure within a manufacturing facility drops it is easily noticed.  This is because the equipment that is depending on that air pressure to stay above a set point will generally stop working and halt in an alarm state safely.  (This is not always the case and in fact I have personally seen machines crash due to low compressed air pressure.)  This creates down time, safety hazards, equipment hazards and is all around not good for production.  This is why low pressure alarms are taken very seriously in most facilities.(See the video below.)

 

Sometimes the reason behind low air pressure in areas is easy to find.  If the alarm happens every time a machine reaches a point in the production cycle where air is used to blow parts off then the point of use blow off can be looked at to see how its efficiency can be maximized.   Other times it is not so simple.  There may not be a pattern to when the low pressure alarm goes off and therefore cannot be easily traced.   This is where the 6 Steps To Compressed Air Optimization comes in to play.  The best way to narrow down what area the fault is generating in is to get some base line measurements on the total air usage for the system by using a product like the Digital Flowmeter with USB Data logger.

EXAIR's Digital Flowmeter w/ USB Data Logger
EXAIR’s Digital Flowmeter w/ USB Data Logger

Once the baseline is known for the complete system, measuring the main branch lines for the systems will then need to be performed. This could be on the main header where it branches off to individual areas of the plant, or if it is a small shop any line that is off the main header.  By recording the usage over a period of time it will highlight use trends including low use/high use times and random spikes in demand you may not be aware of. The next step would be to then look further into the high use and random spikes. If a flow meter is placed on individual legs of the air system, it will be easier to determine what area of the plant is causing high use, or knowing what processes occur during the time period shown in the data.

By having flow meters on individual branches the cause of the high demand on the compressed air system will become very clearer, whether it be an open pipe blow off, stuck valve on a drain, or just an operator not paying attention, the cause will be able to be determined and eliminated.

EXAIR offers a full range of Digital Flowmeters with USB data loggers and we offer custom calibrations as well as sizes to fit virtually any compressed air piping you may have within your facility.   Feel free to contact an Application Engineer to discuss the possibilities.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer Manager
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF