An EXAIR customer recently contacted me about the application shown above, using an aluminum Super Air Knife model 110036 as a component to a blow off application in a monofilament extrusion line. The extrusions from this line are used in one of the end user’s main product lines, a personal health device used by over a billion people around the world.
The original problem of drying the extrusions can certainly be solved with the setup shown, but the output force from the knife was less than what the customer expected, and below the EXAIR published data. We take great care in the collection and verification of our performance data, so this prompted a deeper dive into the application to determine what could be the cause.
Immediately upon seeing the application photos, there were two things which stood out. The first was the angle of attack of the knife, and the second was the compressed air plumbing. The angle of attack in the original setup was ~90°, nearly perpendicular to the extrusions passing through the airstream from the knife. EXAIR always recommends an angle of attack of ~45° to increase time in contact between the airstream from the knife and the materials passing through the airstream. Although a small adjustment, this angle significantly contributes to overall blow off performance.
But, the real issue with this application was in the compressed air supply. The tubing for this knife was shown as having a 5mm ID and an 8mm OD, which will allow a compressed air flow of ~40 SCFM at 80 PSIG, maximum, without consideration to pipe length from the compressor. The 36” aluminum Super Air Knife will require 104.4 SCFM at 80 PSIG operating pressure. So, it was clear that there was a significant plumbing problem, leading to the reduced performance from the knife.
In order to prove this out, we first had to take a pressure reading directly at the knife. When this was done, the operating pressure dropped from ~85 PSIG at the main header to less than 20 PSIG at the knife. By taking this pressure reading directly at the knife we were able to gain valuable information as to the true operating pressure of the knife, which was far below what the customer expected, but which made perfect sense given the performance output.
The remedy in this case was to increase the size of the supply line to at least 15mm ID (approximately equivalent to a ½” schedule 40 line), and preferably to something in the range of 19-20mm (~a ¾” schedule 40 line). Once this was done the knife operated flawlessly, and after adjusting the angle of attack this application was optimized for the best possible results.
Being able to find the source of the problem for this application was a great service to the customer. Our engineers are well-versed in compressed air system requirements, and we’re available for help in your application if needed. If you’d like to contact an EXAIR Application Engineer we can be reached by email, phone (1-800-903-9247), or Twitter.
Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_LE