Well, the obvious answer is, of course, an engineered air nozzle…you’re likely aware of this, or you wouldn’t be reading posts on the EXAIR Corporation blog. We have no issue with narrowing that down a bit, and saying that the answer is an EXAIR air nozzle. I bet you knew that was coming as well. So let’s assume that, because of the cost of compressed air, the potential hazards of its unregulated discharge, and the flat-out racket it can make (unless you do something about it,) you’re looking for something efficient, safe, and quiet.
Now that we’re on the same page, let’s unpack that question. The nature of the application will let us know the airflow pattern & characteristics (mainly flow & force) that we need.
For example, if you need just a pinpoint of airflow, our Atto Super Air Nozzle blows a 1/2″ diameter pattern at a distance of 3″. Get a little closer than that, and it’s as tight as you want it to be. Now, it’s only generating a force of 2oz (at 12″ away) but keep in mind that’s all concentrated in a small fraction of an inch diameter. Which is plenty for most applications that need that precise of an airflow.
If you DO need a little more flow & force, our Pico and Nano Super Air Nozzles offer incremental increases in performance. The pattern starts to widen out, but that’s a function of the increased flow expanding in to atmospheric pressure…it has to go somewhere, you know. But, again, the closer you get, the more focused the flow is to the centerline of the nozzle.
On the other end of the spectrum are EXAIR’s High Force Air Nozzles. These are particularly useful for stubborn blowoff applications – a foundry blowing slag off hot strip as it cools, for example. Our largest of these, a 1-1/4 NPT model, generates 23 lbs of force…that’s over 25 times the power of our standard Super Air Nozzle.
Speaking of the standard Super Air Nozzle, it’s the most popular answer to the Big Question. It’s suitable for a wide range of blowoff, drying, and cooling applications, like the kinds of jobs an awful lot of folks use open end blowoff devices on. Open ended tubes blow out a great amount of air, but they’re wasteful and noisy, and OSHA says you can’t use them unless you regulate the pressure to 30psig…where they’re not even going to be all that effective.
If you’ve got a 1/4″ copper tube, for example, it’ll use 33 SCFM when supplied with compressed air at 80psig. It’ll for sure get the job done (albeit expensively, when you think of all that compressed air consumption,) but it’ll be loud (likely well over 100 dBA) and again, OSHA says you can’t use it at that pressure. So, you can dial it down to 30psig, where it’ll be marginally effective, but it’s still going to use more air than the Model 1100 1/4 NPT Super Air Nozzle does at 80psig supply pressure. The hard hitting force of the Model 1100, under those conditions, will make all the difference in the world. As will its sound level of only 74 dBA. Not to mention, it’s fully compliant with OSHA 1910.242(b). Oh…and you can even install it directly on the end of your existing tube with a simple compression fitting.
We’ve also got engineered Air Nozzles smaller than the 1100 (all the way down to the aforementioned Atto Super Air Nozzle) and a good selection of larger ones, including Cluster Air Nozzles that hold tighter airflow patterns than similar performing single Super Air Nozzles. They’re available in materials ranging from Zinc-Aluminum alloy, bare aluminum, brass, 303SS, 316SS, or PEEK thermoplastic polymer to meet the requirements of most any area of installation, no matter how typical or aggressive.
If you have an loud, wasteful, and likely unsafe blowoff, you owe it to yourself and everyone else who has to put up with it to consider a better solution. Call me; let’s talk.
Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
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