Author: Lee Evans

What Makes A Compressed Air System “Complete”?

Published on by Lee EvansLeave a comment

It’s a good question.  When do you know that your compressed air system is complete?  And, really, when do you know, with confidence, that it is ready for use?

A typical compressed air system. Image courtesy of Compressed Air Challenge.

Any compressed air system has the basic components shown above.  A compressed air source, a receiver, dryer, filter, and end points of use.   But, what do all these terms mean?

A compressor or compressed air source, is just as it sounds.  It is the device which supplies air (or another gas) at an increased pressure.  This increase in pressure is accomplished through a reduction in volume, and this conversion is achieved through compressing the air.  So, the compressor, well, compresses (the air).

A control receiver (wet receiver) is the storage vessel or tank placed immediately after the compressor.  This tank is referred to as a “wet” receiver because the air has not yet been dried, thus it is “wet”.  This tank helps to cool the compressed air by having a large surface area, and reduces pulsations in the compressed air flow which occur naturally.

The dryer, like the compressor, is just as the name implies.  This device dries the compressed air, removing liquid from the compressed air system.  Prior to this device the air is full of moisture which can damage downstream components and devices.  After drying, the air is almost ready for use.

To be truly ready for use, the compressed air must also be clean.  Dirt and particulates must be removed from the compressed air so that they do not cause damage to the system and the devices which connect to the system.  This task is accomplished through the filter, after which the system is almost ready for use.

To really be ready for use, the system must have a continuous system pressure and flow.  End-use devices are specified to perform with a required compressed air supply, and when this supply is compromised, performance is as well.  This is where the dry receiver comes into play.  The dry receiver is provides pneumatic capacitance for the system, alleviating pressure changes with varying demand loads.  The dry receiver helps to maintain constant pressure and flow.

In addition to this, the diagram above shows an optional device – a pressure/flow control valve.  A flow control valve will regulate the volume (flow) of compressed air in a system in response to changes in flow (or pressure).  These devices further stabilize the compressed air system, providing increased reliability in the supply of compressed air for end user devices.

Now, at long last, the system is ready for use.  But, what will it do?  What are the points of use?

Points of use in a compressed air system are referred to by their end use.  These are the components around which the entire system is built.  This can be a pneumatic drill, an impact wrench, a blow off nozzle, a pneumatic pump, or any other device which requires compressed air to operate.

If your end use devices are for coating, cleaning, cooling, conveying or static elimination, EXAIR Application Engineers can help with engineered solutions to maximize the efficiency and use of your compressed air.  After placing so much effort into creating a proper system, having engineered solutions is a must.

Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_LE

Increasing Efficiency With EXAIR Super Air Nozzles

Published on by Lee EvansLeave a comment

Earlier this morning I received a phone call from a gentleman in search of a more efficient compressed air solution.  The application was to remove thermoformed plastics from a mold immediately after the mold separates.  In the current state, the application is consuming ~40% of the available compressed air in the facility through the use of (9) ¼” open pipes, consuming a confirmed 288 SCFM at 60 PSIG.  Due to the use of an open pipe, this customer was facing a safety and noise concern through the existing solution.

After discussing the application need and the desire to reduce compressed air use, reduce noise, and add safety, we found a suitable solution in the 1101 Super Air Nozzle.  Installing (9) of these EXAIR nozzles will reduce the compressed air consumption by over 65%!!!  Calculations for this savings are below.

Existing compressed air consumption:  288 SCFM @ 60 PSIG

Compressed air consumption of model 1101 @ 60 PSIG:  11 SCFM

Total compressed air consumption of  (9) 1101 nozzles:

Air savings:

This is the percentage of air which the new EXAIR solution will consume.  To put it another way, for every 100 SCFM the current solution consumes, the EXAIR solution will only require 34.38 SCFM. Installing these EXAIR nozzles will result in lower operational cost, lower noise levels, and increased safety for this customer – all while maintaining or improving the performance of the blow off solution in this application.

EXAIR Application Engineers are well versed in maximizing efficiency of compressed air systems and blow off needs.  If you have an application with a similar need, contact an EXAIR Application Engineer.  We’ll be happy to help.

Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_LE

Heat of Compression Dryers

Published on by Lee EvansLeave a comment
A Heat of Compression regenerative desiccant dryer for compressed air

Before compressed air can be realistically utilized, it needs to be delivered to the point of use with proper volume and pressure, and it should also be clean and have some moisture removed.  We have information available regarding cleaning compressed air, but how do you dry the compressed air?  And why do you dry the compressed air?

Drying compressed air is akin to removing the humidity in the air when using an air conditioning system.  If the moisture is not removed, the effectiveness of the system is reduced and the ability to use the output of the system is reduced as well.

But, from a functional standpoint, what does this really mean?  What will take place in the compressed air system if the air is not dried and the moisture is allowed to remain?

The answer is in the simple fact that moisture is damaging.  Rust, increased wear of moving parts, discoloration, process failure due to clogging, frozen control lines in cold weather, false readings from instruments and controls – ALL of these can happen due to moisture in the compressed air.  It stands to reason, then, that if we want long-term operation of our compressed air products, having dry air is a must.

So, how can we remove the moisture in the compressed air?  One of the most common methods to remove moisture is a regenerative dryer, specifically, heat-of-compression type dryers.  A heat of compression type dryer is a regenerative desiccant dryer which uses the heat generated by the compression of the ambient air to regenerate the moisture removing capability of the desiccant used to dry the compressed air.

When using one of these dryers, the air is pulled directly from the outlet of the compressor with no cooling or treatment to the air and is fed through a desiccant bed in “Tank 1” where it regenerates the moisture removing capabilities of the desiccant inside the tank.  The compressed air is then fed through a regeneration cooler, a separator, and finally another desiccant bed, this time in “Tank 2”, where the moisture is removed.  The output of “Tank 2” is supplied to the facilities as clean, dry compressed air.  After enough time, “tank 1” and “tank 2” switch, allowing the hot output of the compressor to regenerate the desiccant in “tank 2” while utilizing the moisture removing capabilities of the desiccant in “tank 1”.

Heat of compression dryers offer a lower power cost when compared to other dryers, but they are only applicable for use with oil free compressor and to compressors with high discharge temperatures.  If output air temperatures from the compressor are too low, a temperature booster/heater is needed.

If you have questions about your compressed air system and how the end use devices are operating, contact an EXAIR Application Engineer.  We’ll be happy to discuss your system and ways to optimize your current setup.

Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_LE

 

Heated Desiccant Dryer by Compressor1.  Creative Commons License

Removing Static From Diaper Absorbent Material

Published on by Lee EvansLeave a comment
This is where the absorbent material inside a disposable diaper is made

The image above shows one step in the process of disposable diaper manufacturing.  In this step of the process, the absorbent material is ground through a mill on the top of the “bunker” where it falls down a shaft and onto a mesh screen.  Once on the mesh screen, the material is repressed into the proper size and shape for placing into the diapers.

This manufacturer contacted one of our Russian distributors about the application because the milling of the absorbent material was creating static.  This static caused the material to adhere to the walls of the bunker chute and to unevenly distribute onto the mesh.  This unevenness leads to holes in the pressed/shaped absorbent material which translates to a reject rate of ~1 out of every 20 diapers.

An EXAIR Ion Bar

The ideal solution in this case needed to eliminate the static within the chute to allow for proper distribution on the mesh below and proper material placement into the diapers.  An Ion Bar was originally desired by the customer, but material accumulation on the emitter points was a concern so this solution was removed from consideration.

An EXAIR Ion Air Cannon

An Ion Air Cannon, however, was able to provide the desired solution by mounting outside of the chute and feeding a low volume of ionized air to remove the static.  The ionized airflow from the Ion Air Cannon is strong enough to permeate the full volume of the application, but low enough to not disturb the absorbent material within the process. Using an Ion Air Cannon allowed this manufacturer to eliminate defects and wasted materials, increase their throughput, and improve the quality of their products.  Defects dropped from 1/20 diapers to less than 1/1000.

If you have a similar application or similar needs, contact an EXAIR Application Engineer.

Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_LE