Category: Vortex Tubes

Oil And Water Don’t Mix, But Oil And Air Sure Do

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

Do you have oil in your compressed air system? It may be there on purpose…air operated tools require it, and there are a number of devices on the market that provide a precise amount of oil to keep the moving parts in these tools well lubricated and properly operating.

If it’s not there on purpose, it’s not necessarily a problem, though, and it’s hardly uncommon. Many air compressors are oil lubricated, which means there’s oil being pumped at a constant rate, directly towards the piston rings, and a little bit is always going to end up in the air. As the rings wear, even more makes it past…this is impossible to prevent, but, with proper maintenance, it’s kept to a very minimal amount. There are, of course, oil-less compressor designs, which can eliminate this entirely, but they’ve been known to carry a little heavier price tag. Some situations, though, make them worth every penny.

Trace amounts of oil like this don’t affect a lot of compressed air applications, including the performance of most of our products. There are times, however, when oil needs to be addressed…for instance:

*Blow off prior to painting or coating. Even trace amounts of oil on a surface to be painted can cause big problems.
*Electrical enclosure cooling. Oil won’t affect the heat removal performance of an EXAIR Cabinet Cooler System, but it can indeed cause serious issues with electrical/electronic components and devices if it’s present in the cold air that’s blowing on them.
*Air operated conveyors. Likewise, oil won’t hurt the performance of a Line Vac, but keep in mind that anything in the air supply will get on the material or product you’re conveying.
*Static Eliminators. Here’s a situation where oil in the air WILL have an effect on product performance…the emitter points of your EXAIR Static Eliminator need to be kept clean (including oil free) for proper operation. And, again, anything in your air is going to get onto your product.

This is where proper filtration comes in: properly installed downstream of a Filter Separator, EXAIR’s coalescing Oil Removal Filters take out even trace amounts of oil from the air flow, ensuring your process doesn’t see anything but clean, dry air.

EXAIR Model 9027 Oil Removal Filter, installed between Model 9004 Filter Separator and 9008 Pressure Regulator, using our Modular Coupling Kits
EXAIR Model 9027 Oil Removal Filter, installed between Model 9004 Automatic Drain Filter Separator and 9008 Pressure Regulator, using our Modular Coupling Kits.

Again, oil in your air isn’t always a problem. If you have questions about your application, though, give us a call…if it IS a problem, we’ve got a solution.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
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Let’s Talk About Cooling. Yes, In January.

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

Well, we’re right smack dab in the middle of January, and it’s time for the annual reminder (to myself, mainly) that I surrendered my right to complain about the cold when I moved here from Florida (on purpose) some 24 years (and 2 months, 8 days, and a handful of hours) ago.  Not that I’m keeping track.  You can follow this link (and this one, and this one) to some of my former rantings on the subject.

After an admittedly mild December in Ohio, the struggle became real this week.
After an admittedly mild December in Ohio, the struggle became real this week.

But, as the title implies, I AM going to talk about a need for cooling. Of course, no matter how cold it is outside, there are many, many processes in industry that can get quite hot. Here’s one of them:

A company that operates injection molding machinery had a big problem: their machines’ molds were cooled by chilled water, and as they aged, they developed leaks, allowing water into the mold cavities. This, of course, ruined the product. To make things worse, the passages that the chilled water flows through are cast right into the machine body, so permanent repair essentially means that these bodies (the main part of the machinery) have to be replaced, at significant cost.

Last summer, they went looking for alternate methods of cooling, and found our Vortex Tubes. After some experimentation, they determined that (8) Model 3240 Vortex Tubes (2,800 Btu/hr, Maximum Cooling Power) would replicate the cooling previously provided by the chilled water systems.

EXAIR Vortex Tubes are a quick & easy method to get cold air, on demand, wherever you need it. Just like this.
EXAIR Vortex Tubes are a quick & easy method to get cold air, on demand, wherever you need it. Just like this.

They’ve since outfitted all of their injection molding machines with these, and have dodged a very expensive replacement of machinery for the foreseeable future.

If you’d like to find out how an engineered product from EXAIR’s comprehensive line can take the heat off (literally or figuratively) an application you’re struggling with, give us a call.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
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The Only Constant Around Here Is Growth

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

But if there’s a second constant around here, it’s excellence. And if there was a third, it was this guy…right up until the day he retired:

Joe Panfalone, Application Engineer extraordinaire, holding our bounty of product awards from 2013. He's retired since, but he's not...EVER...forgotten.
Joe Panfalone, Application Engineer extraordinaire, holding our bounty of product awards from 2013. He’s retired since, but he’s not…EVER…forgotten.

Another thing we don’t want to forget – in fact, I’m writing this as a reminder to YOU, dear reader, is that EXAIR products are up for ANOTHER four Plant Engineering Product of the Year Awards this year.  If you haven’t familiarized yourself with this year’s entries yet, there are some VERY cool products to choose from, and I highly encourage you to check them out.  (Disclaimer: I was an engineer BEFORE I came to EXAIR, and as such, I fully recognize the value that our esteemed colleagues bring to the table with THEIR entries, but I remain convinced that OURS are the clear winners here, as I’m sure you will too.)

Voting ends this Friday, January 8th 2016, so please hurry.  We’re honored to have gotten the nod in four categories this year:

ETC Dual CC SystemsAutomation and Controls: The competition is pretty stiff in this category…I’m sure you’ll recognize the names of some major players.  But, considering the wide range of applications, the potential cost savings by regulating the use of compressed air, and the convenience afforded by the ETC Dual Cabinet Cooler Systems, it’s a real contender.

HLRDVEnvironmental Health: With the ability to vacuum heavier tramp oils, thicker sludge, more viscous fluids, and “in the floor” cisterns, the High Lift Reversible Drum Vac makes fluid transfer and spill cleanup quick & easy.  They’re in stock for 30, 55, or 110 gallon drums. If you want a drum dolly, additional vacuum tools, or even the drum itself, check out our Deluxe and Premium Kits.  With all due respect to the other entries, it’s the clear winner in this category.

Compressed Air1006ss: This has been a long-awaited addition to our already broad selection of engineered air nozzles: the Back Blow Air Nozzles, available in two sizes, can handle blowing out pipe, tube, etc. with inside diameters from 7/8″ to 16″.  You can get one installed on one of our Safety Air Guns, and they’re available with Chip Shields, and extension pipes up to 6 feet in length.  This is the most innovative product being introduced in this category this year, for sure.

Fluid HandlingNo Drip Atomizing Nozzle: The patented design of the EXAIR No-Drip Atomizing Spray Nozzle offers a stand-alone nozzle capable of controlling liquid flow without requiring a liquid control solenoid.  When the air supply pressure is shut off, so is the liquid flow…just like that.

This feature is available on any of our Atomizing Spray Nozzles.  For safety, efficiency, cleanliness, it can’t be beat.

Remember, voting ends this Friday.  I know there are some great products to choose from, but all of us at EXAIR would genuinely appreciate your vote for our products.  Of course, if you ever have any questions about how these – or any of our Intelligent Compressed Air Products – can make life easier, give me a call.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
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Vortex Tubes & Back Pressure

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

EXAIR Vortex Tubes are designed and manufactured to be the ideal solution for spot cooling applications.  They are ideal for end of arm tooling, in process checks, post welding, even to try and set a molten material before additional processing.   The Vortex Tubes work amazing with direct exposure to the point that needs to be cooled.   What if I had a 12″ wide weld that I was trying to cool in order to keep the heat from warping the material, could I simply connect a Super Air Knife that is 12″ long to the cold air output of a Vortex Tube?   The answer is you physically can, but the performance will not be optimal.

Cooling with the Vortex Tube
The EXAIR  Vortex Tube

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EXAIR Super Air Knife
EXAIR Super Air Knife

The reason behind this is the Vortex Tubes performance continues to diminish as back pressure increases.  Once you reach 3 psig of back pressure you will begin to see decreased cooling in the cold air flow, once you reach 5 psig of back pressure the temperature out of the cold end of a vortex Tube can be as much as 5 degrees Farenheit warmer than without any back pressure at all. While a  Vortex Tube is capable of feeding cold air into a Super Air Knife it will be under significant back pressure and eliminate much of its cooling capacity. The Super Air Knife also becomes a heat sink which absorbs a great deal of the Vortex Tube’s cold air.

How an EXAIR Vortex Tube Works
How an EXAIR Vortex Tube Works.

To think about why the Vortex Tube reacts that way, think of the Vortex Tube as a pipe tee.   If you put compressed air into one leg and put no restrictions on the other two, a.k.a. the hot and cold end, the air flows freely out both open legs,  now if you start to restrict flow by adding piping and other restrictions, a.k.a. a Super Air Knife, onto one leg and leave the other leg open, then you will simply get decreased flow out of the restricted side and more flow out of the open leg. The good news is, if you have an application where a slight back pressure on the cold outlet is not avoidable then you can compensate for this and we can help you as long as we know all the variables.

That still doesn’t really help me with cooling my 12″ wide weld. What I would recommend in the scenario of cooling a longer length would be to try and control the volume of the area you need to cool.  In other words, if you could put a tube around the weld area where you can blow just the cold air down this cooling tunnel then you would have a controlled volume of air that will be much easier to maintain a cool temperature and keep the airflow against the surface of the part.

If you would like to discuss a cooling application, please contact us.

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