Basics of the Compressed Air System

Published on by John BallLeave a comment

Compressed air is used to operate pneumatic systems within a facility, and it can be separated into three categories; the supply side, the demand side, and the distribution system.  In this blog, I will cover each area. 

The supply side is the air compressor, after-cooler, dryer, and receiver tank that produce and treat the compressed air.  They are generally located in a compressor room somewhere in the corner of the plant.  There are two main types of air compressors: positive displacement and dynamic.  The core component of most air compressors is an electric motor that spins a shaft.  Positive displacement uses the energy from the motor and the shaft to change volume in an area, like a piston in a reciprocating air compressor or like rotors in a rotary air compressor.  The dynamic types use the energy from the motor and the shaft to create a velocity with an impeller like centrifugal air compressors.  This velocity converts to a rise in pressure.

How do they work?  Most air compressors are driven by an electric or gas motor.  The motor spins a shaft to push a piston, turn a rotor, or spin a vane.  At the beginning of the air compressor, we have the intake where a low pressure is generated from the displacement to bring in the surrounding ambient air.  Once trapped, Boyle’s law states that when the volume decreases, the pressure increases.  For the dynamic type, the velocity and design will increase the air pressure.  The higher pressure will then move to a tank to be stored for pneumatic energy.  The amount of power required is dependent on the pressure and the amount of air that needs to be compressed. 

The demand side is the collection of devices that will use that compressed air to do “work”.  These pneumatic components are generally scattered throughout the facility.  This would include valves, cylinders, blow-offs, pneumatic clamps, etc.   To condition the demand side, regulators and filters are used.  The Pressure Regulators help to limit the amount of pressure.  For blow-off devices, the lower the air pressure to “do the job”, the less compressed air is used.  To help with the fluctuations in demand, a secondary Receiver Tank can be used.  The demand side can also be a system to do specific jobs. In using pneumatic systems, the “power” must come from the supply side. 

To connect the supply side to the demand side, a compressed air distribution system is required.  Distribution systems are pipes which carry the compressed air from the compressor to the pneumatic devices.  For a sound compressed air system, the three sections have to work together to make an effective and efficient system. An analogy that I like to use is to compare the compressed air system to an electrical system.  The air compressor would be considered the voltage source, and the pneumatic devices would be considered as light bulbs.  To connect the light bulbs to the voltage source, electrical wires are needed which will represent the distribution system.  If the gauge of the wire is too small to supply the light bulbs, the wire will heat up and a voltage drop will occur.  This heat is given off as wasted energy, and the light bulbs will be dim.  The same thing happens within a compressed air system.  If the piping size is too small, a pressure drop will occur.  This is also wasted energy.  In both types of systems, wasted energy is wasted money.  One of the largest systematic problems with compressed air systems is pressure drop.  With a properly designed distribution system, energy can be saved, and, in reference to my analogy above, it will keep the lights on.  To have a properly designed distribution system, the pressure drop should be less than 10% from the reservoir tank to the point-of-use.

Processes lead to continuous improvement.

EXAIR created the “Six Steps to Optimizing Your Compressed Air System”.  By following these tips, you can have the supply side, demand side, and distribution system working at peak efficiency.  If you would like to reduce waste even more, EXAIR offers a variety of efficient, safe, and effective compressed air products to fit within the demand side.  This will include the EXAIR Super Air Knives, Super Air Nozzles, and Safety Air Guns.  This would be the electrical equivalent of changing those incandescent light bulbs into LED light bulbs.  If you wish to go further in enhancing your system, an Application Engineer at EXAIR will be happy to help you. 

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

Photo:  Lightbulb by qimono.  Pixabay Licence

Advantages of EXAIR’s TurboBlast Safety Air Guns

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

It’s been almost three years since EXAIR introduced our latest innovation in handheld blowoff products: the TurboBlast Safety Air Gun. It came hot on the heels of the VariBlast Precision and Compact Safety Air Gun product lines, which both feature a variable pull trigger that affords the operator precise control over the flow & force produced. That proved to be a real game-changer for a lot of customers, letting them even more fully optimize their blowoff applications.

For that same kind of control, in a larger, more powerful Safety Air Gun, we incorporated a gate valve into the design of the TurboBlast. It’s operated by a rotating collar, directly downstream of the trigger:

A quarter turn of the gate valve collar changes the TurboBlast Safety Air Gun’s discharge from a breeze to a blast.

We make them without the gate valve too – if you’re buying a Safety Air Gun that’s capable of 23lbs of force, there’s a decent chance that you don’t need, or want, the ability to turn that down. With or without the gate valve, though, we’ve heard some great success stories from satisfied customers:

  • A company that refurbishes machinery for the pulp & paper industry uses Model 1925-3 TurboBlast Adjustable Safety Air Guns (with our Model 1114 1 NPT High Force Super Air Nozzle, 3ft Extension, and Gate Valve) for the initial cleaning of the machines, and at certain other steps in the breakdown & disassembly. The Extension gives them extra reach, and the ability to clean larger areas in a single blast, and the Gate Valve lets them reduce the output force for more delicate areas of the machine.
  • Workers in a foundry use a Model 1917 TurboBlast Safety Air Gun (with our Model 1118 1-1/4 NPT High Force Super Air Nozzle, no Extension or Gate Valve) to remove scales from metal products right out of the forge. This is a classic “don’t need, or want, the ability to turn that down” case.
  • A firefighting sprinkler system manufacturer quickly & easily removes debris from the inside of welded pipes with a Model 1915 TurboBlast Safety Air Gun (with our Model 1114 1 NPT High Force Super Air Nozzle, no Gate Valve or Extension.) Operators appreciate its ergonomic design for this repetitive work of blowing quick blasts of air through a bank of pipes.

Whether you need something that’ll deliver a pinpoint flow of air in a tight space, or one that’ll blow a wide pattern of air with high force, EXAIR has a Safety Air Gun for you. If you’d like to find out more, give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
Visit us on the Web
Follow me on Twitter
Like us on Facebook

Sanitary Flange Line Vac for Hygienic Material Transfers

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

The Sanitary Flange Line Vac was developed out of repeated requests from customers in the food, pharmaceutical, and dairy industries. For years, we built custom versions when applications called for hygienic connections, but the demand grew to the point where it made sense to make them a standard, stocked product.

This style of Line Vac uses ISO 2852 sanitary flange connections on both the intake and the outlet. These connections are common in clean-in-place (CIP) environments where systems need to be taken apart quickly for washing and sterilization. The design uses a sealing gasket between the flanges, which is compressed by a clamp to create an airtight seal. This allows the system to be disassembled, sanitized, and reassembled with minimal downtime—critical in industries where cleanliness is non-negotiable.

Constructed from 316 stainless steel, the Sanitary Flange Line Vac provides excellent corrosion resistance while maintaining the same performance as our smooth or threaded Line Vacs. For applications requiring even more power, the internal generator holes can be drilled to match the performance of our Heavy Duty Line Vacs.

Machine builders and end-users benefit from having a conveying solution that integrates directly with their existing sanitary piping. Whether you’re conveying powders, granules, or bulk ingredients, the Sanitary Flange Line Vac installs seamlessly into a system designed to meet stringent hygiene standards. It eliminates the need for adapters or makeshift connections, saving both time and hassle during installation and maintenance.

As with all Line Vacs, these units are powered by compressed air. There are no motors, no moving parts, and no maintenance. The result is a reliable, durable conveying solution that’s built for environments where cleanliness and compliance are top priorities.

A recent example involved a food manufacturer that needed a hygienic way to reclaim spilled rice from their process floor. By installing a Sanitary Flange Line Vac, they were able to automate recovery, keep the area clean, and maintain compliance with their wash-down requirements.

The Sanitary Flange Line Vac is a specialized tool, but one that solves real problems for food, pharmaceutical, and dairy applications. By offering it from stock, EXAIR makes it easy to upgrade conveying systems with a product designed for efficiency, safety, and the strict hygiene requirements of your industry.

Tyler Daniel, CCASS

Application Engineer

E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com

X: @EXAIR_TD

EXAIR’s Super Air Nozzles

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

Have you ever walked into a manufacturing facility during lunch, and it sounds like you’ve walked onto a plane full of snakes…? That’s a common issue across every sector of manufacturing. Compressed air is used for blowing off, cooling and cleaning everywhere you look. Below are the six steps to optimize your compressed air system. But today, let’s jump to step number 3 and see how upgrading those blow-offs with an engineered Safety Air Nozzle can help add to your bottom line.

If you’ve been tasked with reducing operating costs in your plant, upgrading your blow offs to EXAIR’s Engineered Air Nozzles & Jets might be just the ticket. When replacing a homemade or inefficient solution, EXAIR’s Super Air Nozzles can save you as much as 80% of your compressed air usage.

An open copper pipe or tube, even if “flattened” as we’ll commonly see, wastes an excessive amount of compressed air. This wasted compressed air can create problems in the facility due to unnecessarily high energy costs and the pressure drop that can be experienced affecting other processes. In addition to simply using too much compressed air, an open pipe or tube will often produce sound levels in excess of 100 dBA. At these sound levels, according to OSHA, permanent hearing damage will occur in just 2 hours of exposure.

Crushed open pipe in the top right corner

By simply replacing the open tubes and pipe with an EXAIR Super Air Nozzle, you can quickly reduce air consumption AND reduce the sound level. Sound level isn’t the only thing an OSHA inspector is going to be concerned about regarding an open pipe blowoff. In addition, OSHA 1910.242(b) states that a compressed air nozzle used for blowoff or cleaning purposes cannot be dead-ended when used at pressures in excess of 30 psig. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to use an air gun with 30 psig fed to it, but the effectiveness of it is dramatically reduced. This is why there needs to be a device installed that’ll prevent it from being dead-ended so that you can operate at a higher pressure.

EXAIR’s Super Air Nozzles are designed with fins that serve two purposes. They help to entrain ambient air from the environment, allowing us to maximize the force and flow from the nozzle but keeping the compressed air consumption minimal. In addition, these fins are what prevent the nozzle openings from being completely blocked off. Using an OSHA-compliant compressed air nozzle for all points where a blow off operation is being performed should be a priority. Each individual infraction will result in a fine if you’re unfortunate enough to be the victim of an unannounced OSHA inspection.

If you think a few Engineered Safety air nozzles will help add to your bottom line, give us a call. We have a full team of application engineers ready and willing to get you a solution to make your facility safer and save money!

Jordan Shouse, CCASS

Application Engineer

Send me an email
Find us on the Web