Secondary Receiver Tanks: Preparing for High-Demand Events.

Published on by John BallLeave a comment
Use intermediate storage near the point of use.

Secondary receiver tanks can be strategically placed throughout the plant to improve the “ebbs and flows” of pneumatic demands.  The primary receiver tanks help to protect the supply side when demands are high, and the secondary receiver tanks help pneumatic systems on the demand side.  The purpose of secondary air storage is for dedicated end-use systems or for additional capacity at the end of distribution lines.  Essentially, it is easier and more efficient for compressed air to travel from a nearby source rather than traveling through long lengths of pipe.  With any high-demand use equipment, it is beneficial to have additional storage installed nearby within the compressed air system.

For comparison, I would like to relate a pneumatic system to an electrical system.  The receiver tanks would be like capacitors.  They store pressurized air like a capacitor stores energy from an electrical source.  If you have ever seen an electrical circuit board, you will notice many capacitors of different sizes throughout the circuit board.  The reason for this is to have a ready source of energy to increase efficiency and speeds with the ebbs and flows of electrical signals.  The same can be said for a pneumatic system with secondary receiver tanks.

To cover a current application, I had a customer that was looking at a model 1122108; 108” (2,743mm) Gen4 Super Ion Air Knife Kit.  The application was to remove static and debris from insulated panels for large refrigerated trailers.  They were worried about how much compressed air it would use, and they were considering a blower-type system.  I went through the negative aspects of blower-type systems, like loud noise levels, capital expense, high maintenance cost, large footprint, and ineffectiveness with turbulent air flows.  But, when you are limited to the amount of compressed air, it may seem difficult to get the best product for your application.  Looking at it another way, I asked him if the process was intermittent; and it was.  The cycle rate was 2 minutes on and 10 minutes off.  I was able to recommend a secondary tank to help ease the high demand for their compressed air system.

To calculate the volume size of your secondary receiver tank, we can use Equation 1 below.  It is the same for sizing a primary receiver tank, but the scalars are slightly different.  The supply line to this tank will typically come from a header pipe that supplies the entire facility.  Generally, it is smaller in diameter, so we have to look at the air supply that it can feed into the tank.  For example, a 1” NPT Schedule 40 pipe at 100 PSIG (7 bar) can supply a maximum of 150 SCFM (255 M3/hr) of air flow.  This value is used for Cap below.  The C value is the largest air demand for the machine or equipment that will be using the tank.  If the C value is less than the Cap value, then a secondary tank is not needed.  If the Cap is below the C value, then we can calculate the smallest tank volume that would be needed.  The other value in the equation is the minimum tank pressure.  In most cases, a regulator is used to set the air pressure for the machine or area.  If the specification is 80 PSIG (5.5 bar), then you would use this value as P2.  P1 is the header pressure that will be coming into the secondary tank.  With this collection of information, you can use Equation 1 to calculate the minimum tank volume. 

Equation 1:

V = T * (C – Cap) * (Pa) / (P1-P2)

Where:

V – Volume of receiver tank – Imperial (ft3) or SI (M3)

T – Time interval (minutes)

C – Air demand for system – Imperial (SCFM) or SI (M3/min)

Cap – Supply value of inlet pipe – Imperial (SCFM) or SI (M3/min)

Pa – Absolute atmospheric pressure – Imperial (PSIA) or SI (Bar)

P1 – Header Pressure – Imperial (PSIG) or SI (Bar)

P2 – Regulated Pressure – Imperial (PSIG) or SI (Bar)

In many cases, you can also lengthen the time to refill the secondary receiver by restricting the refill rate with a valve, so that it is more of a constant, but much lower draw on the compressor system. This technique also helps to diminish the impact of the large-use items attached to a customer’s system.

For the customer above, I am still getting more details about their system before we finalize on a solution.  But the important point in utilizing this concept is that we went from a “we don’t have enough compressed air” to a “we can use a better solution with the Super Ion Air Knife” and here’s how.

If you find that your compressed air system needs a boost for your pneumatic process, we may be able to recommend a secondary receiver tank for your system.  EXAIR does offer 60-gallon tanks, model 9500-60, to add to those specific areas.  If you have any questions about using a receiver tank in your application, you can contact an Application Engineer at EXAIR.  We will be happy to help. 

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

Different Spray Patterns For Air Atomizing Spray Nozzles

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

EXAIR Atomizing Spray Nozzles use compressed air to atomize liquid flow. Across the product line, we offer a wide range of liquid flow rates. Model SF8010SS Siphon Fed Flat Fan Pattern 1/8 NPT Atomizing Spray Nozzle can get as low as 0.14 gallons per hour. That’s about a quarter of an ounce – a little less than two teaspoons – per minute. On the other end of the spectrum, Model EF5010SS External Mix Narrow Angle Flat Fan Pattern 1/2 NPT Atomizing Spray Nozzle can provide up to 303 gallons per hour of liquid flow (we tested with water; if you’re spraying something else – especially if the viscosity or specific gravity is different – your mileage may vary.) That’s about 5 gallons per minute, or approximately twice the amount of flow from a typical kitchen faucet.

Both of those Atomizing Spray Nozzles create flat fan patterns:

Flat Fan pattern Atomizing Spray Nozzles are ideal for rinsing wine bottles, spraying rust inhibitor on parts on a conveyor, or rinsing wine bottles. I know I mentioned wine bottles twice…I like wine.

Flat Fan Pattern Atomizing Spray Nozzles can generate flat fans as narrow as 3″ (at a distance of 6″ from the spray tip) or as wide as 68″ (at a distance of 15″ from the spray tip.) They’re available for Internal Mix, External Mix, or Siphon Fed operation. Most of them spray straight out from the Air Cap, as shown above, but Model AD1010SS (right) has a Deflected Fan Pattern, so it sprays at a right angle to the Spray Nozzle’s orientation. They’re particularly well-suited for installation in tight spaces or anywhere that space is at a premium.

Other applications call for round patterns. These are great for dust mitigation, humidification, applying paint or lubrication, light misting, or heavy soaking, just to name a few. They can make round patterns with diameters as small as 1.5″ (at a distance of 6″ from the spray tip) to 31″ (at a distance of 15″ from the spray tip.)

Round pattern Atomizing Spray Nozzles are popularly used for applying lubricating fluid to machine tools, flame retardant to wood trim, and color code marking on metal bars.

EXAIR also makes 360° Hollow Circular Pattern Atomizing Spray Nozzles. These are Internal Mix models, and they spray the liquid out in a fine, atomized mist in all directions. They can spray as little as 1.6 gallons per hour, or as much as 150 gallons per hour, and can create spraying diameters of up to 13 feet.

360° Hollow Circular Pattern Atomizing Spray Nozzles are great for applying a smooth, even coating to the ID of a pipe, cylinder, or duct. They can also be used for misting, humidification, and cooling of large areas.

If you need a consistent, reliable mist of atomized liquid, we’ve got you covered. To discuss an application or product selection, give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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3.2.1…Fight Robots FIGHT!

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

I have mentioned before that my undergrad degree is from the University of Cincinnati. The Combat Robotics Team was not a thing back then; in fact, robot fighting was still high-level and just coming around to the mainstream. Well, this past weekend, I had the chance to attend my first-ever PLANT at UC’s 1819 Innovation Hub.

What is PLANT, you ask? It is a class of combat robots restricted to PLA, ABS, or PETG construction materials. The bots cannot weigh more than 1 pound and have some other guidelines generally set forth by SPARC. The teams generally design these bots as scaled-down versions of the bots they plan to build and take on larger battles. In addition, they must weigh no more than 1 pound. They are mostly 3D printed, and the benefit is that they are a cost savings to manufacture and then test against other similar-sized bots to try and see how a design may work out in a larger form.

Because these bots are all 3D printed, they can test complex geometries without the cost of the machining hours. This also helps them to see the value a complex part may add or helps them to come up with other methods to manufacture the product. The entire point is for them to test on a small scale with lower impact/risk, then scale up.

Super Air Knife installed

When talking with customers here at EXAIR about projects that may require long Super Air Knives to blow off an entire conveyor belt, we will often suggest doing a scaled test. Use a 12″ Super Air Knife to test an edge or a dedicated section of the belt. If a stock EXAIR product is tested, it can be returned within 30 days of the date of the order. This means you can take a small test section, with low risk, put it in place, and test it under production scenarios for nearly a month, and then contact us to let us know whether it works or not. Get a sales return order for the shorter length, and then scale up for the full demand of the application.

EXAIR’s offering a 30-day guarantee on stock products truly reduces the risk of testing out even a full-length Super Air Knife if you want to. This can sometimes give the decision makers the last little bit of confidence that EXAIR is the correct team to work with. If you want to discuss how we can help your production lines, contact an Application Engineer today.

Brian Farno, MBA – CCASS Application Engineer

BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

Identify Real Compressed Air Savings Through EXAIR’s Efficiency Lab

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

Many customers may not have the means to test the air consumption of their blowoff solutions. With compressed air being the most expensive utility in a manufacturing facility, it’s important to identify places where you can save money on your overall operating costs. EXAIR manufactures a wide variety of products intended to help you reduce your compressed air usage. If you’re not able to accurately measure the consumption in your own shop, we invite you to send the products to EXAIR for testing. With EXAIR’s Award-Winning Efficiency Lab, just simply box them up and send them to our warehouse in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Once we receive it, our engineers will complete some in-depth testing to determine the compressed air consumption, sound level, and force that your current solution provides. With this information, we’ll be able to compare it to an EXAIR Engineered Solution. This way, we ensure that you receive the best, safest solution possible also capable of saving money through reduced air consumption and improved efficiency.  We’ll send you back a comprehensive report that’ll help you to make the best decision for your company.

I’ve recently been working with a customer that sent in one of the nozzles they’re using across all their CNC machines. They wanted us to test it out and see if we’d be able to offer them something that could reduce their overall compressed air usage. The nozzle was one of the cheap plastic varieties and was attached to a commonly used modular hose. This type of modular hose is not designed for operating under high pressures. These hoses are more suitable for liquid coolant or air that is at or below atmospheric pressure.

After testing, we found that at 80 psig the nozzle consumed 3.85 SCFM and produced a force of 1.92 oz. We also noticed that after 60 psig, the nozzle began to leak due to a poor seal where the nozzle met the brass hex. The EXAIR nozzle most suitable to replace this was the 1108SS. At just 2.5 SCFM at 80 psig, replacing the plastic nozzle with an engineered solution saves them 35% of their overall consumption for this blowoff. With close to 1000 of these nozzles in operation, the air savings can add up quickly!!

In addition to increasing efficiency, replacing these nozzles also greatly increases overall worker safety. The sound level is reduced from 73 dBA to just 58 dBA and EXAIR’s nozzles also adhere to OSHA 1910.242(b). The plastic nozzles could be dead-ended, posing a hazard that can result in costly fines. These fines are assessed per infraction, so having multiple non-compliant nozzles can easily get very expensive if you’re subject to an unannounced visit by an OSHA inspector.

If you think you may have an opportunity to improve upon your existing blowoff methods, give us a call. We’ll be happy to take a closer look and have you send the product back to EXAIR for a quick trial in our Efficiency Lab. You’ll be glad you did!

Tyler Daniel, CCASS

Application Engineer

E-mal: TylerDaniel@exair.com

Twitter: @EXAIR_TD