Tag: 316SS

Environmental Considerations For Cabinet Cooler System Selection

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An EXAIR Cabinet Cooler System is a durable, reliable solution for protecting panels with electrical and electronic components from heat damage. They install in minutes, and since they’re solely compressed air operated, there are no moving parts to wear or electrical components to burn out. If you supply it with clean compressed air (by installing the Filter Separator that’s included), it’ll run darn near indefinitely, maintenance free.

EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems come with the Cabinet Cooler itself (NEMA 12 – left, NEMA 4 – center, NEMA 4X – right), a Cold Air Hose Distribution Kit, Solenoid Valve & Thermostat, and an Automatic Drain Filter Separator.

We even make selection easy – you can fill out a Sizing Guide and submit the data, and an Application Engineer will use it to calculate the heat load and specify the right system for your panel. You can even call in the data – it only takes a minute to do the calculations, and we do it over the phone all the time. Or, for you control freaks Do-It-Yourself’ers, there’s a calculator on our website that’ll take your data and spit out an answer, right away.

It’s, of course, critical to make sure we get you a Cabinet Cooler System with a cooling capacity high enough to handle your heat load, but it’s just as critical to make sure we supply one that’s suitable for the environment in the area of installation. NEMA (National Electric Manufacturer’s Association, the primary trade association that advocates for the industry, and publishes standards for electrical products) delineates a number of ratings that must be complied with to keep anything detrimental in the environment from getting into the panel. While NEMA defines thirteen Non-Hazardous Location Types, EXAIR has three different designs that meet the requirements of almost any Non-Hazardous Location.

We’ve got UL Classified models for heat protection in hazardous locations as well, so you know.

NEMA 12 Cabinet Cooler products are for general industrial environments where no liquids or corrosives are present. They’re dust tight, oil tight, indoor duty.

NEMA 12 Cabinet Cooler Systems are available in cooling capacities from 275 – 5,600 Btu/hr. Side Mount Kits make for easy installation in tight quarters. On right, a Cabinet Cooler System in place for over 20 years still functions at rated capacity.

NEMA 4 Cabinet Cooler products have a low pressure relief valve that closes when the Cabinet Cooler isn’t operating to seal off against liquid ingress. They’re dust tight, oil tight, splash resistant, indoor/outdoor duty.

With their compact design, NEMA 4 Cabinet Cooler Systems can provide cooling for very small – or very large enclosures in spray down areas or outdoor installations. A Cold Muffler comes with all NEMA 4 & 4X Cabinet Coolers.

NEMA 4X Cabinet Coolers are made of 303SS for corrosion resistance. They offer the same environmental integrity as the NEMA 4 models. They’re also available in 316SS for applications requiring higher corrosion resistance.

NEMA 4X Cabinet Coolers are made of stainless steel for corrosive environments. 316SS is available for protection in particularly extreme environments (and when specified in food/pharma applications). High Temperature models can handle up to 200°F (93°C) ambient temperatures, indoors or outdoors.

If you’ve got an electrical panel with equipment that needs safe & reliable protection from heat, and the environment, we’ve got solutions, whatever that environment might be. To find out more, give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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Top Ten Reasons Why EXAIR’s Super Air Knife Is So Super

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1. Efficiency – With an air entrainment ratio of 40:1 (literally means it pulls in 40 SCFM of “free” air from the surrounding environment for every 1 SCFM of consumption), compressed air consumption is dramatically lower than any other blow off device.

EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air Products such as (left to right) the Air Wipe, Super Air Knife, Super Air Nozzle, and Air Amplifier are engineered to entrain enormous amounts of air from the surrounding environment.

2. Laminar air flow – My colleague John Ball did a bang-up job in a video blog explaining the fluid mechanics theory behind this. Operationally, laminar flow is is beneficial because it’s particularly conducive to generating a stripping or sweeping action, as opposed to the turbulent flow from an open blow off, a blower, or a fan.

3. Quiet operation – The high entrainment ratio that makes the Super Air Knife so efficient also makes for amazingly low sound levels. The outermost entrained air creates a boundary layer that attenuates the sound level of the higher velocity, hard hitting center flow.

4. Lengths available – Super Air Knives are stocked in lengths from 3″ to 9ft. Custom lengths can be made if you’re space-limited for installation, and custom shims can be installed if you want to shorten the curtain width of a stock Super Air Knife. Super Air Knives can also be coupled together for even longer lengths.

Air Knife Coupling Bracket Kits are available from stock for Aluminum, 303SS, and 316SS Super Air Knives.

5. Material of construction – No matter how aggressive the environment is, odds are, EXAIR has a Super Air Knife that’ll hold up to it. Durable aluminum models are good to 180°F (82°C). There are also two Types of Stainless Steel to choose from: 303SS for high strength, and 316SS for protection from chloride pitting corrosion & higher strength. Both 303SS & 316SS are good to 800°F (427°C). For exceptionally harsh environments, PVDF (Polyvinylidene Fluoride) constructed Super Air Knives have Hastelloy C-276 hardware & PTFE shims, which are resistant to UV light, inorganic chemicals, solvents, ozone, weather, fungi, chlorinated hydrocarbons, highly corrosive acids, weak bases, and salts. They’re good to 275°F (135°C).

6. Easy installation – Like all of our products, the Super Air Knives – from the 3″ to the 9ft models – are “user friendly” as far as mounting & installation goes. The Model 9060 Universal Air Knife Mounting System makes for quick installation and easy positioning. 24″ to 42″ Super Air Knives need to be plumbed to both ends…if you hard pipe the air supply, the Super Air Knife itself will essentially be as well supported as the piping. The same holds true for longer Super Air Knives with Plumbing Kits installed. 3″ Super Air Knives can even be fitted with Stay Set Hoses, and Magnetic Bases. And the 1/4″-20 tapped holes on the bottom of the body allow for a wide range of mounting solutions…anything you can put a bolt through, really.

The 9060 Universal Air Knife Mounting Systems are perfect for simple, fast installation and positioning.
Yes, that’s a door hinge. No, it wasn’t my idea ( but I kind of wish it was.)

7. Low maintenance – With no moving parts, they’ll run darn near indefinitely, maintenance free, as long as you supply them with clean, moisture free compressed air. Oh, and keep them clean, externally, if they’re in an area where environmental contaminants can build up on the precision finished surfaces that are essential to their air entrainment.

8. Reliability – Hand in hand with #7, no moving parts also means there’s not much that can stop them from working. They can operate continuously, if needed, or you can cycle them on & off as frequently as necessary to keep from using valuable compressed air, except when needed.

EXAIR’s award winning EFC Electronic Flow Control can be set to operate a Super Air Knife (or any of our Intelligent Compressed Air Products) in cycles as low as 0.1 seconds.

9. Static Eliminator option -The laminar, high velocity air flow is ideal for many blow off applications, but if static charge is a problem, an Ionizing Bar can be installed, turning the Super Air Knife into a Super Ion Air Knife:

10. Free stuff – OK; this last one is “super” for a limited time. Order a Super Air Knife between 11/1/22 and 12/31/2022, and get a FREE Safety Air Gun. Click here for details.

If you’d like to find out how the Super Air Knife – or any of our Intelligent Compressed Air Products can help you get the most out of your compressed air system, give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
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What’s So Great About the EXAIR Sanitary Flange Line Vacs?

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The greatness of EXAIR Line Vac Air Operated Conveyors can be summed up in a simple math(like) formula:

Line Vac + Hose or Pipe + Compressed Air = Instant Conveyor System

Today, dear reader, we’re going to explore the factors that contribute to the particular greatness of our Sanitary Flange Line Vacs:

Common industrial piping connections are difficult to sanitize, and offer ample breeding ground for bacteria.

Clean In Place capability. Many industrial fluid piping installations are made up of threaded or soldered connections, like those shown in the photo to the right. These products are easy to work with, readily available, and relatively inexpensive. They’re also unacceptable in facilities that require frequent cleaning to eliminate contamination – biological and otherwise – from their products & processes. Equipment in pharmaceutical, food production, and dairy farm facilities must be able to be sanitized effectively, so they’ll all use pipe & fittings that comply with specifications set forth in ISO Standard 2852 (Stainless steel clamp pipe couplings for the food industry) specifications for dimensions, surface roughness, materials, and assembly & hygienic requirements. While they’re known by a number of names – Tri-Clamp, Tri-Clover, S-Clamp, Sanitary, 3A, among others – they’re all aimed at compliance with ISO 2852. And EXAIR Sanitary Flange Line Vac products are compatible with any of them.

Sanitary Fittings come in number of configurations for quick & easy “making & breaking” for cleaning.

Diverse range of applications. While food & pharma are, by far, the main users, the ease of connection (and disconnection & reconnection), smooth ID specification for pipe, durability of stainless steel construction, and elimination of seams in fittings are all advantageous for other users as well:

  • A chemical company needed to remove long strands of cotton fiber away from a process, and convey it over a 60ft run to a scrap bin. The smooth ID of sanitary-grade stainless steel piping allows them to use a Model 161150-316 1-1/2″ Sanitary Flange Line Vac for reliable conveyance of this material, with no hang-ups or clogging in the long run of pipe.
  • An ammo manufacturer uses our Model 161200-316 2″ Sanitary Flange Line Vacs to convey small shell casings, in bulk from where they’re pressed, to where they’re loaded. They, too, like the smooth, seam-free pipe for conveyance, and the durability of all stainless steel construction. Another benefit is the quickness and ease of breaking & making the connections, as each Line Vac is used to convey these casings to multiple loading stations.
Sanitary Flange fittings make it easy to keep the inlet of this Model 161150-316 1-1/2″ Sanitary Flange Line Vac protected while not in use (left). The spring-loaded clamp makes it easy to swap out the cap for a barb fitting (middle) for use with a flexible suction hose (right).

Type 316 Stainless Steel Construction. Stainless Steel is specified for material construction for a number of reasons such as durability, aesthetics, and corrosion resistance. There are many alloys, and most will give you the smooth & shiny surface that folks think about when they think of stainless steel. Type 316, due to its hardness and particularly high resistance to chloride pitting corrosion, is extraordinarily popular in food & pharmaceutical application.

EXAIR Sanitary Flange Line Vacs come in four popular sizes, and are ideal for applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries…and others.

If you’ve got bulk material to move from “point A to point B”, EXAIR has a number of solutions to choose from. If you want to find out more, give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
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Hazardous Location Cabinet Cooler Systems “Make Things Better”

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In a previous arc in my career path, I worked on, and then built, and then sold industrial pumps, so I’ve been in my fair share of chemical plants. Did you ever wonder what all these places make? A decent number of them make what are called “intermediates”. These are compounds, solutions, & substances that aren’t found in stores, but go into almost all of the goods that ARE found in stores. One such company used to make commercials that explained it nicely:

I recently had the pleasure of assisting a caller from a company like this, who wanted to install three of our Hazardous Location Cabinet Cooler Systems in their facility. This particular company doesn’t make anything shown in the commercial above; they make intermediates for agricultural use (to paraphrase the commercial, “they don’t make fertilizer; they make fertilizer better”). As is the case in MANY chemical plants, a good portion of their real estate is classified as hazardous area (as defined by regulatory oversight agencies) AND subject to exposure to some fairly corrosive chemicals. Now, these places all go to great lengths to ensure safety for personnel AND equipment, through compliance AND design. So, when they needed to add durable & reliable heat protection to their electrical panels, they called EXAIR.

This was a pretty easy application, as the engineer I spoke to had gotten the internal heat loads from the equipment supplier, and already knew that 316SS construction was needed for the corrosive elements the equipment could be exposed to. The panel was in a Class I Div 2 area (flammable gasses or vapors may be present in the event of an accident or during unusual operating conditions). After calculating the external heat load, we specified a Model HZ4725SS-316 NEMA 4X (316SS Construction) Hazardous Location Cabinet Cooler System, rated for 1,700 Btu/hr, and Model 902021 24VDC HazLoc Solenoid Valve. These panels came equipped with temperature monitors that they could wire our valves into, otherwise we’d have supplied Thermostat Controlled systems.

EXAIR HazLoc Cabinet Cooler Systems are rated for Class I Div 1 & 2, Class II Div 1 & 2, and Class III environments.

EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems are available, from stock, to suit most any electric/electronic panel heat protection need:

  • Cooling capacities from 275 to 5,600 Btu/hr. Call me if your heat load is outside this range…we can look at customized solutions too.
  • NEMA 12 (IP54), 4, or 4X (IP66) ratings.
  • Thermostat Control – Standard, or Electronic Temperature Control.
  • Non-Hazardous Purge for contaminant exclusion on less-than-ideally sealed enclosures.
  • High Temperature models for ambient temperatures from 125°F (52°C) to 200°F (93°C).
  • Side Mount Kits when space is limited above the panel.
  • 316SS construction for particularly aggressive environments.
  • UL Classified for hazardous locations, just like the one I wrote about above.

If you’d like to find out how easy it is to provide durable and reliable heat protection for your electrical panels, give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
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