Tag: Accessories

Big Or Small, We’ve Got ‘Em All! Vortex Tubes, That Is

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about using large Vortex Tubes for freeze sealing/plugging of pipes. Even though they’re our LARGE Vortex Tubes, they’re still WAY smaller than the liquid nitrogen rigs that are also prevalent for this application. Smaller, in this case, means easier to handle and quicker to set up (and break down.)

So, that’s a case where a smaller device is used to do the same job. Today, I wanted to examine the different sizes of Vortex Tubes that we offer, when the job itself is what’s changing in size.

The Large Vortex Tubes are specified when a high flow of cold air is needed. Like the aforementioned freeze seals. Or this one, published in our catalog:

This is a typical application for a Large Vortex Tube.
This is a typical application for a Large Vortex Tube.

Our Medium Vortex Tubes are the most popular – there are ten to choose from, depending on the cold air flow rate and temperature you’re looking for. These can produce temperatures as cold as -40°F (-40°C) when set to a 20% Cold Fraction (which is the percentage of total supply air that’s directed to the cold end) and cold air flows as high as 32 SCFM when set to an 80% Cold Fraction, which will produce a cold air temperature of about 20°F (-7°C). Some common uses are cooling ultrasonic welds and brazed joints.

The Medium Vortex Tubes are so popular, in fact, that they’re incorporated into our Adjustable Spot Cooler and Cold Gun Systems. They come ready-to-go with mufflers, cold air hose kits, and magnetic bases, so they couldn’t be easier to use.

The Small Vortex Tubes are great when very low flows are needed, or if compressed air supply is limited. These are specified for much smaller applications, like cooling the needle of a sewing machine, small drill bits, etc. You can also get one with a cold air hose & magnetic base…that’s the Mini Cooler System.

Another advantage that makes the Vortex Tubes a great choice for cold air production is their consistency and dependability. If you supply one with clean, dry air, it’ll operate just about indefinitely, maintenance free. And if you need a constant supply of air as a certain temperature, say, for testing a thermostat or temperature switch, a Vortex Tube is exactly what you’re looking for: the only things that’ll change the cold air temperature are the compressed air supply temperature & pressure…assuming you don’t change the Cold Fraction yourself, as shown here:

If you’ve got an application requiring cold air flow, give us a call. We’re eager to help!

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
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Rewards, Deals, And Free Stuff

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I’ve got a stack of plastic in my wallet. No; it’s not credit cards…I learned my lesson (and paid my tuition) at that school long ago. See, these are the ubiquitous “rewards” type cards…the ones that get you discounts, “points” for use at future purchases, etc., when you present it to the cashier at the time of your current purchase. While I’m perfectly happy to take advantage of the savings on stuff I’m going to buy anyway, I also know that the business who gave me that card is tracking my purchases (along with everyone else’s, very likely including you, dear reader) in order to position product, set pricing, more effectively advertise, and otherwise promote their goods and/or services in the most profitable manner.

Over the course of the past week, the card that I use at my favorite lunchtime (and…full disclosure: other times too) sandwich shop has netted me a coupon, printed on my receipt for a nice discount on my next meal there. It’s only good for the next four days following, so I have to be mindful to “use it or lose it.” Which is about as likely as anyone in my household finding out what the ill effects of letting ice cream reach its expiration date in our freezer.

But I digress…back to the sandwiches. I’m currently 3 for 3 on the coupon deals. I know, in my heart of hearts, that they will not last forever. I’m not going to lie to you; that’s going to be a hard day. But I’ll manage – I do covet your thoughts and well wishes, though.

We don’t have an EXAIR “rewards” card…

Although, how cool would that be? I'm looking at YOU, Marketing Dept!!!
Although, how cool would that be? I’m looking at YOU, Marketing Dept!!!

…but we do want to help you take full advantage of “deals” that can net you big savings. The biggest of these, by far, is in the amount of compressed air our Intelligent Compressed Air Products can save you, if you’re currently using non-engineered, commercial-grade or even homemade blow off devices. For more on how we’ve helped others with this, check out our Knowledge Base’s Application Database (registration required.) For specific details on how much we’ve helped some of them save, I refer you to our Case Study Library.

Speaking of Case Studies, that’s another way we can help you save. If you have an application where we can possibly quantify the benefits of replacing your current method with an EXAIR solution, successful participation in a Case Study will get you a credit on your recent purchase, or a discount on your next.  Give me a call if you want to know more.

If you’re a fan of free stuff, we also run promotions from time to time…like the two we’re running right now:

*With the purchase of an EXAIR Safety Air Gun, we’re offering a free 1” Flat Super Air Nozzle, applicable to purchases through 9/30/2015. These highly efficient, unique nozzles use a special patented shim to release a precise amount of air, creating a wide, forceful stream of high velocity, laminar airflow, while minimizing air consumption and noise levels. Different shims (sold separately) are available to produce stark changes in performance.

Model 1126 1" Flat Super Air Nozzle is durable and versatile...and FREE, with a Safety Air Gun purchase by 9/3/15!
Model 1126 1″ Flat Super Air Nozzle is durable and versatile…and FREE, with a Safety Air Gun purchase by 9/3/15!

*Is the midsummer heat giving you fits with your electrical and electronics panels & enclosures? EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems provide a quick and easy to install solution. Not only can we accurately specify the system you need and ship it the same day, we’ll also give you a free AC Sensor if you buy before 8/31/2015.

Cooling capacities to 5,600 Btu/hr, installed in minutes: EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems. FREE AC Sensor with purchase by 8/31/15!
Cooling capacities to 5,600 Btu/hr, installed in minutes: EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems. FREE AC Sensor with purchase by 8/31/15!

Regardless of how we can start (or continue) saving you money, compressed air (which is money,) or improving your noise levels, safety, and overall conditions in your workplace (which can be even better than money,) we look forward to hearing from you. And soon, if you want to take advantage of our promotions.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
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DSCF5588 image courtesy of Joe Loong.  Creative Commons License

Cool Job, Cool Products

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I’ve got a pretty cool job. I’ve written about this before…in fact, as recently as last week, in a piece about workplace safety, and how EXAIR is all over it, all the way. Brian Farno also blogged the other day about how EXAIR recognizes, appreciates, and celebrates achievement. Like usual, actually.

So yeah; this is a pretty cool job. And, just to put that into perspective, my first “grown up” job set the bar pretty high: upon completion of Naval Nuclear Power School, I was assigned to the initial manning crew of a new construction Trident submarine. When I got there in the spring of 1987, “tha thirty-five boat,” as the future USS Pennsylvania (SSBN-735) was known, was ON the pier (not NEXT to it) and we boarded through hull cuts in Engine Room Lower Level & the Torpedo Room. For two years, we worked with shipyard personnel to install, test, & certify all ship’s systems, and then took her out in the summer of 1989 for a rigorous series of sea trials. I wish there were words capable of conveying the extent of “job satisfaction” we felt when we submerged for the first time, and the whole ocean stayed outside the boat.

I was reminded of this the other day when I saw a news account of the bow section of a submarine being transported via barge from the shipyard that fabricated this section, to the shipyard that’s assembling the boat. Here’s a video clip of one such transit, from about a year ago:

I’ve written before about how compressed air is (and isn’t) used on board a submarine at sea. Compressed air is also used, for some pretty neat stuff, in their construction & service. And EXAIR Compressed Air Products are in the mix:

*Sometimes during work on a piping system, it’s not possible to isolate a particular section with valves, so a freeze seal is applied: a collar fits around the outside of the pipe, and very cold fluid is circulated through the collar. This freezes the liquid inside the pipe, forming a “plug,” which allows you to work on the piping downstream, just the same as if you had shut a valve there. One method of doing this is with liquid nitrogen…you take a big tank of the stuff to your work site, implement all the safety precautions you need to handle pressurized liquid at -321°F (spoiler alert: it’s complicated,) make up your connections, hope they don’t leak, and activate the system. Depending on the length of the job and the size of the tank, you may need to change it out…which, again, is complicated.  And yes, I’ve done it.

It's a real shame to foul this view with a block & tackle to lower a pressurized nitrogen tank down.
It’s a real shame to foul this view with a block & tackle to lower a pressurized nitrogen tank down.

Or, like several shipyards are doing currently, you can install an EXAIR Maximum Cold Temperature Vortex Tube to the collar, run a compressed air line to it, and you can supply cold air as low as -40°F, which will freeze a plug in that pipe for as long as you keep your air compressor running.

Vortex Tube
EXAIR Vortex Tubes produce cold air, on demand, with no moving parts.

*Another application has to do not with the equipment, but the people working on it. Welding is a hot job – there’s really no way around it – and welding in tight spaces can present real issues for the folks involved. Fans and blowers can provide a good amount of ventilation, but they also take up some room, which there may not be any to spare.

Enter EXAIR Air Amplifiers – they’re compact, lightweight, and use a small amount of compressed air to blow a high flow of cooling air, right where it’s needed.

EXAIR Air Amplifiers use a small amount of compressed air to create a tremendous amount of air flow.
EXAIR Air Amplifiers use a small amount of compressed air to create a tremendous amount of air flow.

These are just a couple of examples of how a large industry – shipbuilding – is using EXAIR products to capitalize on efficiency in a challenging environment. Regardless of your situation, if you’d like to learn if EXAIR can help out, give us a call.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
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Up Ladder courtesy of Russ Bowman  Creative Commons License

How Much Compressed Air Can YOU Save?

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

I had the pleasure of speaking with a service technician with a pneumatics company recently…he was finishing up a large project for a customer that involved modifying some machinery to reduce compressed air consumption. After the performance of the newly modified machinery was verified, the customer wanted to know how they could be sure they were indeed saving the amount of air that the project engineer estimated that they would save. That’s when he called to ask about EXAIR Digital Flowmeters.

EXAIR Digital Flowmeters are available for iron pipe up to 6", and copper pipe up to 4".
EXAIR Digital Flowmeters are available for iron pipe up to 6″, and copper pipe up to 4″.

If you follow the famous (to EXAIR blog readers, anyway) Six Steps To Optimizing Your Compressed Air System, you know that this is Step #1. So, was it too late to apply a measurement device? Of course not…in this case, the machinery’s original published compressed air consumption rates were used to compare the new actual usage according to the Digital Flowmeter, and it was simple arithmetic from there.  They installed a Model 9095 Digital Flowmeter for 2″ Iron Pipe on the header supplying the machinery, and were not only impressed with the results of the upgrade, but also enjoy the at-a-glance verification of air flow.

Naturally, if you ask for our assistance in the planning stages of a compressed air optimization project, we’ll encourage you to follow the Six Steps in order. Depending on the nature of the problem(s) and the size & complexity of your system, there may be more or less attention paid to certain steps than others.

For instance, a system that was originally equipped with Receiver Tanks at predetermined locations might allow us to skip right over Step #5. If engineered or automated controls, like our EFC Electronic Flow Control & Pressure Regulators are already incorporated, we can check off Steps #4 and #6.

Receiver Tanks are an ideal solution for intermittent demands for high volumes of compressed air.
Receiver Tanks are an ideal solution for intermittent demands for high volumes of compressed air.
The EFC Electronic Flow Control uses a photoelectric sensor to turn air flow on & off, as needed.
The EFC Electronic Flow Control uses a photoelectric sensor to turn air flow on & off, as needed.
Use an EXAIR Pressure Regulator to limit your air supply pressure to the value necessary to accomplish the task.
Use an EXAIR Pressure Regulator to limit your air supply pressure to the value necessary to accomplish the task.

Regardless of “where” you start with your optimization project, “when” you start should be right now. Leaks and inefficiencies won’t fix themselves. Give us a call, and let’s get started.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
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