Tag: air savings

Don’t Waste Your Money (or Compressed Air)

Published on by exaircorpLeave a comment

This week I worked with a customer trying to separate a 135” wide paper sheet from a fabric used for commercial paper towel machines. They were using 45 spray nozzles, spaced 3” apart on a manifold, to blow off the sheet which then would fall into a chute below. The nozzles were doing the job but they were growing more concerned with their compressed air expense for this process.

Competitor Nozzle
45 pcs. of this nozzle were replaced with EXAIR’s Super Air Knife to save $87,000 annually!

The current nozzle setup was also causing another issue – there were “empty voids or gaps” in the airflow between the nozzles, which resulted in creases in the fabric. They were considering adding more nozzles and spacing them 2” apart but that was only going to increase their compressed air expense, so I asked them to consider our Super Air Knife. They were intrigued but were concerned that they would consume more compressed air, you’ll see below that the Super Air Knife uses less air and eliminates the creasing problem because the Super Air Knife provides a continuous airflow from end to end.

After reviewing the specs, I determined that each nozzle was consuming 29.6 SCFM @ 90 PSIG of compressed air, meaning they were consuming 1,332 SCFM for the process (29.6 SCFM x 45 nozzles).

I recommended using (2) 48” and (1) 42” Aluminum Super Air Knives, coupled together, to provide a 138” laminar sheet of airflow. I chose these In Stock – Ready to Ship lengths, so the customer wouldn’t have to order a special length even though that lead time would have only been 3 days. The Super Air Knife only consumes 2.9 SCFM @ 80 PSI (per inch of knife), and provides a laminar sheet of uniform airflow with a 40:1 air amplification rate, which would not only perform in the application, but also provide the needed compressed air savings.

SAK
What a great replacement for multiple nozzle manifolds! How SAK works

Using the above air consumption for our Super Air Knife, 2.9 SCFM @ 80 PSI (per inch of knife or 2.9 SCFM x 138”), I calculated the Super Air Knife consuming 400.2 SCFM @ 80 PSIG.

Since their process is a 24 hour operation, Monday – Friday, every week of the year, I calculated the following (* Using $ 0.25 per 1000 SCF used):

  • 45 nozzles x 29.6 SCFM = 1,332 SCFM @ 90 PSIG
  • 1332 SCFM (current) – 400.2 SCFM (EXAIR proposed) = 931.8 SCFM saved
  • 931.8 SCFM x 60 minutes x $ 0.25 / 1000 SCF = $ 13.98 saved per hour
  • $ 13.98 per hour x 24 hours = $ 335.52 saved per working day
  • $ 335.52/day x 5 days = $ 1,677.60 saved per week
  • $ 1,677.60 week x 52 weeks = $ 87,235.20 in yearly savings

After reviewing this savings with the customer, they mentioned they were glad they called because they were looking at increasing their air compressor size or purchasing another auxiliary unit. Now, they were not only going to save money on their current process, but they were eliminating the need to spend major funding on another compressor – not to mention the saved compressed air being available for future growth and processes.

At EXAIR, we commit to providing our customers with solutions to optimizing their current compressed air system.

Please contact an Application Engineer for optimizing your system today.

Justin Nicholl
Application Engineer
justinnicholl@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_JN

 

Don’t Waste Money On Your Waste Removal

Published on by Dave WoernerLeave a comment

Lately, we have been receiving calls from customers that are looking for a wet/dry vac that they are accustomed to seeing in the form of an electrical vacuum for their home work shop.  They call us wanting a general clean up vacuum for their shop.  The items they are looking to clean up are coolant, dust and chips.  Our solution for this is to run two vacuums, and most people are asking why can’t it do both.  The answer – cost.

Generally, people seeking EXAIR’s pneumatic vacuums already see the value in the durability of a vacuum with no moving parts to maintain or replace when comparing to electric vacuums. It is the simplest of dollar savings,  the longer the product lasts and is maintenance free, the more money you will save from the absence of repair parts or new vacuums. And electric vacuums are notorious for burning up motors and not lasting within tough industrial environments. You can read about additional features/benefits within EXAIR’s pneumatic vacuum line here and here, but I will talk about our products specifications in detail.

EXAIR has two categories of vacuum, wet vacs and dry vacs.  The original wet vac for vacuuming coolant, swarf, or oil is the Reversible Drum Vac (RDV), used to easily empty and fill coolant sumps quickly. The Chip Trapper features a filtration system which removes chips and debris that is within the coolant, keeping the coolant clean, extending the coolant life and minimizing surfaces for bacteria to grow.  The Reversible Drum Vac and the Chip Trapper Systems use 19 SCFM of compressed air at 80 PSIG of and can fill a drum with 55 gallons of water in 90 seconds. These workhorse vacuums will last many years and withstand the rugged treatment found in hardworking manufacturing facilities.

Drum Vac

In the other category of  our industrial vacuums are the “dry” vacuums.  This term “dry” is a little ambiguous, because the vacuums will be able to move some liquid.  For instance, the liquid coating a chip or spills on the shop floor can easily be picked up with the dry vacuums.  We have a number of dry vacuums available:  The Chip Vac is a continuous duty vacuum used for general cleanup around machinery. The Chip Vac drum lid assembly can be used from drum to drum to aid in separating and recycling materials. Our Heavy Duty Dry Vac is best for applications vacuuming heavy materials, abrasive medias or longer distance (20′). And the Heavy Duty HEPA Vac is designed to provide protection from airborne particulate and is suited for dusty environments.

Exair-heavy-duty-HEPA-vacuum

To compare EXAIR products with other pneumatic vacuums, let’s look at the Chip Vac (40 SCFM at 80 PSIG) and the RDV above (19 SCFM at 80 PSIG). Combining the two vacuums you would require (59 SCFM at 80 PSIG. If you search long enough, you could find a pneumatic vacuum that is advertised as wet/dry, but this ability comes at a cost.  The most obvious cost is the upfront purchase price, which is consistently much higher than the combined cost of the (2) EXAIR units.  Also the units range in air use from 68 SCFM to 110 SCFM.  That is up to 86% more air required!

Let’s assume that you did run both constantly.  The wet/dry vac will cost you $0.14 extra an hour to run, assuming that your compressed air cost is $0.25 per 1,000 SCF.  That is really an unfair comparison to our products though, because we could have (2) vacuums operating at different locations in the plant accomplishing twice as much work.  Even still the (2) EXAIR units will save $810 per year with 250 working days in a year and 24 working hours in a day.

$810 per year may not sound like to much to you.  What if we change the scenario? How much air can you save? Let’s say you run a large wet/dry vacuum, which consumes 110 SCFM, everyday for 8 hours over 250 working days. The wet/dry vacuum will use 52,800 SCF per day or 13,200,000 SCF per year.  This compress air will cost you $3,300 just to compress that air. By comparison, the Chip Vac will only cost you $1,200 per year to run in compressed air.  Using the Chip Vac instead of the wet/dry vac, will save you $2,100 per year. in compressed air operating costs.

Dave Woerner
Application Engineer
Davewoerner@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_DW

EXAIR Super Air Knife: Reduce Cost, Reduce Noise, Increase Safety

Published on by Lee EvansLeave a comment

This question from end user’s comes up again and again:

“I know EXAIR makes Air Knives. Do you have one for this application?”

We can answer, almost unequivocally, with a resounding “YES!” Whether we can meet the needs of the application with a stock product, or through manufacturing a specially made unit, we make every effort to provide the needed solution.

Super Air Knife Replaces Drilled Pipe Blow Off

Case in point, in the application above, a specific length Air Knife was desired to remove debris from material as it goes into a processing chamber. The current setup (outlined in red)  uses drilled holes in a section of pipe which are costly, loud, and unsafe.

How costly, you ask? Our customer stated this knife was 100″ long with 3/32″ holes on 2″ centers (50 holes). EXAIR test results on 3/32″ drilled holes confirm 15 SCFM per hole at 80 PSIG inlet pressure. The customer also estimates this drilled pipe operates for a total of 1 hour every day, 250 days per year. Using $0.25 per 1000 SCFM we can calculate the following:

  • 50 holes x 15 SCFM = 750 SCFM at 80 PSIG
  • 750 SCFM x 60 minutes per day = 45,000 SCF per day
  • 45,000 SCF x 250 days = 11,250,000 SCF per year
  • 11,250,000/1000 x $0.25 = $2812.50 cost per year

How loud, you ask? Our customer confirmed all personnel near the application were require to wear ear protection at all times. Though they were unable to provide a decibel (dBA) level, the need for hearing protection would indicate this pipe was operating in excess of 100 dBA.

How unsafe, you ask? Air can be dangerous when the outlet pressure of a hole is greater than 30 PSIG. In the event any of the holes were blocked by a hand or other body part, air may enter the bloodstream through the skin, resulting in serious injury. All of the Air Knives manufactured by EXAIR have been engineered for safety. They are all safe to be supplied with higher pressure compressed air and meet OSHA standard CFR 1910.242(b). Drilled holes in a pipe DO NOT MEET this OSHA standard.

Initially, discussions with this end user focused on a custom length, custom built Super Air Knife. Given the dimensions of the processing environment, we determined the desired length and the end user was thrilled we could not only make to their specifications, but offer 3 day delivery as well.

As the discussion carried on, we realized that the special length Super Air Knife, while applicable, was not a critical requirement for the application. With this new consideration, a stock length knife was chosen, and just like any stock EXAIR product, we had it on the shelf, ready to ship the same day.

This application highlights several benefits of the EXAIR Super Air Knife solution – compressed air savings, noise reduction, providing safety, and quick delivery. EXAIR Super Air Knives solve multiple problems for end users and OEM’s in a variety of applications.

Compressed Air Savings: 

  • 96″ knife with 2.9 SCFM per inch consumption at 80 PSIG = 278.4 SCFM at 80 PSIG
  • 278.4 x 60 minutes per day = 16,704 SCF per day
  • 16,704 SCF x 250 days = 4,176,000 SCF per year
  • 4,176,000/1000 x $0.25 = $1044 cost per year
  • $2812.50 (drilled pipe annual air cost) – $1044 (EXAIR 96″ Super Air Knife air cost) = $1768.50 SAVINGS the first year!

Noise levels reduced to under 80 dBA. 

SAFETY: EXAIR Super Air Knives meet the OSHA standard CFR 1910.242(b).

Switching this customer over to an engineered solution provided a win in these three important areas of any operation. If assistance is needed determining which Super Air Knife best suits your application, contact an Application Engineer.

Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_LE

How Much Compressed Air Can EXAIR Nozzles Save You?

Published on by Lee EvansLeave a comment

What do you do when you realize the existing blow off in an application is wasteful and not OSHA compliant? You call EXAIR!

Vibratory Feed Bowl

Vibratory Feed Bowl Plumbing

In the process shown above, threaded fasteners are fed into a vibratory feed bowl, assisted by open copper pipe blow offs. Looking for opportunities to lower compressed air use, save operational costs, and lower noise levels, the end user contacted the Application Engineering department at EXAIR.
Initially our conversation focused on the required force of the blow off, current air consumption, and current noise levels. The required force was unknown, current compressed air consumption was unknown, and the noise level was given the often heard description – “LOUD! “

So, to determine the nozzle required, without knowing the force required, the end user cited the weight of each fastener. With a range of 0.017 -0.049 pounds per piece, I recommended the 1108SS Atto Super Air Nozzle. Sensing that a bit more force was desired to produce a comfortable margin of force, we moved to the 1109SS Pico Super Air Nozzle and the 1110SS Nano Super Air Nozzle nozzles for testing, with the most suitable nozzle becoming the choice solution.

After discussing force, it was time to discuss flow. Without an idea of the current compressed air use, it would be difficult to quantify the compressed air savings by installing EXAIR Air Nozzles. And, even though the compressed air use was unknown, we determined approximate flow based on orifice size and operating pressure. With an orifice of 0.109″ operating at 80 PSIG, the compressed air consumption per copper tube of approximately 18 SCFM (Based on chart value below.). The feed bowl has at least 5 open tube blow offs, resulting in a total compressed air use of 90+ SCFM. By converting to our 1110SS nozzles, the compressed air use can be reduced to 41.5 SCFM, a savings of over 50%! By installing EXAIR engineered nozzles, approximately 12HP of compressor load was removed from the system. Considering that the facility has upwards of (15) feed bowls, the savings in implementing the EXAIR solution become very large, very fast.

Flow Of Air Through An Orifice In SCFM

Lastly, we discussed noise. Open pipes can be the source of incredibly loud noise levels. The end user estimated 90 dBA or higher. The EXAIR 1110SS Nano Super Air Nozzles has a sound level rating of 75 dBA, reducing the sound level exponentially. The icing on the cake for the end user, above and beyond the compressed air savings and noise level reduction, was the safety added by the EXAIR nozzles. All EXAIR products operate below OSHA dead ended pressure requirements (OSHA Standard 29 CFR 1910-242(b)).

Applications like this are what EXAIR is all about. Meeting or exceeding existing performance levels while lowering compressed air use and noise levels, and adding safety to the work environment. If you have a similar application or need advice regarding EXAIR products, contact an EXAIR Application Engineer.

Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_LE