Tag: compressed air accessories

Silencing Mufflers

Published on by EricKuhnash@EXAIR.comLeave a comment

I live near an amusement park called Kings Island. In the later part of Spring I can hear and see the people and rides. As the Summer enters and the tree leaves have all grown they act like a muffler reducing the roller coaster noises and screaming people on the roller coasters. These trees are not high enough to block the nightly fireworks but this is a good thing for me as I enjoy the sights and sounds of the fireworks.

An important focus in every manufacturing environment is a “Noise Reduction” campaign making a safer and healthier area for people working in the environment. EXAIR has Silencing Mufflers that can support your efforts for noise reduction. We have a variety of mufflers which will help to reduce work area noise produced by air exhausting from cylinders, valves and other air powered equipment. EXAIR Silencing Mufflers help plants meet OSHA Standard 1910.95(a) by reducing the sound to safer levels. Not only do our Silencing Mufflers reduce sound but they also eliminate harmful dead end pressures by covering up an open port or opening. These openings do not have a pathway for harmful pressurized air to escape if they become blocked.

Sintered Bronze Mufflers: A low cost solution and easy to install in new and existing air powered products. Sintered bronze muffler come in a variety of sizes (10-32 thread size up through 1/2-20 UNF female) and are capable of passing a certain volume of air with minimal back pressure restriction.

Reclassifying Mufflers: These mufflers are an upgrade from Sintered Bronze Mufflers. They offer the best noise reduction, up to 35 decibels. Available from 1/8 NPT up to 1 NPT. Reclassifying Muffles also eliminate oil mist. The patented wrap design of the removable element separates oil from the exhausted air so virtually no oil is released into the environment.

Straight-Through Mufflers: These mufflers offer a corrosion resistant aluminum outer shell lined with sound absorbing foam for better noise reduction. The typical noise reduction is up to 20dB.

Heavy Duty Mufflers: feature a corrosion-resistant aluminum outer shell with an internal stainless steel screen that protects valves and cylinders from contamination that could enter through the exhaust ports. The typical noise reduction is up to 14 dB.

EXAIR can help in your noise reduction projects with many options to consider. If you have any questions or need help selecting the right muffler for your needs please contact any of our qualified Application Engineers.

Eric Kuhnash
Application Engineer
E-mail: EricKuhnash@exair.com
Twitter: Twitter: @EXAIR_EK

Undersized Regulators Create Performance Problems with Compressed Air

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

“I have a Cabinet Cooler installed on my panel but it isn’t getting the temperature down cold enough. Can you quote me for a duplicate system to install on this panel?” This was a recent inquiry from a customer regarding an electrical enclosure that they had installed in their plant. The Cabinet Cooler was producing cold air, but not enough to keep the cabinet at their desired temperature. It would seem logical that they need additional capacity, right? While that could be the case, in this instance it most definitely was not.

When we get questions like this, we first want to take a closer look at the current installation. The cooling capacity for each system is published in our catalog. BUT, in order to rate a cooling capacity for any type of cooling system, some assumptions must be made. All Cabinet Coolers are specified with 70°F compressed air fed to the Cabinet Cooler at a pressure of 100 PSIG. In addition, each cooler has a specified volume of air that it must utilize in order to produce that rated cooling capacity. If any one of those parameters change, so does the overall cooling power.

In this particular case, the customer had installed a non-EXAIR pressure regulator just upstream of the cooler. Upon looking at the specifications for this regulator, it was found that the overall volume of air it can deliver was just 10% of the overall volume needed to produce the rated 1700 Btu/hr. They didn’t need another Cabinet Cooler System, they just needed to remove that restriction! Upon learning that it needed 100 PSIG, they removed the regulator and supplied full line pressure. No more heat alarms for that shift!

CC undersized valve

Rather than purchasing and installing an unnecessary system, they were able to get back up and running just by removing the problem upstream. At EXAIR, we want to make sure that you’re getting the most out of our products. Just because you call and inquire about a new purchase doesn’t necessarily mean that you need it. We’re here to help you determine if something is afoul with the current setup and make sure you have all of the knowledge necessary to rectify it.

We’re right in the middle of summer, and boy is it hot out there. If you have panels that are overheating and creating problems for you in your processes, give us a call. With Cabinet Cooler Systems ready to ship same day from stock (with properly sized regulators) you can have it fixed by tomorrow.

Tyler Daniel
Application Engineer
E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_TD

Preventative Maintenance for EXAIR Filters

Published on by John BallLeave a comment

Good engineering practice calls for point of use filtration and moisture removal, such as that provided by EXAIR Filter Separators.

I read a white paper from Parker Hannifin about compressed air filters.  The idea behind the paper was to remember your filter replacements.  Compressed air can be dirty with water, oil, pipe scale, etc.  As the filters capture the contamination, it will start to build pressure drop.  Remember, pressure drop is a waste of energy in your compressed air system.

Majority of EXAIR products use compressed air for cleaning, cooling, conveying, static elimination, coating and more.  To help keep them running efficiently, it is important to supply them with clean, dry, pressurized air.  EXAIR offers a line of Filter Separators and Oil Removal Filters to supply quality air to your equipment.  In this blog, I will explain the two types of filters that we carry and the maintenance requirements.  Filters and preventative measures can play an important part in your compressed air system.

Filter Separators are used to remove bulk liquid and contamination from the compressed air stream.  They utilize a 5-micron filter with a mechanical separation to help remove large amounts of dirt and water.  This type of filter would be considered the minimum requirement for filtration.  Most of the Filter Separators come with an auto-drain to automatically dispense the collection of oil and water.  EXAIR offers a variety of port sizes and flow ranges to meet your pneumatic flow requirement.  For maintenance, the filter elements should be changed once a year or when the pressure drop reaches 10 PSID (0.7 bar), whichever comes first.  I created a list in Table 1 below showing the correct replacement element kits for each model number.  And for any reason, if the bowl or internal components get damaged, we also have Rebuild Kits as well.  Just remember, the air quality is very important for longevity and functionality of your pneumatic systems and even for EXAIR products.

The Oil Removal Filters can make your compressed air even cleaner.  They work great at removing very small particles of dirt and oil.  They are made from glass fibers and can remove particles down to 0.03 micron.  They are designed to collect small particles and to coalesce the liquid particles into a large droplet for gravity to remove.  Because of the fine matrix, Oil Removal Filters are not great for bulk separation.  If you have a system with lots of oil and water, I would recommend to use the Filter Separator upstream of the Oil Removal Filter.  As with the Filter Separator, the filter element should be changed once a year or at a pressure drop of 10 PSID (0.7 bar).  EXAIR also offers a variety of port sizes and flow ranges.  Table 1 below shows the replacement Element Kits as well as the Rebuild Kits.  If the application requires very clean compressed air, the Oil Removal Filter should be used.

Table 1

By using EXAIR filters, they will clean your compressed air to prevent contamination on parts, performance issues, and premature failures.  As an ounce of prevention, you should add the replacement elements in stock and enter them in your preventative maintenance program.  With quality air, your pneumatic system and EXAIR products will provide you with effective, long-lasting performance without any maintenance downtime.  If you would like to discuss the correct type of filters to use in your application, you can speak with an Application Engineer.  We will be happy to help you.

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

Video Blog: Filter/Separator and Pressure Regulator Mounting and Coupling Kit Installation

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

Using EXAIR mounting and coupling kits you can assemble EXAIR Filters and Regulators into one plug and play assembly. Follow along with the video posted below to complete this task!

If you need a deeper understanding about how EXAIR’s products can be applied and help your process or product, feel free to contact us and we will do our best to give you a clear understanding of the benefits when using our engineered compressed air products. We can also explain proper implementation of accessory items such as compressed air filters and regulators.

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer

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