Tag: Cooling

Exorcising Maxwell’s Demon – Not Really

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

We all have our demons, and James Clerk Maxwell was no different. While he and I weren’t close, I have gotten to know one of his demons over the past 13 years. Okay, so in all seriousness, James Clerk Maxwell is a well-known Scottish Mathematician who throughout his life discovered a way to break the second law of thermodynamics and that became known as Maxwell’s Demon. So what exactly was his demon?

It was in 1867 when Maxwell wrote a letter and described his first encounter with the theory. In this letter, he wrote he spoke of a “finite being” that would control a massless door that separated two chambers of gas. This door would be opened and closed to permit a faster-moving molecule into the fast chamber, which also carried more heat, and then the slower-moving particles from the hot chamber into the slow chamber which was also cooling constantly. Because the velocity of a gas is dependent on the kinetic temperature of the molecule and its surrounding molecules. Since the demon was separating the hot and cold molecules it would permit one chamber to warm up while the other chamber cools down below ambient air conditions. This in turn decreases the total entropy of the system yet doesn’t do any work. Thus, violating the great second law of thermodynamics.

It wasn’t Maxwell that related this “finite being” to a demon, instead it was William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin who we associate absolute temperatures with in order to pay our respects of all his work. Lord Kelvin originally, published the thoughts in response to letters that Maxwell had written to other scholars. Kelvin did not mean for this to be a correlation with the malevolent being instead to be related to a daemon from Greek mythology which is a supernatural being who performs work behind the scenes. So why do we connect Maxwell’s demon to anything to do with an Intelligent Compressed Air Product?

In the spirit of Maxwell’s Demon, the separation of air molecules into a cold and hot air stream, without work being done can be directly related to a Vortex Tube. The Vortex Tube does exactly this, as an air stream enters the compressed air inlet, the air enters into the generator chamber where it is spun at very high speeds and sent down what is called the hot tube. As the air is spinning and traveling, it separates into a hot and cold air stream. The cold air is then sent down and out the cold end of the Vortex Tube while the hot air stream is exhausted out the hot end.

How a Vortex Tube Works

The percentage of cold air exit vs hot air exit is deemed the cold fraction and effects the temperature drop and rise for the respective stream of air. This gives us the ability to slightly control the demon, and thus we learn how to make this supernatural being work for us, and thus we never break the second law of thermodynamics, it’s actually this demon.

EXAIR Vortex Tube Performance Chart

In all seriousness, this thought experiment still continues to be a talk of physicists, mathematicians and scholars. They utilize Vortex Tubes in experiments to better understand how Maxwell came up with this thought and just how can they control this supernatural being.

If you would like to discuss how to utilize a Vortex Tube in your application or any of the EXAIR product lines, contact any Application Engineer today.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

EXAIR Air Amplifiers Blow Fans out of the Water!

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

EXAIR’s product line contains many products that can be used for cooling. The focus of this blog will be Super Air Amplifiers. These often times get placed in a head-to-head competition with an electric fan. The best part, they easily come out on top.

When looking at the benefits other than performance and rate of cooling due to air entrainment, many customers prefer the Super Air Amplifier due to the fact there are no moving parts. This comes into play when cooling within in a hard-to-reach area or within a harsh process is needed.  Placing an electric motor with a blade held on by fasteners may not be desirable from a maintenance standpoint. The Super Air Amplifiers do not require electricity and there is not a motor or bearings that would need to be replaced or inspected.

Another benefit is the small footprint of the Super Air Amplifier. This can also be seen within the video below where the Air Amplifier is shown is able to produce 341 SCFM (9,650 SLPM) in amplified airflow. Compared to the fan in the video, the amplifier is less than a 1/4 of the size but outperforms the fan in cooling the metal block! This allows users to place a small unit inside a tight area or chamber that requires large volumes of air.  For instance, a rotomolded part that has a large chamber, and it needs surfaces to be cooled in order for the part to hold its shape from the mold rather than warp.  This can also be coupled with the fact that a Super Air Amplifier can be ducted on either the suction or discharge side in order to retrieve cool air or move the warm air out of the area.

Speaking of warm, the Super Air Amplifiers are also manufactured to withstand up to 275 °F (135 °C) from stock.  Stainless Steel and High-temperature models go well beyond that temp, up to 700 °F (374 °C). Custom-designed (flanges and different materials are common) versions are also available with short lead-times.

If you would like to discuss the benefits to a Super Air Amplifier further, feel free to contact us.

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer

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Cabinet Cooler® System Calculator – EXAIR’s Latest Do-It-Yourself Tool!

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

At EXAIR we are constantly moving, changing, growing, and building products and tools to help anyone that comes into contact with us or our products. Evidence of this includes our continued launches of new product and tools that you can see in our Press Releases. Our newest tool provides a do-it-yourself solution to determine which Cabinet Cooler System model number your electrical or control panel will need. This easiest way to reach this new tool is to follow our websites Resource’s button to the Calculator Library. We have made the selection process easier and faster with this new calculator.

Historically, the Cabinet Cooler sizing guide was the fastest way to receive a recommendation – But now, the calculator provides a do-it-yourself solution with instant feedback!

While we have always offered the ability to fill out a Cabinet Cooler Sizing Guide (above) and email, call, chat or fax the information to us. With the right amount of information provided, an e-mail will provide you an answer within 24 hours. With a phone call or online chat, we can get you an answer in 5-10 minutes. But now you can receive instant feedback as to which Cabinet Cooler System is needed to combat an overheating cabinet by using the Cabinet Cooler Calculator. We have poured our knowledge and experience from over the years into the tool to best fit to our standards of correctly calculating and compensating for diverse environments and demands of electrical panels.

With some basic information on the panel, environment, and compressed air available, the calculator will calculate the internal heat load, external heat load, compensate for non-optimal compressed air temperature or pressure, and solar heat load(where applicable) then show the exact model number needed to reach the desired temperature for the panel. You can then immediately learn more about that specific model or order that model online. Of course you can also reach out to anyone here at EXAIR and receive answers to additional questions and or place the order with an actual person.

If you want to discuss your overheating panels or if you have some questions on why we are asking for certain variables on the Cabinet Cooler Calculator, feel free to contact us.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

Adjustable Air Amplifiers: Versatile, Rugged, and EFFICIENT!

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

Adjustability is a key feature for several EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air Products… for example our Adjustable Air Amplifiers.  The ‘adjustable’ part has to do with setting the air flow volume and force:

Just loosen the locking ring, and you can thread the plug out of, or in to, the body to increase, or decrease the flow and force of the developed flow.  There’s a hole in the plug (opposite the “EXAIR.com” stamp) so you can use a spanner wrench (another adjustable tool!) to thread the plug in or out.

You can get an amazing range of flow from a little twist*:

These are the performance values for a Model 6042 2″ Aluminum Adjustable Air Amplifier with a compressed air supply pressure of 80psig. Regulating the pressure can give you even lower…or higher…flows.                                              *0.002″ to 0.010″ is about 1/4 turn of the plug.

A gap of about 0.010″ is about the max for 80psig supply pressure.  Above that, the air flow overwhelms the Coanda profile, creating a turbulent ‘storm’ in the throat, hampering the efficiency and effectiveness. The proper “adjustment” for that is to select the next larger Air Amplifier!

While the range of air flow is certainly impressive, their versatility is another major factor in their selection.  I reviewed our Application Database (registration required) for real-life details on Adjustable Air Amplifiers “in the field” and found a litany of other benefits that made them better suited to particular installations than a Super Air Amplifier:

  • A customer who builds automated equipment incorporates the Model 6031 1-1/4″ SS Adjustable Air Amplifier to blow open bags with a puff of air as they move into position on an automated filling machine. They use it because it’s available in stainless steel construction, and it’s still compact & lightweight.
  • A mattress manufacturer uses Model 6043 3″ Aluminum Adjustable Air Amplifiers to cool mattress springs.  They’re lightweight, the perfect size to match the springs’ profile, and they can “dial them out” for high heat removal before putting springs on a rubber conveyor.
  • A tier 1 automotive supplier has Model 6234 4″ SS Adjustable Air Amplifier Kits installed on their robotic paint line to blow off moisture from parts to prevent water spotting between the wash cycle and the oven.  They use them because the stainless steel construction holds up to high heat due to the proximity to the ovens.
  • A food plant uses Model 6031 1-1/4″ SS Adjustable Air Amplifiers to improve the drying time of 3,000 liter mixers that must be washed between batches of different products.  The stainless steel construction holds up to the rigors of the frequent washdown in this area.
  • A bedding manufacturer replaced a regenerative blower with a Model 6041 1-1/4″ Aluminum Adjustable Air Amplifier for trim removal on stitched fabric at bedding manufacturer.  The blower was prone to failure from lint & dust; the Air Amplifier, with no moving parts, is not.  It’s also compact, lightweight, and virtually maintenance free.
  • A light bulb manufacturer installed Model 6030 3/4″ SS Adjustable Air Amplifiers on the ends of open pipes that were used to cool mercury lamp wicks.  This reduced noise levels significantly while providing the same cooling rate, and the stainless steel construction holds up to the heat of the operation.

Because of the simplicity of their design, Adjustable Air Amplifiers are also extremely adaptable to custom applications.  We’ve added threads or flanges to the inlets and outlets of several different sizes, to accommodate ease of mounting & installation:

Among other custom Air Amplifiers, we’ve put (left to right) threads on the outlet, ANSI flanges on the inlet/outlet, Sanitary flanges on the inlet/outlet, and Sanitary on the inlet/ANSI on the outlet. How are you installing your Air Amplifier?

Adjustable Air Amplifiers are available in both aluminum and 303SS construction, to meet most any environmental requirements…except extreme high heat.  In those cases, the Model 121021 High Temperature Air Amplifier is rated to 700°F (374°C) – significantly higher than the Aluminum – 275°F (135°C) or the Stainless Steel – 400°F (204°C).  They’re commonly used to circulate hot air inside furnaces, ovens, refractories, etc.

A Model 121021 1-1/4″ High Temp Air Amplifier directs hot air to a rotational mold cavity for uniform wall thickness of the plastic part.

Adjustability.  Versatility.  Durability.  If you’d like to know more about the Adjustable Air Amplifier, or any of EXAIR’s Intelligent Compressed Air Products, give me a call.

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer

Send me an Email
Find us on the Web 
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Twitter: @EXAIR_JS