Tag: Efficiency Lab

Calculating Return On Investment with EXAIR Products

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

Just because something works, doesn’t necessarily mean it works as well as it could. We talk to folks every day who have compressed air-operated devices that work OK, but they’re loud. Or they’re not compliant with safety regulations. Or they use too much compressed air. EXAIR has solutions to all of those issues, but it’s that last one that I want to spend some time on today.

A caller was using a drilled pipe to clean blow off a conveyor – it was 36″ wide, so the pipe had (72) 1/16″ diameter holes drilled, one every 1/2″ along the pipe length. It used compressed air at a rate of 261 SCFM with a supply pressure of 60psig. We can use a US Department of Energy thumb rule which states that it costs $0.25 to generate 1,000 Standard Cubic Feet of compressed air to determine the annual operating cost of this drilled pipe, which they operate eight hours a day, 250 days a year:

261 SCFM X 60 min/hr X 8 hr/day X 250 days/yr X $0.25/1,000 SCF = $7,830.00 annual cost

Here’s a typical drilled pipe that we tested for a customer in our Efficiency Lab.

A 36″ Super Air Knife only uses 82.8 SCFM @60psig. Using the same math:

82.8 SCFM X 60 min/hr X 8 hr/day X 250 days/yr X $0.25/1,000 SCF = $2,484.00 annual cost

Super Air Knife drying fruits and vegetables

Now we have the data to use our Return on Investment calculation:

Gain from investment: $7,830.00 (drilled pipe cost) – $2,484.00 (Super Air Knife cost) = $5,346.00

Cost of investment: 2024 price for a Model 110036 36″ Aluminum Super Air Knife = $938.00

A 470% annual return is spectacular by any measure. To further put that in perspective, let’s calculate how long it takes for the Air Knife to pay for itself. The 36″ Aluminum Super Air Knife costs $938.00 (2024 price), and the annual savings in compressed air cost are $5,346.00:

$938.00 (spent) ÷ $5,346.00 (saved/yr) = 0.18 years

Since we used 250 days – 5 days/week for 52 weeks, less 10 days for holidays, maintenance, etc.:

0.18 years X 250 days/year = 45 days

So, in about a month and a half, they saved as much as they spent on the Super Air Knife. We’ve worked with customers who have seen their return on investment in just a few days, or as long as a year or so. Regardless, if it costs less to operate, you’re still moving in the right direction. If you’d like to find out how much you can save – and how fast you can pay off your investment – you can do the math above, or you can use our Online Calculators, or you can give me a call.

Oh, and if you don’t have the air consumption data on what you’re using now, we can measure that for you in our Efficiency Lab. It’s a free service we offer, without obligation to purchase anything, for anyone who wants to know the performance level of their air-operated blow off devices.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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Free ROI Evaluation and Report with EXAIR’s Efficiency Lab Service

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

EXAIR’s Free Efficiency Lab

With any purchase process, it’s important to consider the return on your investment. This becomes even more important when trying to convince management that the upgrades you’re looking to make on the floor are worth the investment. At EXAIR, we offer a free service that allows you to send in your existing compressed air blowing devices to be compared with our recommended EXAIR manufactured equivalent.

Many facilities may not have the means to test the air consumption of their blowoff solutions. With compressed air being the most expensive utility in a manufacturing facility, it’s important to identify places where you can save money on your overall operating costs. EXAIR manufacturers a wide variety of products intended to help you reduce your compressed air usage. If you’re not able to accurately measure the consumption in your own shop, we invite you to send the products to EXAIR for testing.

All you have to do is contact an EXAIR Application Engineer and ship them straight to our warehouse in Cincinnati, Ohio. Once we receive it, our engineers will complete some in-depth testing to determine the compressed air consumption, sound level, and force that your current solution provides. With this information, we’ll be able to compare it to an EXAIR Engineered solution. This way, we ensure that you receive the best, safest solution possible. All while saving money through reduced air consumption and improved efficiency.  We’ll send you back a comprehensive report that’ll help you to make the best decision for your company.

This service is something that we offer to our customers completely free of charge. This way, you can be assured that by selecting a new solution from EXAIR, you’re making a well-informed decision. Oftentimes, it’s not known just how much some of these products cost to operate. Contrary to popular misconception, compressed air is certainly not free. In fact, it is rather costly, as a 4th utility in an industrial plant.

Check out the Efficiency Lab for yourself here in this video:

If you think there are applications in your facility that you suspect are consuming too much air, we’re here to help. Reach out to an Application Engineer to organize your own, free Efficiency Lab evaluation of your equipment. Allow us to show you the difference!

Tyler Daniel, CCASS

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

Video Blog: What’s The Most Popular & Critical Accessory

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

Today’s video showcases and describes how one of the most important accessories functions and where to install it. Take a watch and let an Application Engineer know if you have any questions.

Brian Farno, MBA – CCASS
National Business Development Manager

BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

Hot Off The Press (Release): EXAIR Catalog #35

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

If you’re a registered user on our website, you likely got word of this already through our August 15, 2023 Press Release. If not – or even if you did and want some more details – read on, and I’ll tell you all about it.

Like all of our previous catalogs, Catalog #35 provides specification, dimensional, and performance data on all of our stock products. Many of them include detailed descriptions of “textbook” applications for those products. You’ll also find:

  • Efficiency Lab (page 6): If you want a full performance report on a compressed air device you’re using right now, this is a free service we offer. Contact an Application Engineer and arrange to have it sent in. We’ll test it for compressed air consumption, force applied, and sound level, and send you a report on it. It’ll include, of course, the EXAIR engineered product(s) that we’ll recommend, along with performance data on them, as a comparison.
  • Our Six Steps (page 7): The first page of our Optimization section details the Six Steps To Optimizing Your Compressed Air System. It’s not necessary to follow them in order, and not all of them are applicable to every single compressed air system. But if you’re serious about reducing your compressed air costs, this is a comprehensive plan on how to do it for sure.
  • OSHA Maximum Allowable Noise Exposure table & typical Air Consumption values of common “homemade” blow offs (page 53): We put this here so you can turn the next few pages and see what a difference engineered products like EXAIR Super Air Nozzles can make.
  • Droplet Size data (page 98): Use this to determine the suitability of our Atomizing Spray Nozzles for liquid spraying applications.
  • Vortex Tube Specification and Performance tables (pages 201-202): If you know how much cold air flow you need, and at what temperature you need it, you can use these tables to determine which EXAIR Vortex Tube (or other Spot Cooling Product) to use.
  • Cabinet Cooler System Sizing Guide (page 220): Just fill in the blanks & send this in, and we’ll quickly & accurately calculate the heat load of your electrical/electronic enclosure, and specify the right Cabinet Cooler System for you.

Now, if you’ve ever had any of our previous catalogs, you might have noticed that those were already in there, and that’s all pretty great. What’s REALLY great about Catalog #35, though, is some of the new features:

  • Line Vac Conveyance Data (pages 176-177): While there’s WAY too many variables in bulk conveyance applications to accurately calculate conveyance rates. We’ve done some controlled, in-house testing with several different materials, several different Line Vacs, at several different lengths & heights, though, and we’re proud to publish that in the new catalog. This shouldn’t be considered a guarantee of performance, but if you’re wondering how much of a particular bulk material you can convey, this table will certainly get you in the right ballpark.
  • Best Practice for Using EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air Products (pages 239-240): This information has always been in the Air Data files on our website, along with an ABUNDANCE of data that’ll help you get the most out of your compressed air system. Now, it’s at your fingers.

Of course, I’d be remiss if I wrote a whole blog on the new catalog without mentioning the new products:

  • Model 9207 Ultrasonic Leak Detector (pages 18-19): This serves the same function as the now-obsolete Model 9061, but with some handy upgrades like a LED display, a sleek new body, and high quality ear buds.
Use the Model 9207 Ultrasonic Leak Detector’s parabola to find the vicinity of the leak, and the tubular extension to identify its exact location.
  • 1/2 NPT HollowStream Cone Atomizing Nozzles (page 105): With five new distinct models at the high-flow end of our already comprehensive line of Liquid Atomizing Spray Nozzles, these provide up to 53 gallons per minute of liquid flow, and are capable of passing particulate up to 0.344″ in diameter.
The Hollow Cone spray pattern is ideal for cooling, cleaning, foam breaking, rinsing, and dust suppression. It also uses considerably less liquid than the OmniStream models, when higher flow rate isn’t necessary.
EXAIR’s ATEX Cabinet Cooler Systems provide heat protection for electrical enclosures in potentially explosive atmospheres, like those found on offshore drilling platforms, petrochemical plants, mines, flour mills, etc.

Like our previous catalogs, Catalog 35 is now available for download (in product line sections due to file size) from the PDF Library at EXAIR.com. You can also request a copy to be mailed to you, or you can contact an Application Engineer to have individual product line sections (again, because of file size) email to you right away.

As always, if you’d like to talk about how to get the most out of your compressed air system, our team of Application Engineers are here Monday to Friday, 7am to 4pm Eastern, to help with that. Give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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