Tag: Intelligent compressed air

Intelligent Compressed Air: Refrigerant Dryers

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

When we talk with customers about their EXAIR Products, we also discuss the quality of their compressed air. Many of our products have no moving parts and are considered maintenance-free when supplied with clean, moisture free compressed air. One of the most critical aspects of a compressed air distribution system is the dryer.

No matter where you are in the world, the atmospheric air will contain water vapor. Even in the driest place in the world, McMurdo Dry Valley in Antarctica, there is some moisture in the air. As this air cools to the saturation point, also known as dew point, the vapor will condense into liquid water. The amount of this moisture will vary depending on both the ambient temperature and the relative humidity. According to the Compressed Air Challenge, a general rule of thumb is that the amount of moisture air can hold at a saturated condition will double for every increase of 20°F. In regions or periods of warmer temperatures, this poses an even greater problem. Some problems that can be associated with moisture-laden compressed air include:

  • Increased wear of moving parts due to removal of lubrication
  • Formation of rust in piping and equipment
  • Can affect the color, adherence, and finish of paint that is applied using compressed air
  • Jeopardizes processes that are dependent upon pneumatic controls. A malfunction due to rust, scale, or clogged orifices can damage product or cause costly shutdowns
  • In colder temperatures, the moisture can freeze in the control lines

In order to remove moisture from the air after compression, a dryer must be installed at the outlet of the compressor. It is recommended to dry the compressed air to a dew point at least 18°F below the lowest ambient temperature to which the distribution system or end use is exposed. A dew point of 35-38°F is often sufficient and can be achieved by a refrigerated dryer (Best Practices for Compressed Air Systems). This makes the refrigerant dryer the most commonly used type in the industry.

A refrigerant dryer works by cooling the warm air that comes out of the compressor to 35-40°F. As the temperature decreases, moisture condenses and is removed from the compressed air supply. It’s then reheated to around ambient air temperatures (this helps to prevent condensation on the outside of distribution piping) and sent out to the distribution system.

With your air clean and dry at the point of use, you’re making sure you get the most out of EXAIR’s Intelligent Compressed Air Products without adhering to pesky maintenance procedures.

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

Compressor image courtesy of Tampere Hacklab via Flickr Creative Commons License

Intelligent Compressed Air: What You Need To Know About Rotary Scroll Compressors

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

Humans have been using compressed air for just about as long as we’ve been using fire. The discovery of fire’s usefulness likely only slightly predates the discovery that blowing air on those flames increases their size, temperature, and intensity. Technically, our respiratory systems are single-stage, diaphragm operated air compressors!

Over the ages, engineer-type humans came up with mechanical methods to perform this task, which was primarily used to stoke fires. This was critical to the development of metalworking, which was key to the Industrial Revolution, which brought on more needs for compressed air, which led to better-equipped engineer-type humans developing the modern methods by which we compress air.

One of the most recent inventions to do this is the rotary scroll compressor. Similar to other rotary type compressors, they use a rotating shaft to decrease the space occupied by a specific amount of gas. By decreasing the space occupied without letting any of that gas out, the pressure increases. The “tricky” part about rotary scroll compressors is the incredibly tight tolerances needed to make it function effectively. In fact, the first patent for one (issued in 1905) predates the machining technology needed to make one by about forty years. And it was the 1970’s before they started to be manufactured for commercial use. Here’s how they work:

Two spirals, or scrolls, are intermeshed. The rotating (black) one orbits eccentrically with the fixed one, continually decreasing the volume for the gas to flow through (from the outer left & right sides) as it is pushed to the center, where it is fully compressed according to the compressor’s rating.

Key advantages/benefits of this design are:

  • Oil free air – no metal to metal contact of the scrolls means no lubrication is needed in the airend.
  • Pulsation free delivery – since the flow from suction to discharge is one continuous motion, the outlet pressure is constant and even.
  • Quiet operation – the lack of metal to metal contact, and continuous motion eliminate the mechanical noise inherent in, for example, the reciprocating pistons and slamming check valves in a piston type compressor.
  • Low maintenance – as in most cases, less moving parts = less to maintain.
  • Wide range of duty cycle – their design makes them particularly conducive to single & two-stage units, and efficient operation with modulating variable speed drives, meaning they handle low loads just as effectively as high loads.

Some disadvantages/drawbacks are:

  • Higher price tag – the precision machine tools, and their skilled operators, are not cheap, and neither are rotary scroll compressors.
  • Size restrictions – larger rotating scrolls generate higher centrifugal force. Because the tolerances are so tight, those higher forces necessarily limit the mass of the rotary element, which limits the size, and hence, the air flow they can push out. As a result, they’re limited to the neighborhood of 100 SCFM capacity.

This combination of pros & cons makes rotary scroll compressors especially popular in the medical and laboratory settings. A supply of clean air at a constant pressure, with the ability to handle constantly changing loads matter a LOT in those settings. 100 SCFM is a LOT of air flow in most of their applications, and relatively speaking, the air compressor generally isn’t even close to the highest priced piece of equipment in such facilities.

At EXAIR Corporation, we’re committed to help you get the most out of your compressed air system. To do that, it’s important to have a better understanding of these systems, from generation to end use. If you’d like to find out more, give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
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Rotary Scroll GIF:  used from  Public Domain
Images Courtesy of  Compressor1 Creative Commons.

How to Calculate ROI (Return on Investment)

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

You may have asked…why should I switch over to an engineered compressed air product if my system already works? Or…How can your products be much different?

Manufacturing has always been an advocate for cost savings, where they even have job positions solely focused on cost savings. Return on Investment (ROI) is a metric they look toward to help make good decisions for cost savings.  The term is used to determine the financial benefits associated with the use of more efficient products or processes compared to what you are currently using. This is like looking at your homes heating costs and then changing out to energy efficient windows and better insulation. The upfront cost might be high but the amount of money you will save over time is worth it.

ROI Calculation

How is ROI calculated? It is very simple to calculate out the potential savings of using an EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air® Product. We have easy to use calculators on our websites Resources where filling in a few blanks will result in an ROI when switching to a EXAIR product! Here they Are, Calculators.

I’ll go ahead and break down the simple ROI calculations for replacing open blow offs with an EXAIR Super Air Nozzle:

  • ¼” Copper Pipe consumes 33 SCFM at 80 psig (denoted below as CP)
  • A Model 1100 ¼” Super Air Nozzle can be used to replace and only uses 14 SCFM at 80 psig (denoted below as EP)

Calculation:

(CP air consumption) * (60 min/hr) * (8 hr/day) * (5 days/week) * (52 weeks/year) = SCF used per year for Copper Pipe  

(33) * (60) * (8) * (5) * (52) = 4,118,400 SCF

(EP air consumption) * (60 min/hr) * (8 hr/day) * (5 days/week) * (52 weeks/year) = SCF used per year for EXAIR Product  

               (14) * (60) * (8) * (5) * (52) = 1,747,200 SCF

Air Savings:

SCF used per year for Copper Pipe – SCF used per year for EXAIR Product = SCF Savings

               4,118,400 SCF – 1,747,200 SCF = 2,371,200 SCF in savings

If you know the facilities cost to generate 1,000 SCF of compressed air you can calculate out how much this will save. If not, you can use $0.25 to generate 1,000 SCF which is the value used by the U.S. Department of Energy to estimate costs.

Yearly Savings:

                (SCF Saved) * (Cost / 1000 SCF) = Yearly Savings

                                (2,371,200 SCF) * ($0.25 / 1000 SCF) = $592.80 annual Savings

With the simple investment of $42 (as of date published) you can calculate out the time it will take to pay off the unit.

Time Until payoff:

                (Yearly Savings) / (5 days/week * 52 weeks/year) = Daily Savings

                                ($592.80/year) / (5 days/week * 52 weeks/year) = $2.28 per day

                (Cost of EXAIR Unit) / (Daily Savings) = Days until product has been paid off

                                ($42) / ($2.28/day) = 17.9 days  

As you can see it doesn’t have to take long for the nozzle to pay for itself, and then continue to contribute toward your bottom line. 

If you have any questions about compressed air systems or want more information on any of EXAIR’s products, give us a call, we have a team of Application Engineers ready to answer your questions and recommend a solution for your applications.

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer

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Hand Holding money Image from Pictures of Money Creative Commons license

About Single-Acting Reciprocating Air Compressors

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

One thing that is found in virtually every industrial environment is an air compressor. Some uses for the compressed air generated are: powering pneumatic tools, packaging, automation equipment, conveyors, controls systems, and various others. Pneumatic tools are favored because they tend to be smaller and more lightweight than electric tools, offer infinitely variable speed and torque, and can be safer than the hazards associated with electrical devices. In order to power these devices, compressed air must be generated.

There are two main categories of air compressors: positive-displacement and dynamic. In a positive-displacement type, a given quantity of air is trapped in a compression chamber. The volume of which it occupies is mechanically reduced (squished), causing a corresponding rise in pressure. Of the positive-displacement variety they are broken down further into two more categories: reciprocating and rotary.

A reciprocating compressor works like a bicycle pump. A piston reduces the volume occupied by the air or gas, compressing it into a higher pressure. There are two types of reciprocating compressors, single or double-acting. Single-acting compressors are the most common and are available up to 30HP at 200 psig.

Their small size and weight allow them to be installed near the point of use and avoid lengthy piping runs. Additionally, the single-acting reciprocating compressors do not need a separate cooling system. All of this leads to much simpler maintenance procedures, making the single-acting reciprocating compressors one of the easiest to maintain.

There are some disadvantages to this style of compressor. Rings have a tendency to wear out over time, if they’re not replaced as needed this can lead to lubricant carry-over into the air supply. These styles of compressor are relatively loud and comparatively cost more to operate than many other types. Because of this, they’re not designed for applications and processes that have a heavy-duty cycle of 70-90%. The single-acting reciprocating compressor should be used in installations where it’s only going to run 50% or less of the time.

At EXAIR we’re committed to providing you with the point of use products that’ll use your compressed air as efficiently and safely as possible. Feel free to reach out to an Application Engineer to discuss how we can help you improve in your processes.

Tyler Daniel

Application Engineer

E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com

Twitter: @EXAIR_TD

Image courtesy of Compressor1 via Creative Commons License