Tag: leeevansexair

Replacing Liquid Nozzles with Engineered Air Nozzles

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I wrote a blog a few weeks ago about increasing efficiency with EXAIR Super Air Nozzles.  In the application for that blog we used engineered nozzles to place open pipes, resulting in an efficiency increased of ~65%.  This week’s installment of efficiency improvements boasts similar figures, but through the replacement of misused liquid nozzles rather than open pipe.

The image above shows a compressed air manifold with a number of nozzles.  BUT, the nozzles in this manifold are not compressed air nozzles, nor do they have any engineering for the maximization of compressed air consumption.  These are liquid nozzles, usually used for water rinsing.

In this application, the need was to blow off parts as they exit a shot blasting machine.  When the parts exit the shot blasting process they are covered in a light dust and the dust needs to be blown away.  So, the technicians on site constructed the manifold, finding the liquid nozzles on hand during the process.  They installed these nozzles, ramped up the system pressure to maintain adequate blow off, and considered it finished.

And, it was.  At least until one of our distributors was walking through the plant and noticed the setup.  They asked about compressed air consumption and confirmed the flow rate of 550 m³/hr. (~324 SCFM) at 5 BARG (~73 PSIG).

The end user was happy with the performance, but mentioned difficulty keeping the system pressure maintained when these nozzles were turned on.  So, our distributor helped them implement a solution of 1101SS Super Air Nozzles to replace these inappropriately installed liquid nozzles.

By implementing this solution, performance was maintained and system pressure was stabilized.  The system stabilization was achieved through a 61% reduction in compressed air consumption, which lessened the load on the compressed air system and allowed all components to operate at constant pressure.  Calculations for this solution are shown below.

Existing compressed air consumption:  550 m³/hr. (324 SCFM) @ 6 BARG (87 PSIG)

Compressed air consumption of (9) model 1101SS @ 5.5 BARG (80 PSIG):  214 m³/hr. (126 SCFM)

Total compressed air consumption of 1101SS Super Air Nozzles:

Air consumption of 1101SS nozzles compared to previous nozzles:

Engineered air nozzles saved this customer 61% of their compressed air, stabilized system pressure, improved performance of other devices tied to the compressed air system, and maintained the needed performance of the previous solution.  If you have a similar application or would like to know more about engineered compressed air solutions, contact an EXAIR Application Engineer.

Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_LE

Increasing Efficiency With EXAIR Super Air Nozzles

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Earlier this morning I received a phone call from a gentleman in search of a more efficient compressed air solution.  The application was to remove thermoformed plastics from a mold immediately after the mold separates.  In the current state, the application is consuming ~40% of the available compressed air in the facility through the use of (9) ¼” open pipes, consuming a confirmed 288 SCFM at 60 PSIG.  Due to the use of an open pipe, this customer was facing a safety and noise concern through the existing solution.

After discussing the application need and the desire to reduce compressed air use, reduce noise, and add safety, we found a suitable solution in the 1101 Super Air Nozzle.  Installing (9) of these EXAIR nozzles will reduce the compressed air consumption by over 65%!!!  Calculations for this savings are below.

Existing compressed air consumption:  288 SCFM @ 60 PSIG

Compressed air consumption of model 1101 @ 60 PSIG:  11 SCFM

Total compressed air consumption of  (9) 1101 nozzles:

Air savings:

This is the percentage of air which the new EXAIR solution will consume.  To put it another way, for every 100 SCFM the current solution consumes, the EXAIR solution will only require 34.38 SCFM. Installing these EXAIR nozzles will result in lower operational cost, lower noise levels, and increased safety for this customer – all while maintaining or improving the performance of the blow off solution in this application.

EXAIR Application Engineers are well versed in maximizing efficiency of compressed air systems and blow off needs.  If you have an application with a similar need, contact an EXAIR Application Engineer.  We’ll be happy to help.

Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_LE

Removing Static From Diaper Absorbent Material

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This is where the absorbent material inside a disposable diaper is made

The image above shows one step in the process of disposable diaper manufacturing.  In this step of the process, the absorbent material is ground through a mill on the top of the “bunker” where it falls down a shaft and onto a mesh screen.  Once on the mesh screen, the material is repressed into the proper size and shape for placing into the diapers.

This manufacturer contacted one of our Russian distributors about the application because the milling of the absorbent material was creating static.  This static caused the material to adhere to the walls of the bunker chute and to unevenly distribute onto the mesh.  This unevenness leads to holes in the pressed/shaped absorbent material which translates to a reject rate of ~1 out of every 20 diapers.

An EXAIR Ion Bar

The ideal solution in this case needed to eliminate the static within the chute to allow for proper distribution on the mesh below and proper material placement into the diapers.  An Ion Bar was originally desired by the customer, but material accumulation on the emitter points was a concern so this solution was removed from consideration.

An EXAIR Ion Air Cannon

An Ion Air Cannon, however, was able to provide the desired solution by mounting outside of the chute and feeding a low volume of ionized air to remove the static.  The ionized airflow from the Ion Air Cannon is strong enough to permeate the full volume of the application, but low enough to not disturb the absorbent material within the process. Using an Ion Air Cannon allowed this manufacturer to eliminate defects and wasted materials, increase their throughput, and improve the quality of their products.  Defects dropped from 1/20 diapers to less than 1/1000.

If you have a similar application or similar needs, contact an EXAIR Application Engineer.

Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_LE

316 Stainless Steel Line Vac Conveys Cookies in Creamery

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Cookies in need of pneumatic conveyance at creamery

An overseas ice cream manufacturer reached out to me recently with a request for assistance.  They were in search of a better means to transfer “inclusions” from a storage bin into the blending tanks of their creamery.  The “inclusions” in question, shown above, looked familiar.  I’ve found identical cookies stashed in my sons’ favorite places around the house, so I’m somewhat familiar with their transfer from one place to another.  Fortunately, in this application the cookie transfer is deliberate whereas it is always “magic” or “no one knows how it got there” when it happens at home.

Both solid cookies and crumbs (shown above) are conveyed.

Seeing as how this application involves the transfer of foodstuffs, we immediately explored a 316 grade stainless steel solution, and gathered the necessary data for determining the proper pneumatic conveyor (an EXAIR Line Vac).  Our Line Vacs utilize a high velocity airstream which travels along the ID of a conveyance tube to move material.  Because of this, application specifics like material/material size, bulk density, conveyance height and distance, and required conveyance rate play a key role in proper sizing.  Here’s how the specifics looked for this application:

 

Material:  Dry cookies and cookie crumbs, 8mm-50mm in diameter (5/16” – 2” in diameter)

Bulk density:  0.69 g/cm³ (43 lb./ft.³)

Conveyance height:  None

Conveyance distance:  5m (16.5 feet)

Required conveyance rate:  As high as possible, preferably in the range of 500kg/hr. (1100 lb./hr.)

Available compressed air supply:  170m³/hr. @ 5.5 BARG (100 SCFM @ 80 PSIG)

Material constraints:  316SS mandatory

 

With these details well defined, I used our empirical test data to appropriately size a suitable Line Vac.  In this case, we had a viable solution in our Heavy Duty Line Vac with regards to conveyance rate, but this solution is not the proper material.  So, we matched performance of a Heavy Duty Line Vac in our 316SS Line Vac using model HP6064-316.  Model HP6064-316 is not a stock option and not shown on the website, so having a proper dialogue with an Application Engineer was critical to dialing in on the right solution for this application.

Once the solution was confirmed, this customer was all set.  We worked with them on every aspect of the application solution and ended up shipping them (3) specialized Line Vacs in 316 stainless steel.  The Line Vacs are up and running, helping to make delicious ice cream for expecting customers.

If you have a similar application or are interested in exploring a Line Vac solution, now is the time to act.  We have a Line Vac promotion running through the end of October that includes a free 2” Flat Super Air Nozzle with the purchase of any Line Vac.  Application Engineers are available for any questions you may have via phone (1-800-903-9247), email (techelp@exair.com), and online chat.

Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_LE