Tag: polar vortex

Let it Snow, Let it Snow

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sampson

Winter has been interesting so far to say the least; an Alberta clipper followed by mild temperatures then another clipper. With the transition of temperatures comes snowfall. I can’t say that I am too fond of driving through or shoveling this stuff but my dog sure loves the snow. He woke me up at 1 AM to go outside. I thought it was a routine nature call. As it turns out all he wanted is to frolic in the snow! He didn’t want to come in and I wanted to go back to bed.

Winter brings not only cold and snow but low humidity levels. Dry air is less conductive than humid air resulting in problems with static electricity. We have all experienced static cling on our clothes and an occasional static shock. On a personal level, it is more of a nuisance but in manufacturing, ESD (electro static discharge) can have some serious ramifications. With more computerization being introduced to the factory floor, ESD is more of a concern with keeping operations up and running. A single ESD can wipe out a control board, give misreads on sensors, etc.

EXAIR has a full line of static eliminating products to solve ESD problems in the manufacturing environment. Give our application engineers a call 1-800-903-9247. They will review your application with you and make a product recommendation. Then, EXAIR will provide you a 30 day evaluation. If you are not satisfied for any reason you can return it for full credit.guarantee

Joe Panfalone
Application Engineer
Phone (513) 671-3322
Fax (513) 671-3363
Web: www.exair.com
Twitter: EXAIR_JP

Vortex – Fast Becoming a Common Term

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Seems like the term vortex is being use for everything  from vortex engines and now to polar vortex. Throughout EXAIR’s existence, it  has had a product called a Vortex Tube and it is also associated with very cold air. It is truly a vortex and has been around since 1929.

A Vortex Tube is used to generate cold air using compressed  normally 80-100 PSIG. It is introduced tangentially into a spin chamber and spins at up to 1,000,000 RPM. This air stream revolves toward the opposite end where some escapes through a control valve (used to adjust the temperature and flow of  cold air). The remaining air, still spinning, is forced back through the center  of the outer vortex. The inner stream gives off kinetic energy in the form of heat (released out the control valve) to the outer vortex and exits the vortex tube as cold air.  See demo [click here]. The refrigerated air produced is used for spot cooling where conventional A/C is not practical or feasible to install.

Over the years, EXAIR has developed several products using the vortex.

If you have an application that requires cooling, feel welcomed to call us and ask to speak with one of our engineers.

Joe Panfalone
Application Engineer
Phone (513) 671-3322
Fax (513) 671-3363
Web: www.exair.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/exair_jp
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/exair

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Is The Polar Vortex Responsible for Creating an EXAIR Application?

Published on by Lee EvansLeave a comment

IAJ

It’s a new year, and with it comes new opportunities and new applications.  With the recent cold spell that’s taken hold of the U.S., and the Midwest especially, the applications susceptible to static have spiked.  Yesterday I spoke with an end-user in Texas experiencing the coldest temperatures on record, and with those low temps came low humidity and the perfect environment for static accumulation.

The process in the application was to feed a pill filling machine (machine fills gelcaps with small beads of XYZ) from a hopper a short distance away.  Typically, the feed from one to the other is accomplished with gravity.  The hopper sits about 5 feet higher than the pill filler and when more material is needed, a valve is opened and viola!

But the transfer of the material had slowed to a creep and then to a fully unacceptable rate.  The end-user decided to install an EXAIR Ion Air Jet, and to their surprise, there was no change.  So, they called in and sought guidance on how to move forward.

The first step in such a situation is to make sure the unit is properly installed.  Most often, when an EXAIR device doesn’t function as intended out of the box it is due to improper installation.  When asked what the pressure at the device was, the end-user said “Probably pretty low.  There’s about 30 feet of ¼” line and at least two quick disconnects feeding the unit.”  When asked what the airflow through the Ion Air Jet felt like, they again replied that it was low and we traced this to the poor plumbing.

But what about neutralizing the static?  Poor plumbing can account for a portion of that but we should still see some achievable results even with low airflow.  (In fact, low airflow is common in a static application because once the static is removed, any process disturbance or dust adhered to the product blows away with relative ease.)  We went through the steps to connect the Ion Air Jet to the power supply, and found that the ground was not connected to the power supply!  The end-user connected the ground, and reset the Ion Air Jet to meet the desired results.

EXAIR static eliminators are designed for ease of use and if they ever become problematic, Application Engineers are on staff to get the product, and the application back on track.

Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_LE

Side note:  With the A4 running (and DESTROYING the snow) I’ve been cruising the local ads to see what’s out there.  (I blame @EXAIR_BF for asking me to help him find a car.  Ok, he didn’t ask, but he wants something German and I don’t need much of an impetus.)  I ran across an E36 3 series BMW that blew the head gasket and the owner tried to repair.  Halfway through the job they realized they were in over there head, put the top half of the engine in the trunk, and threw it up for sale cheap (just how I like ’em :) ).  Can I take boxes of engine parts tossed into a trunk and make a car run again?  Let’s find out!  I’ll update the 3 series progress and post a few pics when the weather breaks.