People of Interest: Daniel Bernoulli – 2/8/1700 to 3/17/1782

Daniel Bernoulli was born in Groningen, Netherlands on February 8, 1700  and was part of a large family heritage of famous mathematicians – His father Johann Bernoulli, one of the first founders of calculus, his uncle Jacob Bernoulli and his older brother Nicolous. When he was only 7 years old, Daniel began to take an interest in mathematics but his father convinced him that there was no financial gain to be had in mathematics and recommended he focus his studies in business instead. Reluctant at first, Daniel would take his father’s advice under the one condition, that his father would tutor him in calculus and his theories of kinetic energy.

At 13 years old, Daniel attended Basel University where he studied logic and philosophy completing his bachelor’s degree by the age of 15 and earning his master’s degree just 1 year later. Over the years, Daniel’s relationship with his father was strained as a result of him plagiarizing his father’s findings. Eventually, his father passed without reconciling with Daniel. At 24, Daniel became a Professor of Mathematics  at a University in Venice but resigned from the position just 9 years later in 1733.

His most recognized mathematical contribution, Bernoulli’s principle, came in 1938 while performing energy conservation experiments, and he published the results in his book entitled Hydrodynamica . He discovered that when fluid travels through a wide pipe into a smaller, more narrow pipe, the fluid begins to move  faster. He determined that the volume or amount of fluid moving through the pipe remains unchanged but will conform to the shape of the pipe or container as it flows. He concluded that the higher the pressure, the slower the flow of the liquid and the lower the pressure, the faster the liquid flow.

The same principle can be applied to air. As air moves around an obstruction or object, it follows the profile of the part and begins to speed up.

Take for example our Super Air Nozzles. The compressed air exits the nozzle through a series of jets which induces a low pressure around the profile of the nozzle, drawing in ambient air. This entrainment of air, up to 25 times or more, results in a high outlet flow at minimal compressed air consumption.

Super Air Nozzle air entrainment

Many of the products offered by EXAIR incorporate this science which can lead to a more efficient operation by lowering compressed air demand ultimately reducing operating costs. To see how our products can help you save money while increasing process performance, contact an Application Engineer for assistance.

Justin Nicholl
Application Engineer
justinnicholl@exair.com
@EXAIR_JN

 

Bildnis des Daniel Bernoullius image courtesy of Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig via creative commons license

 

The Professor’s Assistant Has Come a Long Way

Today, I’m writing one of my last regular blogs for EXAIR. Since the Professor has moved on to his higher calling, I have started working for EXAIR as a design engineer. In 2008 I was a design engineering co-op student for EXAIR. I didn’t know anything about air. I had to learn the difference between CFM (cubic feet per minute), SCFM (standard cubic feet per minute) and ACFM (actual cubic feet per minute). I had to learn that a 1/4 pipe does not measure 1/4″ anyway you measure. I found out the hard way to point the 1116 Super Air Nozzle toward the ground, because it will lift ceiling tiles in short order. EXAIR stuck with me as a co-op to allow me time to grow and learn. At the same time EXAIR continued to grow and expand as well. Once my co-op turns were over, I left EXAIR at the end of 2009. I finished my degree and got some experience outside the company. In 2013, I rejoined EXAIR as an Application Engineer.

I have been writing entries for the EXAIR blog for two years. Looking back through my most viewed posts, I see topics on Air Knivescomplying with OSHA, and Videos. I also see an accomplishment, Product of the Year Award Winner. Third on the list though is On the Job Training: Internships and Co-ops. I wrote this blog with “The Professor” in mind…

I had just learned that he was leaving EXAIR and it made me pause for a time to think about “The Professor”. He was the driving force behind the Co-op program here at EXAIR. In doing so he was sticking his neck out. I’m sure first on his mind was getting someone who could do his dirty work. No one wants to test Line Vacs in the summer. It is hot and messy work. “The Professor” wasn’t above getting dirty, but I think he wanted to be.

But in hiring a Co-op, he wasn’t just making his life easier. Everyone will attest I had a lot to learn. In the first year of working with “The Professor”, he spent as much time training me as I spent producing useable material. I like to think he ultimately got more out of me than he put it in, but training Co-ops is quite an investment in time.

In moving over to design engineering, I feel much more confident that I will be able to teach our new Co-ops a good way of doing their work. It is such a leg a up to have spent time in their shoes. “The Professor” ultimately never got to benefit from me working for him as a engineer. The work he put in training several Co-ops has been an excellent investment in the future, and I hope more companies follow his example.

Dave Woerner
Design Engineer/Application Engineer/Co-op
DaveWoerner@EXAIR.com

 

The Professor’s Game Show!

Professor Penurious is up to something new.  I think he has been watching way too much daytime television.  Take a look and let us know if we need to limit his TV time.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
RussBowman@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_RB

A Ride Down Memory Lane

The past few weeks been very busy, both here at EXAIR and at home.    Last night was the first night in quite some time where I arrived home to a quiet house and which afforded me some time to decompress and process. I had roughly one hour of time before my wife and daughters got home and so I sat down and just stopped thinking about everything.   I turned the TV on and my Home Theater PC was going through all the pictures that we have stored on it as a slide show.

The pictures ranged from family gatherings before we had kids to my first daughter’s birth (wow, there are a lot of pictures of that first kid!), through time and up to the present which finds me with a 4 year old and a 16 month old.  You can even see our two dogs growing older in the pictures from every month.

In no time at all the hour was up and I heard the garage door opening up.  Then got to see the three women that make my life awesome come through the door – and its a great event to have young kids who still celebrate seeing their dad for the first time in a day.

Many of us have such busy lives that I’m sure you can appreciate some down time at home which allows you to refocus. It certainly helped me to bring everything here at EXAIR right back into focus.  EXAIR keeps pushing forward (in case you haven’t noticed) with expanded product lines, new products, new people and new services.  We’ve come a long way since we began in 1983.  Instead of a single product sheet for a catalog we now have a 164 page catalog and every single product line has grown to encompass more and more models.   Our product lines aren’t the only thing that have grown also.  You can see just how much we have grown by the many co-ops, Professor Penurious has enlisted, I mean employed. He’s had so many co-ops he has a slide show of his own.

Coop2coop3coop4coop5

So if you haven’t seen our newest items or are still rocking the timeless Catalog 99 because you like vintage items – give us a call or visit our website at EXAIR.com, a lot has changed but our top notch service remains.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF