Tag: regulators

Why Engineered Air Nozzles Outperform Open Pipes (And Cut Air Use by Up to 70%)

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

Compressed air is one of the most expensive utilities in any manufacturing facility—yet it’s often treated as “free.” One of the biggest contributors to wasted compressed air is the continued use of open pipes, drilled pipes, or homemade blowoffs for cleaning, drying, and cooling applications.

While these methods may seem simple and inexpensive, they are inefficient, unsafe, noisy, and costly over time. EXAIR Engineered Air Nozzles are designed to solve these exact problems. Often reducing compressed air consumption by up to 70% while improving performance.

Open pipes release compressed air directly to atmosphere with no control, no amplification, and no optimization. This creates several major issues:

Excessive Air Consumption

An open 1/4″ pipe at 80 PSIG can consume 25+ SCFM continuously. Multiply that across shifts, days, and multiple stations, and the cost quickly adds up.

Poor Performance

Open pipes create turbulent airflow that dissipates rapidly, requiring higher pressure and more air to achieve acceptable results.

High Noise Levels

Uncontrolled air release produces noise levels that can exceed OSHA limits, creating safety and compliance concerns.

Safety Risks

Open pipes can generate dangerous dead-end pressures and flying debris, posing serious injury risks to operators. Creating real situations where

What Makes EXAIR Engineered Air Nozzles Different?

EXAIR Engineered Air Nozzles are precision-designed to maximize force while minimizing air consumption. Instead of wasting compressed air, they use advanced airflow geometry to do more with less.

Air Amplification

EXAIR nozzles use the Coandă effect to entrain surrounding ambient air. For every unit of compressed air used, multiple units of free air are pulled into the flow—creating higher output force without increased air usage.

Optimized Flow Patterns

Rather than chaotic turbulence, engineered nozzles produce laminar, focused airflow that delivers better cleaning, drying, and cooling results at lower pressure.

Significant Air Savings

It’s common to see 30–70% reductions in air consumption when replacing open pipes with EXAIR air nozzles—often with improved performance.

Eleminate Safety Risks

Air nozzles and jets are designed to operate well above 30 PSIG while creating dead end pressures well below the OSHA limits. Giving you better performance safley.

EXAIR Model 1100 Super Air Nozzle Replaces Open Copper Pipe Blow Off

Replacing open pipes with EXAIR Engineered Air Nozzles is one of the simplest and most cost-effective improvements you can make to a compressed air system.

If you’re serious about:

  • Reducing energy costs
  • Improving safety
  • Lowering noise levels
  • Getting more from your compressed air

…it’s time to stop blowing money into the air.

EXAIR Engineered Air Nozzles prove that better design beats brute force—every time.

Jordan Shouse, CCASS

Application Engineer / Sales Operations Engineer

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Maintaining Your Compressed Air System

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

A poorly maintained compressed air system wastes energy, increases operational costs, and risks unexpected failures. Common issues include leaks, pressure loss, contamination (like moisture or oil). Studies suggest that up to 30% of compressed air is lost to leaks in an average system, while contaminants can damage downstream equipment or spoil products. Routine maintenance tackles these problems head-on, ensuring reliability and cost-effectiveness.

Key Maintenance Practices

  1. Monitor and Replace Intake Filters
    The air compressor draws in ambient air, which is often laden with dust, dirt, and water vapor. The intake filter is your first line of defense, protecting the compressor’s internals from wear. Over time, debris buildup increases pressure drop, forcing the compressor to work harder and reducing efficiency. Check the filter regularly—typically monthly—and replace it when the pressure differential exceeds the manufacturer’s recommended limit (often around 5-10 psid) or at least annually.
  2. Manage Moisture with Dryers and Drains
    Water vapor in compressed air condenses as it cools, leading to rust in pipes, damage to pneumatic tools, and quality issues in applications like painting or food processing. A dryer—whether refrigerated, desiccant, or membrane—is crucial. For smaller systems or point-of-use applications, inspect and clean dryer coils or replace desiccants as per the manual (usually every 1–2 years). Automatic drain traps should also be checked quarterly to ensure they’re removing condensate effectively.
  3. Audit for Leaks
    Leaks are silent efficiency killers. Even a small 1/8-inch hole at 100 psig can cost over $1,000 annually in wasted energy. Conduct a leak audit every 6–12 months using an ultrasonic leak detector. Focus on fittings, valves, and older piping sections, where vibration or corrosion often takes a toll. Repairing leaks promptly can save 20-30% on energy costs. EXAIR’s 9207 can help with this task.
  4. Optimize Pressure Settings
    Over-pressurizing the system to compensate for downstream losses wastes energy—every 2 psig increase adds about 1% to power consumption. Use pressure regulators at the point of use to deliver only what’s needed. Monitor system pressure monthly to ensure it aligns with demand, adjusting as equipment or processes change.

How EXAIR Products Enhance Maintenance and Efficiency

EXAIR’s Intelligent Compressed Air Products are engineered to complement these maintenance practices. Here’s how some specific items can help:

  • Ultrasonic Leak Detector (Model 9207)
    Pinpointing leaks in a noisy compressor room can feel like finding a needle in a haystack. EXAIR’s Ultrasonic Leak Detector uses sound wave detection to identify leaks with precision, even in high-decibel environments. Regular use during audits—say, every 6 months—helps maintenance teams catch and fix leaks early, slashing energy waste. Its portability and ease of use make it a must-have for proactive upkeep.
  • Automatic Drain Filter Separators
    Moisture and particulates in the air stream can clog tools or ruin products. EXAIR’s Automatic Drain Filter Separators (available in various port sizes, e.g., 1/4″ to 1-1/2″ NPT) feature a 5-micron filter and centrifugal separation to remove bulk liquids and debris. The auto-drain feature expels collected water without manual intervention, reducing maintenance time. Replace the filter element annually or when the pressure drop hits 10 psid to keep air quality high and downstream equipment safe.
  • Oil Removal Filter
    For applications requiring ultra-clean air—like electronics assembly or pharmaceutical production—the Oil Removal Filter takes filtration further. With a 0.03-micron coalescing element, it traps oil vapor and fine particles, coalescing liquids for gravity drainage. Pair it with a Filter Separator for a two-stage approach, and replace elements yearly to maintain performance. This ensures sensitive equipment stays contaminant-free with minimal upkeep.
  • Pressure Regulators
    Excessive pressure at the point of use is a common efficiency drain. EXAIR’s Pressure Regulators (included in many product kits) let you dial in the exact pressure needed—e.g., dropping from 100 psig to 80 psig can cut air usage by nearly 20%. Install them downstream of filters for accurate control, and check settings quarterly to match evolving process demands. They’re a simple, maintenance-free way to optimize demand-side efficiency.

A well-maintained compressed air system isn’t just about avoiding breakdowns—it’s about maximizing efficiency and minimizing costs. By pairing routine checks with EXAIR’s engineered solutions, you can tackle leaks, contamination, and over-pressurization head-on. The result? A system that runs smoother, lasts longer, and keeps your energy bill in check. Whether you’re blowing off parts, powering tools, or cooling processes, these strategies and tools ensure your compressed air works as hard as you do.

For more insights or help selecting the right EXAIR products for your system, reach out to an Application Engineer. Let’s keep your air flowing intelligently!

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer

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Pressure Drop vs Differential Pressure

Published on by John BallLeave a comment

I find myself interchanging these terms; pressure drop and differential pressure.  This is very common as both are determined by the change in pressure between two points.  In this blog, I will cover the difference between these two terms in my view.

Pressure drop only occurs when the air is flowing.  The higher the velocity, the more extreme the pressure drop will be.  Velocity is created when the pressure changes.  So, the higher pressure will go toward the lower pressure.  But we wish for that pressure difference to be as low as possible.  Pressure drop is always a loss, and you cannot regain that energy.  Forms of pressure drop that can be found are like small diameter pipes or tubing; restrictive fittings like quick disconnects, and conditioning equipment like after coolers and air dryers.  If too large of a pressure drop occurs, the pneumatic equipment will not have enough power to operate effectively and efficiently.  I have another blog with a video that helps demonstrate this, “Pressure Drop and its Relationship to Compressed Air”. 

Pressure Regulators “dial in” performance to get the job done without using more air than necessary.

Differential pressure can be static or flowing.  It is very similar to pressure drop except that the energy is stored.  The most common device that does this is the pressure regulator.  You are able to reduce the pressure downstream to the point-of-use.  This type of pressure reduction stores energy, and it will save you money, instead of wasting money.  For every 10 PSI reduction in pressure, it will save you 5% in energy.  With blow-off devices, you want to use the least amount of pressure to “do the job”.  Over-using your compressed air is wasteful.

Here is a graph of a typical compressed air system.  As you can see, the typical pressure drop from the air compressor to the point-of-use.  So, if you can reduce the pressure drop through the system and optimize the differential pressure from the regulator to your point-of-use, you can optimize your system.

Pressure Drop Chart

In a simple statement, a pressure drop loses energy while differential pressure stores energy for later use.  EXAIR offers a variety of efficient, safe, and effective compressed air products to fit within the demand side.  This will include the EXAIR Super Air Knives, Super Air Nozzles, and Safety Air Guns.  If you wish to go further in optimizing your system, an Application Engineer at EXAIR will be happy to help you.

John Ball
Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb

Pressure Drop Chart by Compressed Air Challenge Organization.

“Under Pressure” Pressure Regulators!

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

I recently recommended to a customer to turn their air pressure down on their system as low as their process would allow. Meaning regulate the pressure so you have enough to complete the operations needed but find that happy medium where your compressor isn’t working as hard to build those high pressures for no reason!

Compressed air is an amazing tool to have, and when used properly it can be more efficient that other non-compressed air tools that run off electricity. However, it’s pretty common to see compressed air systems running at their max just because.

Pressure Regulators “dial in” performance to get the job done without using more air than necessary.

Lowering the air system pressure reduces the compressor power consumption by about 1% for every two psi of lower pressure. Lowering the pressure also makes any unregulated operations reduce consumption by almost 1% for every one psi of pressure reduction. Not to mention the extra savings if your compressor system can turn down the compressor power because of the reduced flow and possibly shut off compressors that are no longer needed!

The best pressure at which to set your system is the level where your production can operate efficiently and effectively without waste: There is no right pressure—it depends on your operations and tools. You may have 90 to 100 psig at the compressor, but at the production machine, where the actual work is being done, you could have only 65 to 70 psig. In some cases, it may be even lower due to pressure drops in undersized piping, filters, regulators. The goal is to lower compressor discharge pressure without affecting the the operations at the end of the line.

Having artificially high plant-pressure can help you deal with surges in compressed air demand that might occasionally cause low-pressure and affect production. The higher pressure acts to store reserve air in the various volumes made up of receivers, pipes and such in your system. However, the higher pressure costs more to produce and makes unregulated end uses consume more air, which is an expensive trade-off. Another option is to make sure you have line pressure regulators at each point of use. This will allow you to regulate the operation to the pressure needed being sure to save compressed air and keep the over all system running more efficient.

You can regulate those point of use lines with a number of EXAIRs Pressure Regulators!

EXAIR offers a range of Pressure Regulators capable of handling air flow of up to 700 SCFM.

If we can help size a regulator, or have any other questions on how EXAIR can help you save compressed air in your system please reach out to me or one of our other Application Engineers!

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer

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Twitter: @EXAIR_JS