Tag: spray

Take Advantage of the BETE Spray Laboratory

Published on by John BallLeave a comment

EXAIR is a leader in engineered compressed air solutions and static elimination, and BETE is renowned for engineered spray nozzle and spraying systems.  Ever since the merger, we have worked closely together to create a unique market appeal.  In this blog, I wish to cover an important department of BETE, the Spray Lab. 

The Spray Lab features a state-of-the-art research laboratory dedicated to focusing on complex challenges to support research and development efforts.  We test, so that you can get accurate values for your process.  BETE excels with high-quality nozzles for various spray applications, providing fit and function for our customers. Using advanced tools such as test stands, computer modeling, and in-house manufacturing capabilities, BETE’s Spray Lab improves confidence in the solutions it offers for your process.

Running the BETE’s Spray Lab, we have experts that can manage every aspect of a spraying system. Working closely with our clients to define their goals and limitations, they conduct physical tests to evaluate critical parameters such as droplet size, spray reach, and spray angle.  BETE also can use advanced computational fluid dynamics software to simulate the behavior of the droplets that would integrate into the process.  It can optimize the performance and find any shortfalls before manufacturing starts.  With the manufacturing facility located adjacent to the lab, the design team works together with the production team to create tailored solutions.  Overall, the Spray Lab offers a wide range of resources, allowing them to explore various types of applications and to evaluate the effectiveness of misting nozzles.

For more information about EXAIR and BETE, you can view our websites at www.EXAIR.com or www.BETE.com .  We would be happy to hear from you. 

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

Wonder Twins – With Our Powers Combined

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment
Comic-Con Exclusive DC Classics Wonder Twins with Gleek at the Mattel booth at San Diego Comic-Con International
1 – Comic-Con Exclusive DC Classics Wonder Twins with Gleek at the Mattel booth at San Diego Comic-Con International

EXAIR and BETE both offer a wide variety of External Mix Air Atomizing Spray Nozzles. The amount of knowledge that has been obtained by these two companies on compressed air and spray nozzles is tremendous and the level of expertise is second to none in the industry. So how does that help our potential customers and existing client base?

When it comes to spray nozzles, EXAIR has been in the game for over a decade, BETE has been in the game for nearly 75 years. The two have now combined and with our knowledge of how compressed air operates and their historical knowledge of liquid spray nozzles we are able to best serve our customers whether it is defining the spray characteristics of a nozzle, determining if additional testing would be the best path forward to meet the needs of their spray nozzle application. It could even be after we have sprayed the liquid on a part for a rinse or cooling, drying it and providing additional cooling.

The combination of our two teams has been monumental thus far with being able to transition customers from one product line to another if needed. This means if you have a liquid spray application that EXAIR doesn’t have the ideal fit, chances are BETE has something that will work and we can provide that handoff seamlessly to their Application Engineering team. This has also expanded our own Application Engineers level of knowledge with spray nozzles and the characteristics that customers may look for in the liquid spray applications. I’ve talked about this time and time again, we are continually bettering ourselves, our knowledge, and our product offering. This time we expanded it exponentially.

So whether you are trying to wash, coat, or cool with liquid, then make sure you blow the debris / liquid or drying a coating. EXAIR and BETE stands at the ready to help you and your team find the products that are right for you, whether they are BETE or EXAIR.

Brian Farno, MBA – CCASS Application Engineer

BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

1 – Comic-Con Exclusive DC Classics Wonder Twins with Gleek at the Mattel booth at San Diego Comic-Con International – Loren Javier , retrieved from – https://www.flickr.com/photos/lorenjavier/3759943890/

Compressed Air Dryers : What are they Good For?

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

Absolutely Nothing….. err ALOT! They are really good for a lot! Specifically removing moisture/condensate from compressed air.

In almost every operation, clean, dry compressed air will result in lower operating costs. The purpose of compressed air dryers is to overcome the dew point of your compressed air by removing water from it. Compressed air can contain humidity, and in the right environments it can reach the dew point temperature and condense into a damaging liquid. This liquid can be problematic, as it can contaminate your products or equipment, causing frozen pipes, and possibly leading to corrosion and other issues.

Now that we know how important they are how do you know which one is right for you?

Types of compressed air Dryers

• Refrigerant Dryer – the most commonly used type, the air is cooled in an air-to-refrigerant heat exchanger. (Here is a great blog deep diving on Refrigerant Dryers)
• Regenerative-Desiccant Type – use a porous desiccant that adsorbs (adsorb means the moisture adheres to the desiccant, the desiccant does not change, and the moisture can then be driven off during a regeneration process). (Here is a great blog deep diving on Desiccant Dryers)
• Deliquescent Type – use a hygroscopic desiccant medium that absorbs (as opposed to adsorbs) moisture. The desiccant is dissolved into the liquid that is drawn out. Desiccant is used up and needs to be replaced periodically. (Here is a great blog deep diving on Deliquescent Dryers)
• Membrane Type– use special membranes that allow the water vapor to pass through faster than the dry air, reducing the amount of water vapor in the air stream. (Here is a great blog deep diving on Membrane Dryers)

The selection of an air dryer is done best by the professional who knows or learns the particular end uses, the amount of moisture which each use can tolerate and the amount of moisture which needs to be removed to achieve this level. Air, which may be considered dry for one application, may not be dry enough for another. Dryness is relative. Even the desert has moisture. There is always some moisture present in a compressed air system regardless of the degree of drying.

For compressed air, the best way to specify dryness is to cite a desired pressure dew point. Different types of dryers, therefore, are available with varying degrees of pressure dew point performance. To specify dew point lower than required for an application is not good engineering practice. (Naming a pressure dew point is how to state the degree of dryness wanted.) It may result in more costly equipment and greater operating expense.

If you have questions about compressed air systems and dryers or any of our 15 different Intelligent Compressed Air® Product lines, feel free to contact EXAIR, and I or any of our Application Engineers can help you determine the best solution.

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer

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Why Dryers Are Needed in Compressed Air Systems

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

Air compressors are extremely proficient at compressing anything in the air they are intaking. With that air that is taken in, moisture is going to be present. The amount of moisture will all depend on where you are located geographically and the ambient conditions in the area. Here in Ohio, we experience all 4 seasons so the moisture content is higher in the air during the summer months, rather than the winter months. When this air is saturated with water vapor and the conditions are right, the air reaches a point it cannot hold any additional water vapor. This point is known as the dew point of the air and water vapor will begin to condense to form droplets.

When ambient air is compressed, heat is generated and the air increases in temperature. In most industrial compressed air systems, the air is then processed to an aftercooler, and that is where condensation begins to form. To remove the condensation, the air then goes into a separator which traps the liquid water. The air leaving the aftercooler is typically saturated at the temperature of the discharge, and any additional cooling that occurs as the air is transferred will cause more liquid to condense out of the air. To address this moisture, compressed air dryers are used.

It is critical to the quality of the system and components downstream that actions are taken to prevent this condensation in the air. Condensation is generally detrimental to any point of use application and or the piping that conveys the air. Rust and/or corrosion can occur anywhere in the piping, leading to scale and contamination of the compressed air and processes. When trying to dry products off using compressed air or using the air to atomize a liquid such as paint, adding in these contaminants and moisture will cost production losses.

There are several options when it comes to the type of dryer that one may consider installing on their compressed air supply side.

• Refrigerant Dryer – the most commonly used type, the air is cooled in an air-to-refrigerant heat exchanger.
• Regenerative-Desiccant Type – use a porous desiccant that adsorbs (adsorb means the moisture adheres to the desiccant, the desiccant does not change, and the moisture can then be driven off during a regeneration process).
• Deliquescent Type – use a hygroscopic desiccant medium that absorbs (as opposed to adsorbs) moisture. The desiccant is dissolved into the liquid that is drawn out. Desiccant is used up and needs to be replaced periodically.
• Heat of Compression Type – are regenerative desiccant dryers that use the heat generated during compression to accomplish the desiccant regeneration.
• Membrane Type– use special membranes that allow the water vapor to pass through faster than the dry air, reducing the amount of water vapor in the air stream.
The air should not be dried any more than is needed for the most stringent application, to reduce the costs associated with the drying process. A pressure dew point of 35°F to 38°F (1.7°C to 3.3°C) often is adequate for many industrial applications. Lower dew points result in higher operating costs.
If you have questions about compressed air systems and dryers or any of the 15 different EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air® Product lines, feel free to contact EXAIR, and I or any of our Application Engineers can help you determine the best solution.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF