Vortex Tubes have been studied for over 90 years. These “phenoms of physics” and the theory behind them have been discussed on this blog before. But, when it comes to the practical use of a Vortex Tube it is good to discuss how to correctly select the model that may be needed in your application. The reason being, there are different flow rates and an option for maximum refrigeration or maximum cold temperature.
The tendency is to say, well I need to cool this down as far as possible so I need the coldest air possible, give me the maximum cold temperature. More times than not, the maximum cold temperature model is not the best solution for your application because maximum cooling power and maximum cold temperature are not the same thing. A maximum cold temperature Vortex Tube is best for spot cooling processes that require greater than 80F temperature drop covering a small area – spot cooling at its finest. Theis very cold air is delivered in a low volume. A maximum cooling power Vortex Tube is the best mix of cold temperature and volume of flow. This cold air (50F-80F temperature drop) is delivered at higher volumes which has the ability to remove more heat from certain processes. If you do not know which is bets for your application, follow these next steps.
The first step, is to call, chat, or email an Application Engineer so that we can best outfit your application and describe the implementation of the Vortex Tube or spot cooling product for you. You may also want to try and take some initial readings of temperatures. In a perfect world you would be able to supply all of the following information to us, but recognizing how imperfect it all is…some of this information could go a long way toward a solution. The temperatures that would help to determine how much cooling is going to be needed are listed below:
Part temperature:
Part dimensions:
Part material:
Ambient environment temperature:
Compressed air temperature:
Compressed air line size:
Amount of time desired to cool the part:
Lastly desired temperature:
With these bits of information, we can use standard cooling equations to determine what temperature of cold air stream and volume of air is needed in order to produce the cooling and your desired outcome. To give an idea of some of the math we have used, check out this handy educational video of how Newton’s law of cooling was used to calculate the amount of time it takes to cool down a room temp beverage in an ice cold refrigerator.
If you would like to discuss a cooling application, heating application, or any point of use compressed air application, contact an Application Engineer today.
Brian Farno
Application Engineer
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF
1 – ThinkWellVids – Newton’s Law of Cooling – Feb. 27, 2014 – retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8X7AoK0-PA
