When thinking of hazardous locations, oneβs mind conjures an oil/gas drilling rig, refinery, or underground coal mine β all these locations have in the past utilized traditional pneumatics as risk reduction because they do not have a spark risk, which a solenoidβs electrical actuation requires and creates. Expanding our view of hazardous locations, we should […]
Components
Why is flow meter contamination important?
Thermal mass flow meters are excellent devices to use when measuring compressed air flow. These devices use a hot wire anemometer method of measuring the velocity of the compressed air in the pipe. Two probes are used, one heated and the other not, and are inserted into the compressed air pipe. The flow of air […]
Compressed air fail: Units conversion
Have you heard the story of the Gimli Glider? An Air Canada flight ran out of fuel on July 23, 1983, at an altitude of 41,000 feet, midway through the flight. The cause? It was a mix up of pounds and kilograms when calculating the weight of fuel to load for the flight. (Give it […]
Compressed air fail: Cycling dryer savings
Your equipment controls can sometimes tell you some good stories if you observe carefully. And sometimes tell of problems. Consider two thermal mass cycling air dryers installed in a foundry. Thermal mass cycling dryers are designed to reduce the energy consumption of the internal cooling system by turning off and on (cycling) the refrigerant compressor […]
Compressed air fail: Blowing reduction
It is very common in an industrial facility to have compressed air blowing applications installed at various locations to provide cleaning of sensing eyes and scanners. Β But it is important to keep in mind that this blowing demand can add up quickly β especially if there are many of these applications installed within the plant. […]
ΊΪΑΟ³ΤΉΟ indexing plungers for automated processes
JW Winco expands its indexing plungersβ range while adding new technical functionality. The latest addition,Β type GN 817.7, is pneumatically actuated and can be integrated seamlessly into automated processes thanks to state-of-the-art sensors. JW Winco offers a wide assortment of indexing plungers with various features. Their development team consistently succeeds at integrating new functionality that […]
Why is condensate disposal important in compressed air systems?
A wood products company had a two-compressor system installed on a mezzanine. Under the compressors and dryers were the piping and storage receivers. Each tank and each compressor had timer drains installed to expel the condensate that forms when the compressed air cools in the compressor aftercooler, piping, and storage vessels.Β The outlets of these […]
Compressed air fail: Flowmeter position
A local food company was resizing its compressed air system while renewing its plant operations. To get the sizing correct, the plant maintenance foreman purchased a flow meter to measure the output of the compressors. The meter was installed with a data logger to capture the flow profile of the plant. The readings showed that […]
ΊΪΑΟ³ΤΉΟ systems: an introductory primer and actuator selection guide
Norgren pneumatics expert Dietmar GrΓΌn provides a thorough introduction to pneumatic systems, addressing application areas, core components, the critical role of pneumatic air preparation and treatment products and pneumatic actuators and key considerations for selecting pneumatic actuators. Contributed by Dietmar GrΓΌn, Product Manager, Motion Control, Actuator, Norgren ΊΪΑΟ³ΤΉΟ systems harness the energy generated by the […]
Watch out for dangerous blow wands
Despite years of warnings β and the development of OSHA standards β there are still many dangerous compressed air blow wands in service at facilities throughout the world. Countless injuries and even deaths could have been prevented if safer devices were used or the blowing eliminated altogether. Fig. 1 shows a wand used to clean […]
