Blower-driven airknife cuts drying costs
An
Air Control Industries product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Oct 21, 2003
Blower-driven airknife systems offer a clean and cost effective means of achieving optimised drying of manufactured components, bottling/packaging lines, paint finish surfaces and textiles.
Effective drying, cleaning and cooling of conveyorised components/materials is difficult to achieve.
This is illustrated by the many varied techniques employed across different industries.
One of the most common approaches is the use of compressed air taken from a central compressor-generated supply that is tapped for general use throughout a company's shop floor/production areas.
Unfortunately, the use of such compressed air sources for surface blow-off and cooling is extremely inefficient and can result in contamination of product with oil and condensate.
Compressed air systems also suffer from high noise levels, plus potential health and safety risks due to the high pressures involved.
Added to these factors are the high running costs of continuously operating compressors.
In contrast, blower driven airknife systems, such as those offered by Air Control Industries of Chard, offer a clean and cost effective means of achieving optimised drying of manufactured components, bottling/packaging lines, paint finish surfaces and textiles.
They are also effective for cleaning, cooling and spreading of such materials as oil, wax, chocolate and batter.
They are even suitable for large components and high volume handling applications.
The potential cost savings that airknife systems can offer over conventional compressed air options can be really significant.
For example, a compressed air installation employing 16 x 48mm nozzles used in an array covering 200mm supplied at a pressure of 5bar will deliver 11,000 litre/min.
This would cost GBP 3.30/h if the average UK compressed air tariff of GBP 0.005/1kl is applied.
So over a 48 week year (8 hour, 5 day week) the cost would be GBP 6336.
By comparison, four 200mm-long airknives, providing an unbroken jet of air, powered by a 7.5kW powered blower would cost around GBP 3200 less a year to run (UK electrical tariff of GBP 0.04kW/h).
Because based on this tariff, one 7.5kW fan costs GBP 0.30/h resulting in a weekly cost of GBP 12/week - an annual total just GBP 575.
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Contact Air Control Industries
Tel (UK) 0845 5000 501
Other Air Control Industries stories
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ACI blower inflates Pufferfish spherical displays
Air Control Industries (ACI) has supplied the MS8/DC blower to Putterfish to keep its digital spherical displays inflated. -
ACI develops medium to high-pressure fans
Air Control Industries (ACI) has expanded its range of air movement products by introducing a range of medium to high-pressure fans. -
ACI supplies blower units for vacuum excavators
Air Control Industries (ACI) has supplied special blower units to Doncaster-based Vac-Ex for its mobile vacuum excavators. -
Bottle-drying system minimises contamination risks
Air Control Industries (ACI) has revealed how a bottle-drying system it supplied to Bitburger Braugruppe is helping the brewer minimise contamination risks on production-line machinery. -
ACI releases energy-efficient drying unit
Air Control Industries (ACI) has introduced the Dri-Line Powerpack, an energy-efficient drying unit for water-cooled extruded and coated products.
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