What is a Vortex Tube?
It's your answer for instant cold air,
where and when you need it, using nothing but compressed air as a power
source. There's no maintenance, no mess, no explosion hazard, no electricty,
no moving parts - just clean, cold air for industrial or laboratory spot
cooling. 
| Vortex Tube Performance Data |
Inlet Pressure
psiG |
| Cold Fraction % |
|
| |
20 |
30 |
40 |
50 |
60 |
70 |
80 |
|
| 20 |
61.5 |
59.5 |
55.5 |
50.5 |
43.5 |
36.0 |
27.5 |
|
| 14.5 |
24.5 |
36.0 |
49.5 |
64.0 |
82.5 |
107.0 |
|
| 40 |
88.0 |
85.0 |
80.0 |
73.0 |
62.5 |
51.5 |
38.0 |
|
| 20.5 |
35.0 |
51.5 |
71.0 |
91.5 |
117.0 |
147.0 |
|
| 60 |
104.0 |
100.0 |
93.0 |
84.0 |
73.0 |
59.5 |
44.5 |
|
| 23.5 |
40.0 |
58.5 |
80.0 |
104.0 |
132.0 |
168.0 |
|
| 80 |
115.0 |
110.0 |
102.0 |
92.0 |
80.0 |
65.5 |
49.0 |
|
| 25.0 |
43.0 |
63.0 |
86.0 |
113.0 |
143.0 |
181.0 |
|
| 100 |
123.0 |
118.0 |
110.0 |
99.0 |
86.0 |
70.0 |
53.0 |
|
| 26.0 |
45.0 |
66.5 |
91.0 |
119.0 |
151.0 |
192.0 |
|
| 120 |
129.0 |
124.0 |
116.0 |
104.0 |
90.5 |
74.0 |
55.0 |
|
| 26.0 |
46.0 |
69.0 |
94/0 |
123.0 |
156.0 |
195.0 |
|
| 140 |
135.0 |
129.0 |
121.0 |
109.0 |
94.0 |
76.0 |
56.5 |
|
| 25.5 |
46.0 |
70.5 |
96.0 |
124.0 |
156.0 |
193.0 |
|
Figures in pink area give temperature drop of cold air,
°F
Figures in grey area give temperature rise of hot air, °F |
How Does a Vortex Tube Work?
How can you get cold air and
hot air from one compressed-air stream? Lots of people have tried to explain
it, including the French physicist who invented the Vortex Tube in the 1930's,
Georges
Ranque. Many different theories have been put forward.
Vortex Tubes behave in a very predictable and controllable way. When
compressed air is released into the tube through the vortex generator, you
get hot air out of one end of the tube and cold air out the other. A small
valve in the hot end, adjustable with the handy control knob, lets you adjust
the volume and temperature of air released from the cold end.
The vortex generator—an interchangeable, stationary part—regulates the
volume of compressed air, allowing you to alter the air flows and temperature
ranges you can produce with the tube.
"Cold Fraction": an important term for understanding Vortex Tube performance
"Cold Fraction" is the percentage of input compressed air that's released
through the cold end of the tube. As a rule of thumb, the less cold air
you release, the colder the air will be. You adjust the cold fraction with
the control knob.
Cold fraction is also a function of the type of vortex generator that's
in the tube, i.e., a "high cold fraction" or "low cold fraction" generator.
Most industrial process applications use a high cold fraction (above
50%). A high cold fraction tube can easily give you cold outputs 50-90°F
(28-50°C) below your compressed
air temperature.
High cold fractions give you a greater air flow, but they don't give
the lowest possible temperatures. The high cold fraction combination of
airflow and cold temperature produces the maximum refrigeration capacity,
or greatest Btu/H (Kcal/H).
A low cold fraction (below 50%) means a smaller volume of air coming
out that's very cold (down to -40°F/-40°C). In short, the less air you release,
the colder the air.
Just remember, your maximum Btu/H (Kcal/H) capacity (also called maximum
cooling or refrigeration) occurs with a high cold fraction tube.
The chart to the left shows you the temperature drop (pink bar) and rise
(grey bar) you can get at various inlet pressures and cold fraction settings.
|
