How to Calculate and Avoid Compressed Air Pressure Drop in Systems
EXAIR has been manufacturing Intelligent Compressed Air Products since 1983. They are engineered with the highest of quality, efficiency, safety, and effectiveness in mind. Since compressed air is the source for operation, the limitations can be defined by its supply. With EXAIR products and pneumatic equipment, you will need a way to transfer the compressed air from the air compressor. There are three main ways; pipes, hoses and tubes. In this blog, I will compare the difference between compressed air hoses and compressed air tubes.
The basic difference between a compressed air hose and a compressed air tube is the way the diameter is defined. A hose is measured by the inner diameter while a tube is measured by the outer diameter. As an example, a 3/8” compressed air hose has an inner diameter of 3/8”. While a 3/8” compressed air tube has an outer diameter that measures 3/8”. Thus, for the same dimensional reference, the inner diameter for the tube will be smaller than the hose.
Why do I bring this up? Pressure drop… Pressure Drop is a waste of energy, and it reduces the ability of your compressed air system to do work. To reduce waste, we need to reduce pressure drop. If we look at the equation for pressure drop, DP, we can find the factors that play an important role. Equation 1 shows a reference equation for pressure drop.
Equation 1:
DP = Sx * f * Q1.85 * L / (ID5 * P)
DP – Pressure Drop
Sx – Scalar value
f – friction factor
Q – Flow at standard conditions
L – Length of pipe
ID – Inside Diameter
P – Absolute Pressure
From Equation 1, differential pressure is controlled by the friction of the wall surface, the flow of compressed air, the length of the pipe, the diameter of the pipe, and the inlet pressure. As you can see, the pressure drop, DP, is inversely affected by the inner diameter to the fifth power. So, if the inner diameter of the pipe is twice as small, the pressure drop will increase by 25, or 32 times.
Let’s revisit the 3/8” hose and 3/8” tube. The 3/8” hose has an inner diameter of 0.375”, and the 3/8” tube has an inner diameter of 0.25”. In keeping the same variables except for the diameter, we can make a pressure drop comparison. In Equation 2, I will use DPt and DPh for the pressure drop within the tube and hose respectively.
Equation 2:
DPt / DPh = (Dh)5 / (Dt)5
DPt – Pressure drop of tube
DPh – Pressure Drop of hose
Dh – Inner Diameter of hose
Dt – Inner Diameter of tube
Thus, DPt / DPh = (0.375”)5 / (0.25”)5 = 7.6
As you can see, by using a 3/8” tube in the process instead of the 3/8” hose, the pressure drop will be 7.6 times higher.
At EXAIR, we want to make sure that our customers are able to get the most from our products. To do this, we need to properly size the compressed air lines. Within our installation sheets for our Super Air Knives, we recommend the infeed pipe sizes for each air knife at different lengths.
There is also an excerpt about replacing schedule 40 pipe with a compressed air hose. We state; “If compressed air hose is used, always go one size larger than the recommended pipe size due to the smaller I.D. of hose”. Here is the reason. The 1/4” NPT Schedule 40 pipe has an inner diameter of 0.364” (9.2mm). Since the 3/8” compressed air hose has an inner diameter of 0.375” (9.5mm), the diameter will not create any additional pressure drop. Some industrial facilities like to use compressed air tubing instead of hoses. This is fine as long as the inner diameters match appropriately with the recommended pipe in the installation sheets. Then you can reduce any waste from pressure drop and get the most from the EXAIR products.
With the diameter being such a significant role in creating pressure drop, it is very important to understand the type of connections to your pneumatic devices; i.e. hoses, pipes, or tubes. In most cases, this is the reason for pneumatic products to underperform, as well as wasting energy within your compressed air system. If you would like to discuss further the ways to save energy and reduce pressure drop, an Application Engineer at EXAIR will be happy to assist you.
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