Vortex Tubes

Vortex Tubes are an effective, low cost solution to a wide variety of industrial spot and process cooling needs. With no moving parts, a vortex tube spins compressed air to separate the air into cold and hot air streams. While French physicist Georges Ranque is credited with inventing the vortex tube in 1930, ITW Vortec was the first company to develop and apply this phenomenon into practical and effective cooling solutions for industrial use.

Applications

Vortex Tubes have a very wide range of application for industrial spot cooling on machines, assembly lines and processes.

Fluid (air) that rotates around an axis (like a tornado) is called a vortex. A Vortex Tube creates cold air and hot air by forcing compressed air through a generation chamber which spins the air centrifugally along the inner walls of the Tube at a high rate of speed (1,000,000 RPM) toward the control valve. A percentage of the hot, high-speed air is permitted to exit at the control valve. The remainder of the (now slower) air stream is forced to counterflow up through the center of the high-speed air stream, giving up heat, through the center of the generation chamber finally exiting through the opposite end as extremely cold air. Vortex tubes generate temperatures down to 100°F below inlet air temperature. A control valve located in the hot exhaust end can be used to adjust the temperature drop and rise for all Vortex Tubes.

Features and Benefits

• Uses only compressed air - no electricity or refrigerants
• Maintenance free - no moving parts
• Exceptionally reliable
• Compact and lightweight
• Cycle repeatability within ±1°
• Drops inlet temperature by up to 100°F

Uses

• Cool machining operations
• Set solders and adhesives
• Cool plastic injection molds
• Dry ink on labels and bottles
• Dehumidify gas samples
• Cool heat seal operations
• Thermal test sensors and choke units
• Cool cutter blades
• Temperature cycle parts