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Help selecting a low pressure, higher volume air blower.

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Bradley5

Bradley5

Mechanical
Jun 18, 2024
3
We need a blower that serves a simple purpose...to blow out some liquid lines when needed. We have determined that 5-10cfm and 30 psi is sufficient. We might normally use an air compressor but need the ability to use gasoline powered for this.

I was originally looking at regenerative blowers but seems they are unable to operate in this range. Positive displacement is an option, but I am wondering if another blower type is more idea for the application? We only need 30psi and would sure aid the design if the blower maxes out in that range, and a simple dead head safety.

Ideally want a blower that is oil free, or at least no lube system.
 
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OP,
They haver gasoline power air compressors, battery powered ones too. You are doing 30 psi of work to a very small displacement requiring ~2hp. To me, these requirements sound like they are describing a small portable air compressor.
I am not aware of any blowers like this. I am assuming then 30psi comes from a calculated velocity needed for the line blow out, what velocity are you looking at achieving?
 
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Why not use a regular gasoline operated oil free(if you can find one) air compressor, install a forward pressure regulator set at 25-30psig and a pressure safety valve set at 40psig (or whatever suits the application) on a small portable volume-surge tank ?

Perry's Chem Engg Handbook tells me Rootes pd oil free compressors go up to 12psig only, while blowers max Pd is about 1.5psig.
 
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Bradley5 said:
need the ability to use gasoline powered
Click to expand...
Always, or sometimes?

A suitably sized electrically-driven, oil-free + a gasoline generator gives you "the ability" to use gasoline and also the flexibility to use electricity when available.

How about just a cylinder of a suitable gas (CO[sub]2[/sub], Nitrogen, Argon, ...) and a regulator?

You already need a consumable (gasoline), so why not just make your consumable directly a pressurized gas? Quieter, no maintenance, no exhaust fumes.
 
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Just be aware of the many non-obvious safety issues involved with using air pressure to purge liquid lines. Gas moves very rapidly through a restriction compared to liquids so the situation can change suddenly when you have gas breaks through the restriction. Pipes and tubes can whip due to sudden liquid acceleration. Downstream devices can see full pressure after breakthrough. Etc.,etc.
 
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We used nitrogen (high purity from cryo tank) for things like this in our plant.
It cost us less than using compressed air.
And we knew that it was clean.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
P.E. Metallurgy, consulting work welcomed
 
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