Vortec

Vortec is a world leader and true pioneer in industrial cooling solutions.

In 1961, ITW Vortec became the first company to develop technology for converting the vortex tube phenomenon into practical, effective cooling solutions. Since then, Vortec has continued to refine and expand vortex tube applications, as well as develop other ways to use compressed air efficiently.

Vortec products increase equipment efficiency, improve manufacturing methods, and eliminate more costly methods for cooling and increasing airflow in applications such as spot and enclosure cooling, airflow amplification, blowoff, and conveying.

Pneumatics & Sensors Ireland are sole distributors in Ireland for all Vortec products and are thus uniquely placed to bring you their features and benefits. We work closely with Vortect headquarters in The Netherlands to identify or develop the most appropriate solution to any customer’s cooling needs, and we provide the best advice and service possible.

The Vortex Principle

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 at a high rate of speed (1,000,000 rpm) into a vortex.

The high speed air heats up as it spins along the inner walls of the tube toward the control valve. A percentage of the hot, high speed air is permitted to exit at the valve. The remainder of the (now slower) air stream is forced to counterflow up through the center of the high speed air stream in a second vortex.

The slower moving air gives up energy in the form of heat and becomes cooled as it spins up the tube. The inside counterflow vortex exits the opposite end as extremely cold air.

Vortex tubes generate temperatures as much as 100 deg F (56 deg C) below the inlet air temperature. The fraction of hot air exhausted can be varied to change the outlet cold air temperature, with more exhaust resulting in a colder cold air stream (with lower flow rate), and less exhaust resulting in a warmer cold air stream (and higher flow rate).

Vortec products

The range of innovative Vortec products includes:

• Vortex Tubes – producing up to 1757 watts of refrigeration, and temperatures as low as -40°. With no moving part, a vortex tube is highly reliable and inexpensive, and requires no electrical connection at the cooling site. Vortex tubes cool instantly, relying on compressed air spinning in the tube to separate the air into cold and hot air streams.
• Cold Air Guns – using vortex tube technology and filtered compressed air to produce air temperatures as low as -34°. With no moving parts to wear out, Cold Air Guns require no electricity; just a compressed air source.
• Hot Air Guns – used an alternative to electric heat guns in applications were milder heat is needed. Ideal for pre-heating of parts, processes, and solutions; also for softening adhesives, rubber, and vinyl, and for drying. Requires no electricity at the target, and uses only filtered compressed air to create temperatures up to 93°.
• Spray Nozzles – providing ultra-fine droplet-sized sprays for evaporative cooling, atomisation, humidification, and wetting applications.
• Air Jets – to reduce compressed air consumption and noise drastically, as compared to open jets, copper tubes, and iron or steel pipes without an engineered nozzle.
• Air Knives – to deliver a flat sheet of amplified air to efficiently blow off water and debris from wide surfaces, and/or to provide high-speed drying or cooling.
• Air Nozzles – to entrain and accelerate free surrounding air, resulting in air flow volume up to 25 times more than the volume of compressed air, giving 25 times the blow-off capacity at a significantly reduced energy usage and lower operating cost.
• Air Flow Amplifiers – to deliver a large airflow for conveying, drying, cooling or ventilation applications.
• Enclosure Coolers – to keep electrical and electronic enclosures cool, clean, and protected. A low-cost alternative to expensive and high-maintenance air conditioners, and a cleaner alternative to dirty, humid air caused by fans.
• Hand-E-Vac – a powerful, hand-held vacuum gun that’s both lightweight and durable. With many possible uses in all settings.
• Personal Air Conditioners – for workers in extreme temperatures, to minimise heat stress, cold stress, and fatigue, and to improve comfort and productivity.
• Drum Pumps – a convenient and versatile solution for liquid material handling, and spill clean-up.