Streandering Meams

About half a year ago, I was avidly reading Mad About Physics: Braintwisters, Paradoxes, and Curiosities and read factoid #41 "Blowing Hot and Cold" which was my first introduction to the wonderful world of the Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube.

I shared my wonderment with Whack Daddy and now I present an edited account of our exchange below.

--J:

Here's the cool (and hot!) physics demonstration that requires no moving parts

W.D:

You wouldn't call a room-sized air compressor a "moving part"?

--J:

Tsk, tsk, you are not thinking like a physicist: The heat exchanger has no moving parts, whoopie! People find this useful, e.g., if you need AC, but you can't afford downtime to fix/replace the exchanger, or you can't easily get to the AC outlet, it would make sense to use a vortex tube and run a pressurized line from it to wherever you have your compressor(s).

Anyway, this page says that anything above a 1HP air compressor should work quite nicely. (Actually, there is a typo in the marketing of the now defunct air compressor ad I originally sent you; it should read, "For use with blow guns, paint sprayers, air brushes, small rammers, impact wrenches, grease guns and Ranque-Hilsch vortex tubes.") Hmmmm, I think that I'll start to work on Mrs. --Jared about how it would be more economical and efficient to use a paint sprayer when painting the house. For $120 I could buy a R-H v.t. and try to pass it off as an attachment ... well, it is....

I apologize for the earlier web site. I wasn't happy with it, but it appeared to be the most complete and the pictures were the best I could find. Now I take that back: This picture (animated!) is the best that I can find (and the info is pretty complete as well). And here are some engineers, almost as crotchety as you about the usefulness of the wonderful Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube ;-)

W.D:

Air knives! The ultimate weapon (at least, until someone installs an Air Detector at the airport).

As for "tsk tsk": you're not thinking like an engineer, in my opinion. But then, I'm neither a physicist nor an engineer so, you know, pass the salt.

Still, it's a very cool (no pun intended) device. Speaking of unintential puns - did you notice the webpage selling the compressor? They're having a "blow-out" sale!

And now for a cheap retort in that I first make it here on a public blog: It does seem like I am thinking like an engineer--an engineer without borders! (Here's a Google search for the same info in case Time magazine closes off the article.)