Compressor after cooler

[bmwpower]

If you already have an autodrain at the bottom of your tank, just run a copper line to the bottom ****** before the autodrain and let the tank drain get rid of the water. Save a couple bucks.

 

[p1mlb03]

I called Grainger and they're all gone...nationwide.
Any ideas on an alternative but similar design AND PRICE?

If I did not find that deal on the grainger unit, I would have put together a deal like Lametec and accomplished the samething. The SS braided lines I used were a little spendy but you can use copper or get some hydr lines made up to reduce the cost if you like.

 

[Ginsco]

Hi guys, first post here, great site. . How hot is the air that comes out from the cooling fan ? I would like to build one of these for my new compressor but I have to figure out where to mount it depending how hot the air movement is. I could definately use more heat in the winter. Thanks

 

[p1mlb03]

Hi guys, first post here, great site. . How hot is the air that comes out from the cooling fan ? I would like to build one of these for my new compressor but I have to figure out where to mount it depending how hot the air movement is. I could definately use more heat in the winter. Thanks

I have not tried to measure the air temp, but it is not that warm, but it is winter. I know some would disagree, but I set mine up to push the air back across the compressor to help cool the pump. That air is def cooler then the pump head. I will know better come summer time. I can always reverse the fan if needed.

 

[Ginsco]

Thanks for the reply. Im going to give building one a shot.

 

[brianpgriset]

Time to revive this from the dead. I have a question. I have a chance to get what I think is an identical aftercooler like this, but I have one thing that is keeping me from pulling the trigger. The inlet/outlet connections are 1/2 NPT while the discharge on my compressor is 3/4". My compressor is a 7.5 horse 2 stage Quincy making 24 scfm at 175psig. Will installing this off the discharge of my compressor, before the tank, apply to much restriction?

I would think not. I found some documentation that says with an air inlet temp of 300F and approach temp of 15F it's good for 31scfm with less than 3 psig drop.

It's either this or I am making one out of some hydronic heating elements.

 

[brianpgriset]

One other question, what is the typical discharge temp of a 2 stage compressor?

 

[trbomax]

I would like to know this as well. I have 2 hydraulic coolers that I would like plumb into my compressors but they are 1/2" id in and out. Both my saylorbeall and the t-30 are 3/4 pipe. The discharge cant be 300 degrees,I could shoot it with my infra red but that would just show the temp of the pipe,not the air going thru it.I thought about manifolding the 2 coolers together and only putting the cooling unit on one compressor.

 

[brianpgriset]

Well assuming adiabatic compression i get around 200 degrees with inlet air around 100, so this is pretty conservative. I just wanted to see if anyone had measured it.

 

[tonycastec]

I have a mid-80's Quincy QE5 and it's aftercooler is showing oil over the lower cooling fins. I checked the price of a genuine Quincy replacement aftercooler -it is just a copper pipe with spiral ss fins and fittings. Wow it is expensive! I could try to get a radiator shop to fix it?
The cause of the problem may be vibration so I really like the solution explained by Lametec (THANKYOU !).

 

[tonycastec]

I wanted to share: I found a good size cooler with 3/4" NPT fittings at a reasonable price. They have plenty in stock so it won't be a limited deal like the discontinued Grainger after cooler(that had 1/2"npt fittings)
Just search Flebay for :"CXRacing Aluminum Oil Cooler 15 Rows, NPT 3/4" Fitting"
Item number: 140358783698
I have asked them for a pressure rating and told them exactly what I plan to use it for.
I'll post their reply in case it is helpful to other Forum members.
My leaking OEM Quincy QE5 after-cooler is connected between the primary and secondary cylinders .So I assume it 'sees' only about 120psi and 250 degrees F?
If I am wildly wrong ,please correct me.

 

[brianpgriset]

I wanted to share: I found a good size cooler with 3/4" NPT fittings at a reasonable price. They have plenty in stock so it won't be a limited deal like the discontinued Grainger after cooler(that had 1/2"npt fittings)
Just search Flebay for :"CXRacing Aluminum Oil Cooler 15 Rows, NPT 3/4" Fitting"
Item number: 140358783698
I have asked them for a pressure rating and told them exactly what I plan to use it for.
I'll post their reply in case it is helpful to other Forum members.
My leaking OEM Quincy QE5 after-cooler is connected between the primary and secondary cylinders .So I assume it 'sees' only about 120psi and 250 degrees F?
If I am wildly wrong ,please correct me.

Any word yet from the seller on pressure rating?

Also, I wouldn't hook this up between the cylinders. Even if you cool it between stages of compression you'll put more heat into the air in the second compression stage. Best bet is to cool on discharge. This allows you to condense moisture out which is the main reason for the after cooler.

 

[tonycastec]

Brian,
I agree with your suggestion to position the after-cooler between the pump and the tank.Quincy does not do this.Their after-cooler(inter-cooler?) is between the primary and secondary cylinders.This is standard on all QE5 units I have seen. Perhaps I need a cooler in both locations.
No word yet from the vendor I mentioned . I'll post promptly when they respond.I just hope my 120psi250 degree parameters are realistic. They certainly wouldn't be if I put the new after cooler between the pump and the tank.

 

[W-Cummins]

I have a mid-80's Quincy QE5 and it's aftercooler is showing oil over the lower cooling fins. I checked the price of a genuine Quincy replacement aftercooler -it is just a copper pipe with spiral ss fins and fittings. Wow it is expensive! I could try to get a radiator shop to fix it?

As you seem to have discovered your compressor dosn't have an after cooler. As for the leaking intercooler piping, there should NOT be any oil inside the intercooler, so it's very unlikely it's leaking any out! If your getting enough oil into the intercooler to allow it to leak out your pump must be pumping out tons of oil past its rings. More likely it's the crank seal that's a weeping some oil that's getting onto the outside of the intercooler. Are you also loosing pressure or leaking air out of the tube??

William...

 

[tonycastec]

William,
Thanks for your suggestions. Quincy call it an after cooler but I prefer the term intercooler that I(& you ) use. Anyway ,no I am unaware of a leak -just the oil on the fins.So your suggestion is comforting and seems more likely that a leak in the intercooler pipe. Thanks for that.
Maybe it is still a good idea to fit an after cooler between the secondary pump and the tank? The pressure may be too high for some 'radiators'. The guys who used B&M coolers have not mentioned burst coolers.The B&M is intended for transmissions.My only concern was they have only small 1/2" connections.The radiator I found & cited above has 3/4" NPT.

 

[W-Cummins]

Maybe it is still a good idea to fit an after cooler between the secondary pump and the tank? The pressure may be too high for some 'radiators'. The guys who used B&M coolers have not mentioned burst coolers.The B&M is intended for transmissions.My only concern was they have only small 1/2" connections.The radiator I found & cited above has 3/4" NPT.

YES the after cooler is the best way to remove "most" of the water. here is a clip from another thread:

2. Condense it and then remove the liquid water.

The condensation method is the most commonly used. For it to work you need to lower the dew point and that means cooling the air! The output of your compressor is dumping the air into the tank at a temperature of 200+ deg F and at those temps you can have a ton of water as vapor in the air ( Think steam as an example) . The best you can normally achieve with out some mechanical cooling is to reduce the temperature to ambient ( room temp). Allowing this to happen will get a large amount of the water to condense and you can then remove it from the air stream.

The normal scheme for removal is an after cooler, a water separator, the storage tank, a particle filter ( to protect the next filter) and a Coalescing filter to remove the finer particles ( droplets) of water/oil. There are different levels of coalescing filters that allow finer and finer particles to be removed and you can stack them in series.


Note; I was very conservative on the outlet temp above, my QR25-390 pump has a "normal" outlet temp of way over 300 deg F when it's running hard!

The 1/2" port size is not a problem at all. The pressure drop across the heat exchanger might be, but probably not enough to worry about either.

The coolers with a fan like above are nice but you already have a fan running on your pump via its flywheel so why not just use it and eliminate the additional point of failure. That's the way Quincy made my machine from the factory.

William....

 

[tonycastec]

William,
Thank you for the great ideas,the facts and the huge photo. I'll try to copy your installation.
I think I can guess which motor you recommend in a pick up too :=)

 

[tonycastec]

CRX Racing the seller of the 3/4 npt cooler mentioned above emailed me with the specs:
"Max 250 psi and 350F "
http://www.ebay.com/itm/140358783698?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

The Crx site shows part number:http://www.ebay.com/itm/140358783698?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

or: http://www.cxracing.com/mm5/merchan...Product_Code=OC-608-15-NPT-3-4&Category_Code=

I hope this helps.

 

[brianpgriset]

CRX Racing the seller of the 3/4 npt cooler mentioned above emailed me with the specs:
"Max 250 psi and 350F "
http://www.ebay.com/itm/140358783698?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

The Crx site shows part number:http://www.ebay.com/itm/140358783698?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

or: http://www.cxracing.com/mm5/merchan...Product_Code=OC-608-15-NPT-3-4&Category_Code=

I hope this helps.

Sounds like it is just right for a two stage compressor. Thanks. I might have to order one.

 

[tonycastec]

The only alternatives I found are:
Hayden oil cooler(diesel truck) OC-1268 - - $180
Macko DB-1268 High flow cooler - 3/4" fitting, 18x13x1.5 - - - $200
Both on EBay.
I wish I knew how to assess value/quality of the 3 items.

 

[BLACK DEATH]

This is very interesting. Wouldnt we want to cool the air before it enters the tank than after it leaves the tank? The air gets hot entering the tank not exiting. Am i wrong?

 

[darkzero]

This is very interesting. Wouldnt we want to cool the air before it enters the tank than after it leaves the tank? The air gets hot entering the tank not exiting. Am i wrong?

Yes, that's where an aftercooler is supposed to be installed, between the pump discharge & the tank.

 

[W-Cummins]

Here is one from Granger, it's only a bit more money than the oil coolers above and is an after cooler made for an air compressor. If you search for the part number you can also get it from drill spot for about $8 cheaper

Air-Cooled-Aftercooler-4UJG3

William....

 

[tonycastec]

William
Good find but it is an awkward shape 16" x6" -for a fan(twin fans perhaps?)
It has huge 1"NPT fittings.

 

[W-Cummins]

The 16" size minus the "tank"ends or about 11" tall would be just the right size for your flywheel fan. You might want to mount it tilted slightly ( like mine is) as you want the water to drain out. They also put the ports on it in the correct orientation to help out with this

William....

 

[BLACK DEATH]

So has anyone actually seen if the after cooler makes a Difference? By theory it would but anyone know the exact temperature difference from in to out ports. The best time would be during the hot summer days.

 

[lametec]

I measured the intake temperature (on outside of the inlet of the cooler) to be over 310°F using an infra red thermometer. The outlet temperature measured the same way never went above 96°F. That's a drop of 214°F. Ambient temperature was about 86°F.

 

[BLACK DEATH]

Now that's a big difference. How is your Setup? Id like to use the fan off of the compressor to cool the after cooler if i do one.

 

[brianpgriset]

From what I've seen most after coolers will garuntee anywhere between 5 to 15 degrees approach temp which is quite a drop.

 

[brianpgriset]

Ok time to bring this back from the dead. I purchased the heat exchanger from eBay that tonycastec posted, also a bunch of fitting, tube and a dripleg I made with pipe fittings and it even has a sight glass. Basically everything I need to hookup an after cooler for my Quincy between the pump and tank except a fan to push air across the heat ex. I am about to pull the trigger but need one bit of help. Wanted to purchase this fan:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/EBM-PABST-E...047?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item460292f4af

As you can see it is 110v. My question is on the wiring. I want the fan to kick on and off at the same time as the compressor (duh). My pressure switch is a square d FHG 49X. It has two sets of contacts, one currently in use to control the 7.5hp motor. The other is open. Can I use the open set to power the fan on and off? I would buy a plug pigtail and break the hot leg across the switch. According to Square D the switch is rated to 1.5hp on 110v. The fan only draws 0.7 amps so I am not even close to the limit of the switch. Specs on the pressure switch here (page 5):
http://stevenengineering.com/tech_support/PDFs/45COM.pdf

Does this plan sound good and won't damage anything? Thanks! Will post pics when I'm done.

 

[alan camby]

Ok time to bring this back from the dead. I purchased the heat exchanger from eBay that tonycastec posted, also a bunch of fitting, tube and a dripleg I made with pipe fittings and it even has a sight glass. Basically everything I need to hookup an after cooler for my Quincy between the pump and tank except a fan to push air across the heat ex. I am about to pull the trigger but need one bit of help. Wanted to purchase this fan:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/EBM-PABST-E...047?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item460292f4af

As you can see it is 110v. My question is on the wiring. I want the fan to kick on and off at the same time as the compressor (duh). My pressure switch is a square d FHG 49X. It has two sets of contacts, one currently in use to control the 7.5hp motor. The other is open. Can I use the open set to power the fan on and off? I would buy a plug pigtail and break the hot leg across the switch. According to Square D the switch is rated to 1.5hp on 110v. The fan only draws 0.7 amps so I am not even close to the limit of the switch. Specs on the pressure switch here (page 5):
http://stevenengineering.com/tech_support/PDFs/45COM.pdf

Does this plan sound good and won't damage anything? Thanks! Will post pics when I'm done.

Might check out Mcmaster-carr. They have Muffin fans that are 220vac and available in different sizes

 

[pcmeiners]

The Hayden, Allison, Thernal Transfer products have swirl devices within the cooling tubes.

http://www.callbb.com/page.asp?p=hayden oil coolers

The intercooler hanging off the Quincy is equivalent to a Thermal Tranfer products unit .

Hayden, Allison have the same coolers, refer to the link for the specs. As to termperature, I believe they are rated at 350 F, brazed copper tube.

http://www.makcotransmissionparts.com/Allisoncooler.html


3/4" fittings mean little, if the total cooler is under sized in fin/tube pipe size. For new retail $74, they are undersized.
CX racing, 3/4" fitting, 9.75 x 9 is not going to do it for a 7.5hp, 21 CFM, for major water renoval, you want the air discharged from the cooler to be at room temperature.

You need something this size in BTU exchange, not necessarily this type/fin style, but at a Ebay price of $100. Ebay turns up large coolers at decent prices but you have to be patient

http://www.makcotransmissionparts.com/DB-1290.html

 

[brianpgriset]

I'm going to hook this all up and see what I get. Key detail in all this is the approach temp, so long as I can get near 10 to 15 degrees within ambient ill be in good shape (same water removal). If it does end up undersized I'll replace that element.

Any idea on the electrical question?

 

[EOC_Jason]

As you can see it is 110v. My question is on the wiring. I want the fan to kick on and off at the same time as the compressor (duh). My pressure switch is a square d FHG 49X. It has two sets of contacts, one currently in use to control the 7.5hp motor. The other is open. Can I use the open set to power the fan on and off? I would buy a plug pigtail and break the hot leg across the switch. According to Square D the switch is rated to 1.5hp on 110v. The fan only draws 0.7 amps so I am not even close to the limit of the switch.

The spec sheet didn't show but I would check with a meter to make sure the other set of contacts are isolated from the first pair, just to make sure you aren't sending 220v to a 110v motor.

Also to play it safe you can put an inline fuse somewhere to that fan if it doesn't have any other sort of overload protection, just to insure you don't burnout your pressure switch.

Finally, have you considered just mounting the radiator on the belt-guard in front of the flywheel? That is how most factory setups are. Then you don't need an extra fan (or more room to mount it).

 

[brianpgriset]

I did consider mounting on the belt guard but a fan will get a whole bunch more air across the heat ex and (I hope) make it much more effective.

The suggestions for voltage check and an inline fuse are good though, thanks!

 

[brianpgriset]

Extra set of contacts are not bonded to the other. I just ordered the fan. Hopefully it shows up soon and I can get this hooked up quick.

 

[brianpgriset]

Pressure tested the heat ex to 175psig and held no problem. Fan gets here tomorrow and then I begin the build.

FYI I measured the wall temp of the copper tube of the discharge of my compressor at 225 deg. Will be fun to see what the change is.

 

[PT Doc]

Keep us posted. Thanks

 

[lametec]

Now that's a big difference. How is your Setup? Id like to use the fan off of the compressor to cool the after cooler if i do one.

Transmission cooler and 240V fan (and an auto-drain):

 

[nine4gmc]

looking good, whats the diff in temps at the tank fitting?