VORTEX TUBE COOLER

摘要

A vortex tube cooling system for cooling compressed gas in air drilling assemblies comprises a gas source, a compressor, a plurality of vortex tube coolers and a drilling pipe in fluid communication with the plurality of vortex tube coolers. Each vortex tube cooler has an inlet nozzle for receiving compressed gas from the gas source into a swirl chamber. The swirl chamber is in fluid connection with a vortex tube defining a hot outlet, and a cold outlet. An inlet of the drilling pipe receives a cold air stream leaving the cold outlet of the plurality of vortex tube coolers.

主权项

1. A vortex tube cooler comprising:
an inlet nozzle; a swirl chamber arranged to receive a flow of compressed gas from the inlet nozzle; and a vortex tube in fluid communication with the swirl chamber and defining a vortex tube diameter (D), a vortex tube length (L), and a hot outlet arranged at an opposite end of the vortex tube from the swirl chamber, wherein a vortex ratio of the vortex tube length to the vortex tube diameter (L/D) is between about ten and eighteen.