Product Overview

There are three standard sizes for the basic Frigid-X® vortex tubes – the mini size which uses 2, 4 or 8 SCFM, the most common (medium) size which uses 10, 15, 25, 30 and 40 SCFM, and the large sizes which use 50, 75, 100 and 150 SCFM.  The large sizes are used in heavy industry but can cool to over 10,000 BTU/hr.  Vortex tubes normally come with the “hot end” adjustable to control the flow and temperature out the cold end.  The more flow out the hot side, the lower the temperature out the cold side.  It is important to note that the cooling effect (BTU/hr.) is determined by both flow and temperature drop.  So if cooling effect is important, then the flow out the cold end should be between 60% – 80%.  If the cold temperature is most important, then the flow out the cold end should be under 50%.

All vortex tubes have a “generator” which is sized for a certain flow.  There are basically two kinds of generators- one for cooling effect and then a second kind which limits the flow out the cold end, to achieve very low temperatures.   Depending on the temperature and pressure of the incoming compressed air, it is possible to achieve cold end temperatures as low as minus 40 and even minus 50 degrees F.

Applications

  • Cool electronic and electrical control
  • Cool machine operations/tooling
  • Cool CCTV cameras
  • Set hot melt adhesives
  • Cool soldered parts
  • Cool gas samples
  • Cool heat seals
  • Cooling environmental chambers

How Vortex Tubes work

Our Stainless Steel vortex tube comes assembled with a brass generator as a standard item rather than cheap plastic for a longer lifespan and for applications in high-temperature environments. With virtually no moving parts, the vortex tube takes compressed air and converts it to cold air as low as minus 50° F (minus 46° C) at one end and hot air at the other up to 260° F (127° C).

Small Vortex Tube

The small vortex tube size range (2- 8 SCFM) comes in two physical versions – with an adjustable hot end plug that is adjusted using a screwdriver and with a “hand adjustable knob” and a hot end muffler incorporated into the unit.

Medium Vortex Tube

The medium vortex tube size range (10- 40 SCFM) also comes in two physical versions – with same adjustable hot end plug that is adjusted using a screwdriver and with the same “hand adjustable knob” and a hot end muffler incorporated into the unit.

For both the small and medium vortex tube you can easily convert the version that needs a screwdriver to the hand adjustable version, which ever is bets suited to the application.

Large Vortex Tube

The large vortex tube size range (50 -150 SCFM) comes in one physical versions only with the adjustable hot end plug that is adjusted using a screwdriver.

Vortex tubes are most often purchase in the following packages:

Frigid-X® Adjustable Spot Cooler

The Frigid-X® Adjustable Spot Cooler is a low cost and maintenance free system which utilizes a vortex tube to produce cold air at one end. Comes complete with a magnetic base and generally used for laboratory testing or where temperature adjustment is required.

The Frigid-X® Tool Cooler

The Frigid-X® Tool Cooler is designed for all types of dry machining applications for materials such as plastic, glass, ceramic, titanium, and others such as aluminum (if not deep hole drilling), and it has even been used for cooling needles in sewing and cutters for textile cutting.   Another application is to cool slitters on plastic extrusion lines.

Frigid-X® Mini Spot Cooler

The Nex Flow® Mini Spot Cooler is designed to cool small parts and produces a stream of 15 to 20 degree F (minus 9.5 to 7 degree C) of cold air to prevent heat buildup depending on inlet air temperature.

Panel Coolers

The Nex Flow® Panel Cooler (Cabinet Enclosure Coors) is ideal for especially dirty and humid environments and where service is an issue with traditional industrial air conditioners

X-Stream® Panel Cooler

The X-stream Panel Cooler is a Cabinet Enclosure Cooler with extra sound muffling to maintain noise levels 65 dBA and under. Regular Panel Coolers may be converted to X-stream Panel Coolers by adding the Muffling Kit

Frigid-X® Box Cooler

For cooling small enclosures in laboratories , environmental chambers, and any application where an enclosure needs cooling.

Features / Advantages

  • No moving parts, reliable, maintenance free
  • No coolant
  • Compact and lightweight
  • Low cost application
  • Maintenance free units
  • Instant cold air in environmental chambers
  • No spark or explosion hazard
  • Interchangeable generators

Videos

How The Vortex Tube Work

Compressed air enters at point (A). Inside the vortex tube, the compressed air is made to spin using a “generator”. It travels in one direction along the small (hot end) tube and then back inside itself in the reverse direction creating one stream of air (B) and the second stream of air (C) in the opposite direction. The outside stream of air gets hot and exhausts at point (D). The center column of air gets cold and exists at point (E). Temperatures and capacities can vary by adjusting the hot end plug at (D) and by using different “generators”

Temperature

Adjusting the slotted valve at the hot air outlet sets the flow rate and temperature at the cold end. The more air let out at the hot end reduces the cold air flowing and the cold air temperature at the cold end. Close the valve at the hot end and you increase the cold air flow at the cold end as well as the air temperature at the cold end. The percentage of total input air to the vortex tubes that is directed to the cold end is the “cold fraction”. A cold fraction of 60% to 80% produces the optimum refrigeration. See the chart below which indicates the temperature “rise” at the hot end and temperature “drop” at the cold end of a vortex tubes at various input pressures and “cold Fraction” setting.

Most industrial applications, such as electrical control panel cooling, parts cooling, tool cooling require maximum refrigeration and utilize the Frigid-X® 50000H series. Applications which require extreme cold temperatures such as lab sample cooling, circuit board testing, would utilize the Frigid-X®50000C series. However, mufflers are available for both the cold and hot ends if required.

Performance

Model # SCFM @100 PSIG inlet (SLPM @ 6.9 BAR inlet) Btu/hr. at 100 PSIG (Watts at 6.9 BAR) Size
50002H 2 (57) 145 (42) small
50004H 4 (142) 290 (85) small
50008H 8 (226) 580 (170) small
50010H 10 (283) 730 (214) medium
50015H 15 (425) 1100 (322) medium
50025H 25 (708) 1800 (527) medium
50030H 30 (850) 2100 (615) medium
50040H 40 (1133) 2900 (849) medium
50050H 50 (1416) 3700 (1084) large
50075H 75 (2124) 5400 (1583) large
50100H 100 (2832) 7100 (2081) large
50150H 150 (4248) 10800 (3165) large
Model # SCFM @100 PSIG inlet (SLPM @ 6.9 BAR inlet) For Cold Temperature Size
50002C 2 (57) —- small
50004C 4 (142) —- small
50008C 8 (226) —- small
50010C 10 (283) —- medium
50015C 15 (425) —- medium
50025C 25 (708) —- medium
50030C 30 (850) —- medium
50040C 40 (1133) —- medium
50050C 50 (1416) —- large
50075C 75 (2124) —- large
50100C 100 (2832) —- large
50150C 150 (4248) —- large

Approximate temperature drops (and rises) from inlet air temperature produced by a vortex tube set at various cold fractions. Assume constant inlet pressure and temperature.

Temperature drop of cold air, °F (ºC) in blue Temperature rise of hot air, °F (ºC) in red
PSIG (BAR) 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
20 (1.4) 62 (34) 60 (33) 56 (31) 51 (28) 44 (24) 36 (20) 28 (16)
15 (8) 25 (14) 36 (20) 50 (28) 64 (26) 83 (46) 107 (59)
40 (2.8) 88 (48) 85 (46) 80 (42) 73 (39) 63 (34) 52 (28) 38 (20)
21 (11) 35 (18) 52 (28) 71 (38) 92 (50) 117 (62) 147 (80)
60 (4.1) 104 (57) 100 (55) 93 (51) 84 (46) 73 (40) 60 (33) 46 (25)
24 (14) 40 (22) 59 (33) 80 (44) 104 (57) 132 (73) 166 (92)
80 (5.5) 115 (63) 110 (62) 102 (56) 92 (51) 80 (45) 66 (36) 50 (28)
25 (14) 43 (24) 63 (35) 86 (47) 113 (63) 143 (80) 180 (100)
100 (6.9) 123 (68) 118 (65) 110 (61) 100 (55) 86 (48) 71 (39) 54 (30)
26 (14) 45 (25) 67 (37) 90 (50) 119 (66) 151 (84) 191 (106)
120 (8.4) 129 (72) 124 (69) 116 (64) 104 (58) 91 (50) 74 (41) 55 (31)
26 (14) 46 (26) 69 (38) 94 (52) 123 (68) 156 (86) 195 (108)

Approximate temperature drops (and rises) from inlet air temperature produced by a Vortex Tube set at various cold fractions. Assume constant inlet pressure and temperature. Tests were conducted with a 15H generator in a medium size Vortex Tube (Model 50015H). Will vary with other sizes and capacities

Dimensions

Small Vortex Tube with Generator

Small Vortex Tube with Generator Cold Muffler

Small Vortex Tube with Generator, Hand Adjustable Hot End Muffler

Small Vortex Tube with Generator, Hand Adjustable Hot End Muffler + Cold End Muffler

Small Vortex Tube with Generator, Hand Adjustable Hot End Muffler + Cold End Muffler + Single Point Host Kit

Small Vortex Tube with Generator + Single Point Hose kit

Medium Vortex Tube with Generator

Medium Vortex Tube with Generator, Hand Adjustable Hot End Muffler Assembly

Medium Vortex Tube with Generator, Hand Adjustable Hot End Muffler Assembly + Cold Muffler

Medium Vortex Tube with Generator, Hand Adjustable Hot End Muffler Assembly + Cold Muffler + Single Point Host Kit

Medium Vortex Tube with Generator, Hand Adjustable Hot End Muffler Assembly + Single Point Host Kit

Medium Vortex Tube with Genarator + Cold End Muffler

Medium Vortex Tube with Generator + Cold End Muffler + Single Point Hose Kit

Medium Vortex Tube with Generator + Single Point Host Kit

Large Vortex Tube

Large Vortex Tube with Cold End Muffler

WP Data Tables
Overview

Product Overview

There are three standard sizes for the basic Frigid-X® vortex tubes – the mini size which uses 2, 4 or 8 SCFM, the most common (medium) size which uses 10, 15, 25, 30 and 40 SCFM, and the large sizes which use 50, 75, 100 and 150 SCFM.  The large sizes are used in heavy industry but can cool to over 10,000 BTU/hr.  Vortex tubes normally come with the “hot end” adjustable to control the flow and temperature out the cold end.  The more flow out the hot side, the lower the temperature out the cold side.  It is important to note that the cooling effect (BTU/hr.) is determined by both flow and temperature drop.  So if cooling effect is important, then the flow out the cold end should be between 60% – 80%.  If the cold temperature is most important, then the flow out the cold end should be under 50%.

All vortex tubes have a “generator” which is sized for a certain flow.  There are basically two kinds of generators- one for cooling effect and then a second kind which limits the flow out the cold end, to achieve very low temperatures.   Depending on the temperature and pressure of the incoming compressed air, it is possible to achieve cold end temperatures as low as minus 40 and even minus 50 degrees F.

Applications

  • Cool electronic and electrical control
  • Cool machine operations/tooling
  • Cool CCTV cameras
  • Set hot melt adhesives
  • Cool soldered parts
  • Cool gas samples
  • Cool heat seals
  • Cooling environmental chambers

How Vortex Tubes work

Our Stainless Steel vortex tube comes assembled with a brass generator as a standard item rather than cheap plastic for a longer lifespan and for applications in high-temperature environments. With virtually no moving parts, the vortex tube takes compressed air and converts it to cold air as low as minus 50° F (minus 46° C) at one end and hot air at the other up to 260° F (127° C).

Small Vortex Tube

The small vortex tube size range (2- 8 SCFM) comes in two physical versions – with an adjustable hot end plug that is adjusted using a screwdriver and with a “hand adjustable knob” and a hot end muffler incorporated into the unit.

Medium Vortex Tube

The medium vortex tube size range (10- 40 SCFM) also comes in two physical versions – with same adjustable hot end plug that is adjusted using a screwdriver and with the same “hand adjustable knob” and a hot end muffler incorporated into the unit.

For both the small and medium vortex tube you can easily convert the version that needs a screwdriver to the hand adjustable version, which ever is bets suited to the application.

Large Vortex Tube

The large vortex tube size range (50 -150 SCFM) comes in one physical versions only with the adjustable hot end plug that is adjusted using a screwdriver.

Vortex tubes are most often purchase in the following packages:

Frigid-X® Adjustable Spot Cooler

The Frigid-X® Adjustable Spot Cooler is a low cost and maintenance free system which utilizes a vortex tube to produce cold air at one end. Comes complete with a magnetic base and generally used for laboratory testing or where temperature adjustment is required.

The Frigid-X® Tool Cooler

The Frigid-X® Tool Cooler is designed for all types of dry machining applications for materials such as plastic, glass, ceramic, titanium, and others such as aluminum (if not deep hole drilling), and it has even been used for cooling needles in sewing and cutters for textile cutting.   Another application is to cool slitters on plastic extrusion lines.

Frigid-X® Mini Spot Cooler

The Nex Flow® Mini Spot Cooler is designed to cool small parts and produces a stream of 15 to 20 degree F (minus 9.5 to 7 degree C) of cold air to prevent heat buildup depending on inlet air temperature.

Panel Coolers

The Nex Flow® Panel Cooler (Cabinet Enclosure Coors) is ideal for especially dirty and humid environments and where service is an issue with traditional industrial air conditioners

X-Stream® Panel Cooler

The X-stream Panel Cooler is a Cabinet Enclosure Cooler with extra sound muffling to maintain noise levels 65 dBA and under. Regular Panel Coolers may be converted to X-stream Panel Coolers by adding the Muffling Kit

Frigid-X® Box Cooler

For cooling small enclosures in laboratories , environmental chambers, and any application where an enclosure needs cooling.

Advantages

Features / Advantages

  • No moving parts, reliable, maintenance free
  • No coolant
  • Compact and lightweight
  • Low cost application
  • Maintenance free units
  • Instant cold air in environmental chambers
  • No spark or explosion hazard
  • Interchangeable generators
Videos

Videos

How The Vortex Tube Work

Compressed air enters at point (A). Inside the vortex tube, the compressed air is made to spin using a “generator”. It travels in one direction along the small (hot end) tube and then back inside itself in the reverse direction creating one stream of air (B) and the second stream of air (C) in the opposite direction. The outside stream of air gets hot and exhausts at point (D). The center column of air gets cold and exists at point (E). Temperatures and capacities can vary by adjusting the hot end plug at (D) and by using different “generators”

Temperature

Temperature

Adjusting the slotted valve at the hot air outlet sets the flow rate and temperature at the cold end. The more air let out at the hot end reduces the cold air flowing and the cold air temperature at the cold end. Close the valve at the hot end and you increase the cold air flow at the cold end as well as the air temperature at the cold end. The percentage of total input air to the vortex tubes that is directed to the cold end is the “cold fraction”. A cold fraction of 60% to 80% produces the optimum refrigeration. See the chart below which indicates the temperature “rise” at the hot end and temperature “drop” at the cold end of a vortex tubes at various input pressures and “cold Fraction” setting.

Most industrial applications, such as electrical control panel cooling, parts cooling, tool cooling require maximum refrigeration and utilize the Frigid-X® 50000H series. Applications which require extreme cold temperatures such as lab sample cooling, circuit board testing, would utilize the Frigid-X®50000C series. However, mufflers are available for both the cold and hot ends if required.

Performance

Performance

Model # SCFM @100 PSIG inlet (SLPM @ 6.9 BAR inlet) Btu/hr. at 100 PSIG (Watts at 6.9 BAR) Size
50002H 2 (57) 145 (42) small
50004H 4 (142) 290 (85) small
50008H 8 (226) 580 (170) small
50010H 10 (283) 730 (214) medium
50015H 15 (425) 1100 (322) medium
50025H 25 (708) 1800 (527) medium
50030H 30 (850) 2100 (615) medium
50040H 40 (1133) 2900 (849) medium
50050H 50 (1416) 3700 (1084) large
50075H 75 (2124) 5400 (1583) large
50100H 100 (2832) 7100 (2081) large
50150H 150 (4248) 10800 (3165) large
Model # SCFM @100 PSIG inlet (SLPM @ 6.9 BAR inlet) For Cold Temperature Size
50002C 2 (57) —- small
50004C 4 (142) —- small
50008C 8 (226) —- small
50010C 10 (283) —- medium
50015C 15 (425) —- medium
50025C 25 (708) —- medium
50030C 30 (850) —- medium
50040C 40 (1133) —- medium
50050C 50 (1416) —- large
50075C 75 (2124) —- large
50100C 100 (2832) —- large
50150C 150 (4248) —- large

Approximate temperature drops (and rises) from inlet air temperature produced by a vortex tube set at various cold fractions. Assume constant inlet pressure and temperature.

Temperature drop of cold air, °F (ºC) in blue Temperature rise of hot air, °F (ºC) in red
PSIG (BAR) 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
20 (1.4) 62 (34) 60 (33) 56 (31) 51 (28) 44 (24) 36 (20) 28 (16)
15 (8) 25 (14) 36 (20) 50 (28) 64 (26) 83 (46) 107 (59)
40 (2.8) 88 (48) 85 (46) 80 (42) 73 (39) 63 (34) 52 (28) 38 (20)
21 (11) 35 (18) 52 (28) 71 (38) 92 (50) 117 (62) 147 (80)
60 (4.1) 104 (57) 100 (55) 93 (51) 84 (46) 73 (40) 60 (33) 46 (25)
24 (14) 40 (22) 59 (33) 80 (44) 104 (57) 132 (73) 166 (92)
80 (5.5) 115 (63) 110 (62) 102 (56) 92 (51) 80 (45) 66 (36) 50 (28)
25 (14) 43 (24) 63 (35) 86 (47) 113 (63) 143 (80) 180 (100)
100 (6.9) 123 (68) 118 (65) 110 (61) 100 (55) 86 (48) 71 (39) 54 (30)
26 (14) 45 (25) 67 (37) 90 (50) 119 (66) 151 (84) 191 (106)
120 (8.4) 129 (72) 124 (69) 116 (64) 104 (58) 91 (50) 74 (41) 55 (31)
26 (14) 46 (26) 69 (38) 94 (52) 123 (68) 156 (86) 195 (108)

Approximate temperature drops (and rises) from inlet air temperature produced by a Vortex Tube set at various cold fractions. Assume constant inlet pressure and temperature. Tests were conducted with a 15H generator in a medium size Vortex Tube (Model 50015H). Will vary with other sizes and capacities

Dimensions

Dimensions

Small Vortex Tube with Generator

Small Vortex Tube with Generator Cold Muffler

Small Vortex Tube with Generator, Hand Adjustable Hot End Muffler

Small Vortex Tube with Generator, Hand Adjustable Hot End Muffler + Cold End Muffler

Small Vortex Tube with Generator, Hand Adjustable Hot End Muffler + Cold End Muffler + Single Point Host Kit

Small Vortex Tube with Generator + Single Point Hose kit

Medium Vortex Tube with Generator

Medium Vortex Tube with Generator, Hand Adjustable Hot End Muffler Assembly

Medium Vortex Tube with Generator, Hand Adjustable Hot End Muffler Assembly + Cold Muffler

Medium Vortex Tube with Generator, Hand Adjustable Hot End Muffler Assembly + Cold Muffler + Single Point Host Kit

Medium Vortex Tube with Generator, Hand Adjustable Hot End Muffler Assembly + Single Point Host Kit

Medium Vortex Tube with Genarator + Cold End Muffler

Medium Vortex Tube with Generator + Cold End Muffler + Single Point Hose Kit

Medium Vortex Tube with Generator + Single Point Host Kit

Large Vortex Tube

Large Vortex Tube with Cold End Muffler

Pricing
WP Data Tables