Compressed air is a tricky technique because it is a compressible fluid that is subject to a wide variety of effects. However, 70% of the compressed air is still used for blowing out and cooling because it is universal. But it can be used more efficiently.
One of the more effective applications is the use of engineered compressed air nozzles. A properly designed engineered nozzle transfers energy normally lost due to pressure drop and noise by entrapping ambient atmospheric and compressed air. But not all air nozzles are designed. Some engineering nozzles are not very well designed. This may not matter in a small application, but when you add up the nozzles in a large facility, it can be a significant amount of money.
The first thing to decide is whether you want to cool a part or clean it. In the first case, flow is more important than force. In the second case, force is more important than flow. Then there is the comparison of air nozzles. Assuming manufacturers are honest about their specifications (which is not necessarily true), you need to consider both force and flow.
This is especially important when force is required. In this case, the force per unit of air consumption is the best thing. The most effective nozzle will have the highest force per unit of airflow (force scfm ratio). It doesn't matter how the force varies between the various nozzles, because in the right installation, you can use a regulator to cut the pressure to set the desired force; More power than you need will only consume more energy. But in real life, that's where the tricky part ......
How piping affects the performance of air nozzles
Let's assume that you install a set of nozzles from a ** vendor. You'll find another brand that generates the same force under the same pressure. The cost of the nozzle is also a little less. You don't have a regulator in your system. So you change a couple of nozzles. But....And then you find that the actual force is less than the specified? Yes, based on what you read, it should be the same! What went wrong?
If you check the specifications further, you will see that the replacement nozzle is only 1 more than the one you are using. It really doesn't seem much, but. The additional flow through the pipe, usually the same size as the nozzle, can induce enough additional pressure drop that the effective pressure at the nozzle inlet will be a little smaller, which will also create less force. This is how sensitive the nozzle performance is. So if you're going to replace any nozzle, check the force generated at a particular pressure and the amount of air consumed at that pressure. The possibility is that the pressure at the inlet of the nozzle is not the same, because you think it is due to the pressure drop.
When considering the use of a compressed air nozzle, consider the force it generates (usually specified at a specific pressure) and the amount of air consumed.