Aftercooler placement

[Eagle3248]

I built this aftercooler but i installed it after my compressor tank. Is it effective in this location. if not i can install it in between the compressor and the tank. but i was told that there is some kind of like back pressure valve (or fitting) that keeps air from going back into the motor. i dont want to modifiy it and mess it up. i have a dewalt 3.7 hp 60 gal compressor has someone done this before any help is appreciated

[DnKFab]

It will not be nearly as effective as if you place it between the tank and the compressor head. The benefit realized with these cooler/condensers from my understanding is directly related to how much heat can be drawn out of the air as rapidly as possible forcing condensation to occur. The best chance of achieving this drastic temp change is grabbing the air when it is at its hottest …leaving the head and taking advantage of your cooler at that point. One caveat, if you are using a powered dryer like a harbor freight air dryer you must keep the inlet air under a certain temp. so you cannot use it in the same location as you can place the mechanical cooler/condensers. others that understand the physics more will prob chime in shortly as well.

[Phillipw]

I will do fine where you have it. What other drying equipment do you plan to use? Placement there could matter.

Have you used the compressor with that flex line on it? What is the rating?

[TinWhisperer]

@DnKFab

It will not be nearly as effective as if you place it between the tank and the compressor head

I believe it would be more effective just the way you have the location of the cooler @Eagle3248 .

The best location is after the compressor and tank.
You will ultimately pull more btus out of the air stream and the compressor will work less hard.

here is a post with a break down of the logic

! IT'S ALIVE ! ( Video) - OK... it works, now what's next?

I feel that putting the after cooler or what you would describe as an intercooler between the pump and the tank is not the best place. There are several reasons I outlined in that other post back pressure being one, having to blow off the entire coil every cycle, and I think the main fact is that 60% of that moisture would have condensed in the tank anyhow so it’s doing part of a job that would have already be done whereas if you put it after the tank you’re doing a job that wouldn’t have been …

Copper Air Dryer Design - Check my Math

I think the compressor would definitely run hotter with the radiator between the pump and the check valve of the tank. I also believe that running hot air from the radiator then over the heads of the compressor is a robbing Peter to pay Paul situation as far as heat transfer goes. And with the radiator upstream from the check valve the whole radiator has to unload every time the compressor cycles so you lose all that work that’s been done to the air in the radiator. I’m sure there’s a dramati…

@TinWhisperer

Really what are the benefits to having the cooler between the pump and tank???

ease of installation?

seeing lot of water come out of cooler that would have mostly condensate to the tank anyhow?

I have trouble seeing any benefit

[Eagle3248]

The rating is 200 psi on the flex ingersal rand water saperator and desecent dryer that is air stage

[Phillipw]

You may also want to consider a filter of some kind. You will get dust and pieces of the beads make it into your plasma.

[DnKFab]

You stimulate my brain Tin! @TinWhisperer
I cannot answer your points because my knowledge level is far surpassed on this topic. I do call it an intercooler mainly based the the location, concept and reasoning of diesel engines and the method of cooling the charge air after compression in that application. I am researching further down other avenues and hope to hear back from some very knowledgeable people on the topic. Maybe even with some very specifics. Anything I get back I will share here and even re plumb my system if it turns out I am wrong which very will could be the case. I am not discounting your suggestions at all and actually they make a lot of sense hence why I am reaching out to hopefully folks that can answer that deal with these concepts as their careers.

edit>>> one other anecdotal thing i have observed but means absolutely nothing…I have a harbor freight large air filter immediately leaving my tank and it has a moisture drain on the bottom. Prior to installing my aftercooler i would have to drain this 2 or three times a day and each time i would get significant moisture draining from this point. After installing the cooler I don’t really get nearly as much moisture coming from that filter drain. So little that I only drain it every couple of days.

[TinWhisperer]

To be clear I am not calling the method of the cooler between the pump and tank as wrong or ineffective.
I just think the method of having the cooler after is better for a few reasons

@DnKFab

I do call it an intercooler mainly based the the location, concept and reasoning of diesel engines and the method of cooling the charge air after compression in that applicatio

In that application the intercooler is between two pumps ( the turbo and the enigne ) and I alot lower pressure 15-40 psi. kind of comparable.

@DnKFab

l share here and even re plumb my system if it turns out I am wrong which very will could be the case. I am not discounting your suggestions at all and actually they make a lot of sense hence why I am reaching out to hopefully folks that can answer that deal with these concepts as their careers.

I would love to hear some feed back and i am not an engineer.

[brownfox]

I got deep into some home and car projects and am still pondering this whole scenario. I want to take measurements of the temp coming out of the tank with and without the aftercooler.

However, just unhooking from the regulator 6 feet away and running it wide open produces ice cold air, so I’m at a loss of how to truly measure this.

I will say, like @TinWhisperer said I bet the compressor runs more efficient with a shorter discharge distance from the pump to the tank. I have yet to put my aftercooler back on since breaking my last one.

[Eagle3248]

Rating is 200 psi for the flex line we have an ingersal rand water seperator and we have arrow stage desiccant dryer C7612xl,zinc aluminum bowl,1/2" NPT 250PSI and the water seprator that came with it

[Phillipw]

That should get you pretty dry. Does it have a filter in it to catch dust and such? I did a uneducated thing (I have a tendance to do that). I ran a bead cell dryer without a filter. I found a bead inside of the separator in my plasma.

[mechanic416]

All that is good. Just remember to put a air regulator before the plasma cutter. Most plasma cutters only need 100 to 120 psi to operate and the built in filters can only handle about 125.

[Eagle3248]

i also have a small filter and regulator that came with the everlast 62i, its placed right at the plasma.