TPVB Vortex Tube Refrigerator Unit

The Vortex Tube Refrigerator Unit, "TPVB", is a unit designed to study the physical, mechanical and thermodynamic characteristics of a vortex tube.

This unit works with compressed air. The air, previously filtered to remove impurities, passes through a vortex tube, being possible to regulate the pressure of the inlet air and vary its temperature (these variables are measured before entering the vortex tube):

• To study the influence of the inlet pressure variation it is possible to regulate the pressure with a regulating valve up to the maximum pressure set in the filter before.
• To study the influence of the inlet temperature variation it is possible to vary the temperature with a concentric tubes heat exchanger, where the inlet current is cooled down or heated.

Air enters the vortex tube tangentially and rotating very quickly, as a result a cold air flow and a hot air flow are generated inside the vortex tube. They leave the tube by opposite ends, where there are two regulation valves to vary these air flows (cold fraction).

Hot air obtained at one end is measured by a flowmeter and its characteristics can be determined by a temperature sensor and a manometer. This air, with the suitable arrangement of the valves, can be either released or introduced into the heat exchanger to give its heat to the air current entering the vortex tube.

The cold current is obtained at the other end of the tube. It is also measured by a flowmeter, a temperature sensor and a manometer and it can also be recycled or not.

Several exchangeable vortex generators (nozzles) with different internal diameter are included.