Aeroturbo muffler and vortex theory

[morgan]

Dr. Lee,
I have been reading the Aeroturbo muffler topic in the 6.5 TD forum. That topic was in danger of becoming a geek-fest, so I brought that part of it over here.

I deal with a company named Exair.com and they have a fascinating device called a vortex tube. Go to their website and read the background on that (Products/Vortex Tubes/Vortex Tubes/Theory and History). It's quite fascinating. Simple plant compressed air goes in, and a hot stream comes out one side and a cool stream out the other. Seems to challenge Thermodynamics , or at least push it a little bit. It seems to split the thermal energy of the input mass. Just read it.

Could this vortex science be applied to a muffler design? Exaust the hot fumes to the tailpipe and send the cool fumes to a PMD cooler :^)

[CleviteKid]

The vortex tube has been around for a long time, but it is relatively INEFFICIENT as a source of cooling. My summer job in the early years of college (1964 - 1966) was at the New York Central Railroad Technical Research Center. They had actually made hundreds of water coolers for locomotives cooling the water with vortex tubes running on compressed air from the air brake system. One thing locomotives have in excess is compressed air. (By the way, I would love to put genuine diesel locomotive air-horns on my truck).

I know you were joking about the exhuast, but for the rest of you, the temperature is too high, and the pressure too low to get a meaningful cold air stream out of it.

Dr. Lee :cool:

PS: is there anywhere Dr. Lee has not been, or anything he has not done, or at least been around for? - The (skeptical) Clevite Kid :rolleyes: