What is a Vortex Tube?
The Vortex Tube is a mechanical device that separates compressed air into cold & hot air streams. The Vortex Tube also known as the Ranque-Hilsch Vortex Tube was invented by George J. Ranque in 1933. Physicist Rudolf Hilsch later improved on the design and published a widely read article in 1947 on this device, calling it a ‘Wirbelrohr’; translate term meaning ‘Whirl Pipe’.
The Vortex Tube has absolutely no moving parts! The compressed air flows into the unit, where a “generator” causes the airflow to spin at an extremely high speed. This airflow then continues to rotate towards the opposite end of the Vortex “Tube”. By using an adjustable “valve” at this end, some hot air is exhausted. The remaining airflow bounces back creating it’s own smaller vortex within the outer vortex and back through the center hole of the “generator” and exhausts as cold air.
There are many different explanations for the effect and continues to be a debate as to which explanation is correct. What is typically agreed upon though is that the outer vortex has the same rotation rate as that of the inner vortex.
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Jay Patterson
Application Engineer
jay@stream-tek.com
