This was filmed during -22°F weather during heavy snow. We are feeding large handfuls of snow directly into the Series 9000 Precleaner and it is expelling it without any problems.
The principal reason for taking snow out of the air stream prior to it reaching the air filter housing or paper air filter is that, ultimately, snow is frozen water.
The warmth of the engine raises the temperature in the air filter canister above freezing.
The snow that has entered the filter housing melts and wets the air filter.
When the temperature in the air filter canister drops below freezing the wet air filter media freezes
The frozen water molecules expand and cut off air flow through the filter
The engine is starved of air due to ice blocked filter and may ultimately stop running.
At this point, the operator would need to remove the frozen filter and insert a dry filter, possibly while in conditions hazardous to the operator's safety.
Snow comes in many different forms and quantities. Humidity plays a big part in the way snow reacts when it travels through the air. High humidity produces wet snow which has more mass than dry powered snow. Heavier wet snow takes more energy to separate from the air stream. Dryer snow requires less energy to remove from the air stream because it has less mass.
Ejective vs. Ingestive Precleaner Technologies
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A BUG just flew into your mouth!
What do you do?
INGEST: Eat the Bug?
OR
EJECT: Spit the Bug out?
Sy-Klone's Series 9000 EJECTS
Precleaners are alike in that they seek to remove air borne debris from the air stream prior to the air getting to the filter. The technology that is utilized to accomplish this task, however, is quite different from precleaner to precleaner. There are two major classifications of precleaners, Ejective and Ingestive.
Ejective precleaners send the debris back out into the atmosphere, usually through an ejection slot or port. The debris does not accumulate inside the body of the precleaner. The Series 9000 is an ejective precleaner and is self-cleaning and routine maintenance free.
Ingestive precleaners take the debris into themselves and try to isolate it from the airstream. Ingestive precleaners require maintenance as they need to be emptied or replaced as they fill and lose precleaning ability.
First, we will look at various aspects of ejective precleaners and how those features relate to precleaning snow. Then we will examine ingestive precleaner technologies.
Part 2: Ejective Precleaners -The Prescreen Next>>
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