ACR recovery averages

Couldn't find a lot of info on how much copper was in the various ACR's. I used the utility knife method a couple of months ago on a double stacked unit and got 58% cu the rest was aluminum and dirt. A buddy pointed out the different amount of stacks would have varying cu contents. So to show how smart I wuz, I tossed out a high recovery rate.
I gathered up a good sample of a couple of each (800lbs) and shredded them.
My result 47% cu I don't like guessing.



Does anyone have any info on cu content on individual 1,2,3 or 4 stack coils. I think my double stack number is wrong

Foam,
What is ACR cable? I looked it up on Google and got that ACR was a measured quantity in communication cables (attenuation to crosstalk ratio)
I've heard of ACSR which has no copper in it- just aluminum and steel.
Are you talking about BX cable--with the aluminum cover and insulated copper conductors in it? and the "stack"...do you mean the number of conductors?

Jon.

Oh Shzt!!

Now the 1-4 stack makes sense!!
Sorry about that.

I just had it in my head that Foam has the copper wire granulator and when I saw his name I automatically thought he was talking about wire recovery through his money machine!! But maybe he was putting the radiators through it instead and separating the copper from the aluminum?

Jon.

Hey saw, this might help...it's gibberish to me, but it's what I found when I did ACR Copper as a google search.

The American refrigeration industry uses different copper pipe called ACR (air conditioning and refrigeration field services) pipe, which is sized directly by its outside diameter (OD) and a type letter indicating wall thickness. Therefore, 1 inch nominal type L copper tube and 1 1⁄8th inch type D ACR tube are exactly the size with different size designations. ACR pipe is manufactured without processing oils that would be incompatible with the oils used to lubricate the compressors in the AC system.

Copper tubing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The part I quoted above is further down the page. Sure Op or someone in the AC/Hvac game will fill us in tho.

Sirscrapalot - Beats me. - Someone somewhere some time.

Oops looks like someone beat me to it while doiung my search.

Disregard.

Sirscrapalot - Going back to the cooler.

Yes, my first wife spoke gibberish with a southern accent. I still do not understand it. Took a short video of it shredding radiators. Trial run #1

lol..I meant the wiki article was all gibberish.

Sirscrapalot - Has a wife who speaks with a Boston accent, yet has never lived there. Go figure.

Originally Posted by sawmilleng

Oh Shzt!!


money machine!! But maybe he was putting the radiators through it instead and separating the copper from the aluminum?

Jon.

That "money machine" can eat money faster than the ACR's. I think it works more like a reverse atm machine. I posted a video (post #7) that has a pallet of radiators near the end

freonjoe, I found a groupon in my email trash folder for rent one pigmy tribe get one free. I didn't even think how many pigmy's were in a tribe. Where can one find 68 midget safety glasses and gloves after midnight?

Its late.. I use air and vibration

LOL...I picture a army of these helping you now Foam, maybe you can contact the creators of Despicable Me.



Sirscrapalot - Beware Foam an his minions!

Freon,
Take a look at Foam's previous posting. He has a setup that takes granulated material--usually wire--and drops it onto a vibrating table in combination with air separation. The vibrating table is set up at a slight angle so that heavy material moves one way on the table and the lighter materials move the other direction. This works pretty well for stuff like wire, where the density of the copper is 'way different than the insulation. He has posted a short video of it operating. If you are interested, do a google or youtube video search for "copper granulators". There's lots of vid's on the subject. There are quite a few machines on the market that do this. They are all pretty pricey, so it makes Foam's homebuilt efforts all that much more impressive.

I'm not so sure vibratory separation works quite as well with copper and aluminium. The video shows stuff that was shredded but if it was rads I don't think it was shredded fine enough for vibratory sorting. I'm thinking there might need to be a secondary granulating step to take it down a little finer.

Its cool equipment and I am hoping Foam will post more video's of it operating. I find it fascinating that you can shovel wire in one end of the machine and get fine copper granules from one output spout and fine bits of wire insulation out of the other. That's why I called it his money machine!! I'm sure it isn't quite that easy!!

Jon.

The separation occurs by a phenomena called Fluidization.

Wikipedia -Fluidization (or fluidisation) is a process similar to liquefaction whereby a granular material is converted from a static solid-like state to a dynamic fluid-like state. This process occurs when a fluid (liquid or gas) is passed up through the granular material.
When a gas flow is introduced through the bottom of a bed of solid particles, it will move upwards through the bed via the empty spaces between the particles. At low gas velocities, aerodynamic drag on each particle is also low, and thus the bed remains in a fixed state. Increasing the velocity, the aerodynamic drag forces will begin to counteract the gravitational forces, causing the bed to expand in volume as the particles move away from each other. Further increasing the velocity, it will reach a critical value at which the upward drag forces will exactly equal the downward gravitational forces, causing the particles to become suspended within the fluid. At this critical value, the bed is said to be fluidized and will exhibit fluidic behavior. By further increasing gas velocity, the bulk density of the bed will continue to decrease, and its fluidization becomes more violent, until the particles no longer form a bed and are “conveyed” upwards by the gas flow.
When fluidized, a bed of solid particles will behave as a fluid, like a liquid or gas. Like water in a bucket: the bed will conform to the volume of the chamber, its surface remaining perpendicular to gravity; objects with a lower density than the bed density will float on its surface, bobbing up and down if pushed downwards, while objects with a higher density sink to the bottom of the bed. The fluidic behavior allows the particles to be transported like a fluid, channeled through pipes, not requiring mechanical transport (e.g. conveyor belt).

Once lights (plastic or aluminum) are hovering over the table, fluidization, they slide down the slope of the table because they no longer have friction to hold them to the table. The heavies (in this case copper) stay in contact with the table. They vibration bounces them up the ramp. It is an easy concept in theory but it defies logic. Think of the lights as snow on a mountain. An avalanche happens when friction is lost and the solid turns to a liquid state as gravity pulls it down the hill.

I am sorry if I put everyone to sleep. Times are tuff in my slow little start up and it has been very stressful. This forum is a place I like to read and occasionally joke around. I like to laugh and don't mean to be short or rude. I have spent years studying this process and building machines to do a certain task.