Nozzle apparatus for dispersing droplets of flowable material

A nozzle apparatus for dispersing droplets of flowable material, the apparatus comprising:

• a body having a hollow, frustoconical interior, the vortex chamber having an inlet end and an outlet end opposite the inlet end, the cross-sectional area of the vortex chamber narrowing from the inlet end towards the outlet end;
• an inlet for feeding the flowable material therethrough, the inlet extending into the body and being in communication with the vortex chamber of the body, the inlet being adjacent to the inlet end of the vortex chamber;
• a passageway for supplying pressurized gas to the vortex chamber of the body, the passageway extending into the vortex chamber such that the flow of the pressurized gas is tangential to the flow of the flowable material;
• and
• an outlet for dispersing droplets of flowable material out of the apparatus, the outlet extending outwards from the vortex chamber and being in communication with the vortex chamber, the outlet end of the vortex chamber being adjacent to the outlet, the inlet and the outlet having cross-sectional areas which are equal to within ±15%, and the outlet being coaxial with the inlet,
• whereby the passageway directs the pressurized gas to move in a vortex within the vortex chamber and envelope the flowable material, the cross-sectional area of the flowable material being thereby reduced and caused to accelerate through the outlet and, upon exiting the outlet, the flowable material spirals outwards and breaks into droplets of material thereby.

A method of dispersing droplets of flowable material from a nozzle apparatus having a vortex chamber, an inlet in communication with the vortex chamber, and an outlet in communication with the vortex chamber, the method comprising:

• sizing the inlet and the outlet to have cross-sectional areas which are equal to within ±15%;
• feeding the flowable material through the inlet and into the vortex chamber;
• and
• supplying a flow of pressurized gas to the vortex chamber tangential to the flow of the flowable material, the flow of pressurized gas thereby moving in a vortex within the vortex chamber and enveloping the flowable material, the cross-sectional area of the flowable material being thereby reduced and accelerated towards the outlet and, upon exiting the outlet, the flowable material spiraling outwards and breaks into droplets of material thereby.