Electrostatic liquid spray nozzle having an internal dielectric shroud

Abstract

An electrostatic sprayer for spraying a liquid includes a nozzle formed from a a nozzle body that has an inlet for receiving a liquid and a liquid tip having an outlet for ejection of the liquid to form a liquid spray. The nozzle also includes an electrode disposed around the outlet of the liquid tip for charging the liquid and a dielectric shroud disposed around at least a portion of the liquid tip to prevent leakage currents from reducing a potential of the electric field between the liquid and the electrode, which would otherwise reduce the effectiveness of the sprayer. A conductor that couples the electrode to a power supply may pass through a hole extending through the shroud. The shroud may include one or more vents to permit air and liquid to pass through the dielectric shroud to reduce accumulation of liquid.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.