Apparatus for applying sprout inhibitor

Apparatus for creating an aerosol of a viscous liquid chemical agent at a high volumetric rate and small aerosol particle size and applying said aerosol to the surfaces of edible produce stored in an enclosure, said apparatus comprising:

• (a) chemical agent supply means for providing a chemical constituent for an aerosol, said chemical agent supply means including heater means for heating said chemical agent within said chemical agent supply means and control means responsive to the temperature of said chemical agent for automatically controlling said heater means so as to maintain said chemical agent in said chemical agent supply means at a predetermined temperature in the liquid range of said chemical agent;
• (b) atomizing means connected to said chemical agent supply means for atomizing said chemical agent into liquid droplets of different sizes having diameters both greater and less than a predetermined size, said atomizing means including ultrasonic nozzle means for mixing gas under pressure with said chemical agent and expanding the resultant mixture and means defining a resonator cavity associated with said nozzle means for ultrasonically subdividing said mixture, thereby forming said aerosol;
• (c) separator means for removing from said aerosol those droplets of said liquid whose diameters are greater than said predetermined size, said separator means comprising vertically oriented cylindrically shaped mist chamber means for containing said mixture and ambient air supply inlet duct means for introducing a supply of circulating air separate from and in addition to said gas under pressure into said mist chamber means in a tangentially entering stream, thereby causing a cyclonic circulatory pattern within said mist chamber means;
• (d) aerosol uptake conduit means located within said mist chamber means for receiving said aerosol at a position near the bottom of said mist chamber means;
• (e) scrubber means presenting a large surface area in the path of flow of said aerosol for obstructing and collecting droplets having diameters greater than said predetermined size, said scrubber means being located within said aerosol uptake conduit means;
• and
• (f) discharge means for connecting to said enclosure and exhausting said aerosol from said separator means into the interior of said enclosure.