Shoot-up electrostatic nozzle and method
AssigneeLundy and Associates
InventorsBarry G. Maier, Bruce A. Hunnicutt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electrostatic spray nozzle that is positioned at an angle above horizontal and less than vertical having a body with an upper fluid emitting end and a lower bottom end. The body having an interior cavity therein. Within the cavity is a shim capable of conducting electricity that defines an opening at the fluid emitting end and a channel that joins the fluid emitting end opening to a supply of flowable material. The body has an enclosed electrode external adjacent to and below the emitting end. Both the shim and the electrode are electrically connected to a voltage source. The nozzle, in operation, bends the field adjacent the emitting end upwardly in accordance with the method of the invention.
Claims58
A nozzle for emitting flowable material upwardly comprising a nozzle body having an upper emitting end and a lower bottom end, said body having a hollow interior and a slot extending between said emitting end and said interior, a shim within said slot, at least one channel defined by said shim and said slot extending between said interior and said emitting end, and an electrode secured to said body adjacent to and below said emitting end to bend the Taylor cones of said material upwardly, a voltage source being electrically connected to said shim and said electrode, and a flowable material source in communication with said slot to provide said material in said slot at very small pressures, whereby flowable material flows through said channel to be electrostatically propelled upwardly from said emitting end once the Rayleigh charge of the flowable material is exceeded.
A method of electrostatically emitting flowable materials upwardly from a nozzle comprising the steps of delivering an electrically charged flowable material to the tip of an electrostatic nozzle at very small fluid pressures while passing said material over an electrical conductor mounted within said nozzle, concentrating the electrical charge on said nozzle at said tip thereof, forming an electrical field emanating from said tip by electrically connecting a voltage source to said conductor and an electrode secured to said nozzle adjacent to and below said tip, isolating said tip from the remainder of said nozzle by providing downwardly facing nozzle body surfaces which precipitously fall away from said tip, electrostatically repelling toward said tip any flowable material on said nozzle body surfaces, and bending said electric field adjacent said tip upwardly toward said target by charging said conductor and said electrode with a charge of the same polarity, whereby the Taylor cones of said flowable material are bent upwardly at said tip and said flowable material is electrostatically propelled upwardly from said nozzle once the Rayleigh charge of said flowable material is exceeded.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.