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US 8,616,153 B2Granted
High yield spray application
AssigneeW. R. Grace & Co.-Conn.
InventorsMichael Abbott, Dennis M. Hilton, Keith Lipford, Karl Taub
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AssigneeW. R. Grace & Co.-Conn.
InventorsMichael Abbott, Dennis M. Hilton, Keith Lipford, Karl Taub
Estimating the term…
Method and device for ensuring high yields during spraying of a settable slurry composition. The slurry is conveyed through a length of hose to a nozzle spray-orifice, and a set accelerator is introduced into the slurry at a distance “D” from the nozzle spray-orifice. The level of accelerator is monitored using a sensor located in the slurry path at a point after the set accelerator is injected. A preferred sensor comprises two pairs of conductivity sensors each having an annular body with a bore corresponding to the diameter of the hose or nozzle bore. Voltage of the slurry can be correlated to yields obtained when a salt-based accelerator fluid is injected into the slurry, such that levels of accelerator can be finely adjusted, and consistently high yields of spray coatings can be achieved.
A spray-application device, comprising a hose for conveying a settable slurry to a nozzle spray-orifice, a set accelerator injection port located along said hose at a distance “D” from said nozzle spray-orifice for introducing a set accelerator into the slurry, a conductivity sensor located along said hose at a distance less than “D” from said nozzle spray-orifice, said conductivity sensor operative to measure the conductivity of the slurry and thereby provide an indication correlating with the amount of set accelerator introduced into the slurry, and a controller capable of adjusting the amount of set accelerator introduced into the slurry depending upon the conductivity detected by the conductivity sensor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.