CA1280280C - Contact charging by means of a rotary disk atomizer - Google Patents

Contact charging by means of a rotary disk atomizer

Info

Publication number
CA1280280C
CA1280280C CA000503169A CA503169A CA1280280C CA 1280280 C CA1280280 C CA 1280280C CA 000503169 A CA000503169 A CA 000503169A CA 503169 A CA503169 A CA 503169A CA 1280280 C CA1280280 C CA 1280280C
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
liquid
storage tank
rotating disk
conveying
high voltage
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
CA000503169A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Bodo Maurer
Hans Groener
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
BASF SE
Original Assignee
BASF SE
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by BASF SE filed Critical BASF SE
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1280280C publication Critical patent/CA1280280C/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B05SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
    • B05BSPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
    • B05B5/00Electrostatic spraying apparatus; Spraying apparatus with means for charging the spray electrically; Apparatus for spraying liquids or other fluent materials by other electric means
    • B05B5/025Discharge apparatus, e.g. electrostatic spray guns
    • B05B5/04Discharge apparatus, e.g. electrostatic spray guns characterised by having rotary outlet or deflecting elements, i.e. spraying being also effected by centrifugal forces
    • B05B5/0418Discharge apparatus, e.g. electrostatic spray guns characterised by having rotary outlet or deflecting elements, i.e. spraying being also effected by centrifugal forces designed for spraying particulate material
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B05SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
    • B05BSPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
    • B05B5/00Electrostatic spraying apparatus; Spraying apparatus with means for charging the spray electrically; Apparatus for spraying liquids or other fluent materials by other electric means
    • B05B5/025Discharge apparatus, e.g. electrostatic spray guns
    • B05B5/04Discharge apparatus, e.g. electrostatic spray guns characterised by having rotary outlet or deflecting elements, i.e. spraying being also effected by centrifugal forces

Landscapes

  • Electrostatic Spraying Apparatus (AREA)
  • Application Of Or Painting With Fluid Materials (AREA)
  • Catching Or Destruction (AREA)

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE:

Method for applying a liquid in the form of electrically charged drops via a spraying system from a storage tank, the storage tank and all elements for conveying the liquid being uncharged. In this method the liquid is conveyed in the form of droplets or as an intermittent jet over a distance of from 3 to 30 through the air onto a rotating disk; a high voltage of from 10 to 150 is applied to the rotating disk, and the liquid is charged on the rotating disk and is thrown off. The rotary disk atomizer is provided with a housing so that electrical forces are prevented from affecting people or adjacent parts of the equipment. And an apparatus to carry out this method.

Description

~2802~30 - 1 - O.Z. 0050/37634 Contact charging by means of a rotary disk atom;zer The present invention relates to an apparatus for safely apply;ng electr;cally charged drops by means of a rotary disk atomizer or another su;table spraying system.
Crop treatment agents are generally applied by producing drops of from 100 to 600 ~m and then depos;ting these drops under the influence of the k;net;c energy imparted to the drops in the atomizing apparatus, and gravity. The drops are preferably deposited on the sur-faces directly facing the atomiz;ng apparatus.
For reasons of cost-effectiveness, it is neces-sary to minimize the amount of liquid applied per unit area. There are limits to the extent to ~hich the amount of liquid can be reduced since on the one hand there is a minimum number of drops which has to be applied per unit area of crop surface in order to maintain the effec-tiveness of a crop protection agent, and on the other hand a reduction in the drop diameter increases the losses due to drift and evaporation.
~ ence, it has long been attempted to improve the deposition of droplets by the use of electric forces, as in the case of electrostatic po~der coating. This technique is expected to have the follo~ing advantages over the procedure conventionally employed today:
- The effects of electric forces decisively imProve the uniformity of drop distribution, for example in a crop;
deposition takes place not only on the surfaces adjacent to and facing the atomizing apparatus but also on surfaces further away and even on surfaces facing away from the sprayer.
- Since the effects of electric forces improve the deposi-tion of, in particular, small drops, it is possible to apply finer drops and at the same t;me reduce the losses due to drift and evaporation; this perm;ts a substantial reduction in the amount of l;quid used per un;t area and, because of the controlled appl;cation, -~~

-' 3L28~28a :.
- 2 - O.Z. 0050/37634 permits a reduction in environmental pollution. In the case of specific indications, it may be possible to save active ingredient (cf. E. Moser and K. Schmidt, "~esseren Pflanzenschutz mit elektrostatischer Aufladung", DLG-Mitteilungen 8/1982).
In contrast to electrostatic powder coating in paint shops, the spraying and atomizing process in agri-culture has to be carried out under changing sPraying and atomizing conditions which are not always optimum. This is because the earth leakage resistance of the leaf to be coated changes w;th the water content of the plants and of the soil, the effect of the electric field in the environ-ment of the spraying and atomizing equipment varies ~ith the geometry of the plants, and the conductivity of the liquid to be sprayed and atomized varies with the active ingredients used.
The drops can be charged by different methods.
Possible methods are charging before drop production (contact charging), charging during drop production tinduction charging) and charging after drop production (corona charging). Extensive investigations in practice have shown that a substant;al improvement in drop deposi-t;on ;s achieved by, preferably, contact charging. One of the main reasons for the difficulties encountereJ in using contact charging for spraying or atomizing conduc-tive liquids is that, at an appropriately high voltage and electrical capacitance~ the electrical energy stored in the spraying system and in the tank can be so high that it is dangerous for people to come into contact with parts under voltage.
To date, the following methods have been adopted in order to overcome these difficulties:
- The conductive liquid to be sprayed and atomized is under high voltage; to avo;d safety problems, the electrical capacitance of the entire system and hence the capacity of the tank are kept small. The advantage of the apparatus is the simple, safe construction; the ~2~3~)28~
- 3 - O.Z. 0050/37634 disadvantage ls the restriction of the tank size.
- An intermediate tank is installed between an earthed storage tank of large capac;ty and a storage tank which has a smaller capac;ty and is charged via high voltage~
Liquid is transported batchwise from the earthed storage tank into the charged storage tank via this intermediate tank in such a way that the intermediate tank is brought in each case to the potential of the storage tank con-nected to it. The advantage of the method is that the re-striction in tank size is dispensed with; the disadvantageis the very considerable expense and space requirement for the installation of the ;ntermediate tank system.
- A long connecting l;ne of non-conductive material is installed between the earthed storage tank and the nozzle under high voltage; the high voltage applied to the nozzle decreases between the latter and the storage tank over the liquid column acting as a resis-tance. ~he advantage is that the apparatus is compact and also suitable for subsequent installation in exist-ing equipment; the disadvantages are that use is re-stricted to liqu;ds of low conductivity, the pressure loss is high, and there is a tendency to blockage.
- The liquid to be sprayed or to be atomized is contained in a system electrically insulated toward the outside, and can be charged by means of a high-voltage system integrated in the tank. This system can be used in commercial agriculture; its disadvantage is the expense incurred in the ;nsulat;on of the ent;re liqu;d system.
It is an object of the present ;nvent;on to retain the contact charging method, wh;ch ;s recogn;zed as be;ng particularly su;table, and des;gn a s;mple apparatus for safely spraying or atom;z;ng electrostat;cally charged droplets, the amount of l;quid available in the tank being sufficiently large to permit economical use on agricultural machinery or other spraying equiPment of large capacity.

.... ~

~Z~3~Z8C~

According to the present invention there is provided an apparatus for applying a liquid in the form of electrically charged drops via a spraying system from a storage tank, the storage tank and all means for conveying the liquid being uncharged, comprising:

a) means for conveying the liquid in the form of droplets or as an intermittent jet over a distance of from 3 to 30 through the air onto a target surface, b) means for applying a high voltage of from 10 to 150 to said target surface, c) means for charging the liquid on said target surface and throwing it off d) said target surface being provided with a housing so that electrical forces are prevented from affecting people or adjacent parts of the apparatus.

According to the present invention there is also provided an apparatus for applying a liquid in the form of electrically charged drops via a spraying system from a storage tank, the storage tank and all means for conveying the liquid being uncharged, comprising:
a) means for conveying the liquid in the form of droplets or as an intermittent jet, through a nozzle, over a distance of from 3 to 30 through the air onto a rotating disk, b) means for applying a high voltage of from 10 to 150 to said rotating disk, c) means for charging the liquid on said rotating disk and throwing it off, d) said rotary disk being provided with a housing so ,, f ~

~2ao28~
- ~a -as to prevent electric forces from affecting people or adjacent parts of the apparatus.

According to the present inven-tion there is also provided a method for applying a liquid in the form of electrically charged drops via a spraying system from a storage tank, the storage tank and all means for conveying the liquid being uncharged, wherein a) the liquid is conveyed in the form of droplets or as in intermittent jet over a distance of from 3 to 30 through the air onto a rotating disk, b) high voltage of from 10 to 150 is applied to the rotating disk, c) the liquid is charged on the rotating disk and is thrown off, and d) said rotary disk atomizer is provided with a housing so that electrical forces are prevented from affecting people or adjacent parts of the equipment.

With the novel apparatus, and using the contact charging method recognized as being particularly suitable, it is possible for liquid drops to be electrically charged and to be safely sprayed or atomized from a tank by means of a spraying or atomizing system without there being any restrictions in respect of the size of the tank, without space being required, or expense incurred, for an intermediate tank, and without operation being confined to certain narrow conductivity ranges of the liquid to be sprayed.
The system has a particularly simple design, is ready for operation in any position, has a low energy consumption, does not become blocked and can be installed ~`1 ~281D2~
- 4b -subsequently in conventional spraying and atomi~ing equipment.
The novel apparatus is preferably used for applying crop protection agents. Additional advantages of using the apparatus according to the invention on agricultural machines are:

a) :no restriction of use with regard to the width or height of spraying due to the apparatus, b) no restriction due to the apparatus in connection with particularly dense plant growth as the particles are transported by a combination of gravitational force and electrical force, and c) no deposition of drops on the person carrying out the /
/

,/

-- ~L2~280 - 5 - O.Z. 0050/37634 application when this is effected with hand-held apparatuses.
The novel apparatus can also be used for coating paper webs and film webs, metallic articles, and articles whose discharge capacity is sufficient for conventional electrostatic coating.
The invention is ;llustrated below ~ith reference to the drawing.
In Figure 1, the structure of the apparatus is shown schematically.
The liquid 2 is conveyed from the earthed storage tank 1 via a valve 4 to a nozzle 5 by means o~ a pump 3. Either by intermittent ol~eration of the valve 4 or by suitable choice of the nozzle 5, the liquid is sprayed in the form of individual drops or in the form of short liquid threads from the nozzle 5 over a distance 6 of from 3 to 30, preferably from 5 to 20, cm through the air onto a rotating disk 7 or ;s conveyed onto another suitable target surface. The rotating disk 7 is driven by means of a motor 8 and charged electrically by a high-voltage generator 9. The air gap 6 serves to insulate the earthed liquid system, consisting of storage tank 1, pump 3, valve 4 and noz~le 5, from the charged atomizing system, con-sisting of rotating disk 7, motor 8 and high-voltage generator 9. It is particularly advantageous if the high-voltage generator 9 is integrated in the housing 11 for holding the rotating disk 7, and charging of the droplets is matched to the optimum spraying conditions by varying the high voltage.
The geometry of the air gap depends on the level of the high voltage applied. For the range fr~m 50 to iO0 kV, which is recognized as being particularly effective, an air gap 6 of from 5 to ~0 cm is suitable. Th~ ability of the system to function is ensured ~hen the liquid 2 fed does not form a conductive connection between nozzle 5 and rotating disk 7 when in the form of a cohesive jet.
The system conveying high voltage is enclosed -- ~28~28~
- 6 - O.Z. 0050/3763 by a housing 11 which can provide both protection from spray and protection from contact. ~ecause of the low electrical capacitance of the charged system, special safety measures against accidental contact with voltage-S carrying parts are not required if the maximum currentwhich the high voltage generator 9 is capable of delivering in short-circuit operation does not exceed a certain limiting value.

Drawing.

Claims (5)

1. Apparatus for applying a liquid in the form of electrically charged drops via a spraying system from a storage tank, the storage tank and all means for conveying the liquid being uncharged, comprising:

a) means for conveying the liquid in the form of droplets or as an intermittent jet over a distance of from 3 to 30 through the air onto a target surface, b) means for applying a high voltage of from 10 to 150 to said target surface, c) means for charging the liquid on said target surface and throwing it off, d) said target surface being provided with a housing so that electrical forces are prevented from affecting people or adjacent parts of the apparatus.
2. Apparatus for applying a liquid in the form of electrically charged drops via a spraying system from a storage tank, the storage tank and all means for conveying the liquid being uncharged, comprising:

a) means for conveying the liquid in the form of droplets or as an intermittent jet, through a nozzle, over a distance of from 3 to 30 through the air onto a rotating disk, b) means for applying a high voltage of from 10 to 150 to said rotating disk, c) means for charging the liquid on said rotating disk and throwing it off, d) said rotary disk being provided with a housing so as to prevent electric forces from affecting people or adjacent parts of the apparatus.
3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:
- said means for conveying the liquid comprise a pump and a cut-off valve, - said distance is from 5 to 20 cm, and - said high voltage is from 50 to 100 kV.
4. Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a nozzle for continuously or intermittently conveying said liquid onto said target surface.
5. Method for applying a liquid in the form of electrically charged drops via a spraying system from a storage tank, the storage tank and all means for conveying the liquid being uncharged, wherein:

a) the liquid is conveyed in the form of droplets or as an intermittent jet over a distance of from 3 to 30 through the air onto a rotating disk, b) high voltage of from 10 to 150 is applied to the rotating disk, e) the liquid is charged on the rotating disk and is thrown off, and d) said rotary disk atomizer is provided with a housing so that electrical forces are prevented from affecting people or adjacent parts of the equipment.
CA000503169A 1985-03-15 1986-03-03 Contact charging by means of a rotary disk atomizer Expired - Lifetime CA1280280C (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE19853509387 DE3509387A1 (en) 1985-03-15 1985-03-15 CONTACT CHARGING BY means of ROTATIONAL SPRAYERS
DEP3509387.0 1985-03-15

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1280280C true CA1280280C (en) 1991-02-19

Family

ID=6265350

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000503169A Expired - Lifetime CA1280280C (en) 1985-03-15 1986-03-03 Contact charging by means of a rotary disk atomizer

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0194619A3 (en)
CA (1) CA1280280C (en)
DE (1) DE3509387A1 (en)

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3718154A1 (en) * 1987-05-29 1988-12-08 Gema Ransburg Ag SPRAY UNIT WITH A ROTATIONAL SPRAY ORGAN

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3001890A (en) * 1956-07-27 1961-09-26 Interplanetary Res & Dev Corp Electrostatic deposition
HU175744B (en) * 1976-11-09 1980-10-28 Hajtomuevek Es Festoberendeze Device for electrostatic spreading of increased efficiency particularly for water-soluble colors
DE2937890C2 (en) * 1979-09-19 1981-12-17 Ransburg Gmbh, 6056 Heusenstamm Device for supplying paint to an electrostatic paint generator
EP0029302B1 (en) * 1979-11-19 1984-12-05 Imperial Chemical Industries Plc Electrostatic spraying process and apparatus

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE3509387A1 (en) 1986-09-18
EP0194619A3 (en) 1987-08-26
EP0194619A2 (en) 1986-09-17

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