ATOMIZATION APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 3,610,527 A
• Filed: 06/11/1969
• Issued: 10/05/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: David B. Ericson, Goesta Wollin, Roger L. Zaunere
• Original Assignee: David B. Ericson, Goesta Wollin, Roger L. Zaunere
• Inventors: Ericson, David B., Wollin, Goesta, Zaunere, Roger L.
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Lloyd L.
• Application Number:
  US04/834,225
• Time in Patent Office: 846 Days
• Field of Search: 239/2,25,4,77,214-224,222.11,505,383 261/30,82,88 230/134 272/15 62/121,171,74,7
• US Class Current: 239/2.2
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 3/022 the rotating deflecting element being a ventilator or a fan B05B3/105 takes precedence; agricultural atomisers or mist blowers A01M7/0003
• CPC Class Codes: F25C 2303/048 Snow making by using means for spraying water
• CPC Class Codes: F25C 3/04 for sledging or ski trails; Producing artificial snow

Abstract

An atomization technique which involves the movement of a film of liquid, such as water, over both surfaces of the blades of a multibladed fan rotating about its hub. The liquid is fed in an annular stream or annular series of jets to the rotating blades near the hub of the blades. The leading edge of each blade cuts into the stream and picks up a portion of the liquid. The liquid then travels over both surfaces of each blade progressing from leading edge to trailing edge and also, because of centrifugal forces, outboard from the hub. As the liquid comes off the trailing edge of each rotating blade, it is atomized to the droplet size desired; the droplet size being a function of parameters such as rotational speed, quantity of water fed to the rotating blades, and length of trailing edge. There is also specifically disclosed the application of the invention to snowmaking. In snow-making, the movement of air over the surface of the film of water, that in turn is moving over the surfaces of each blade, causes evaporation. This evaporation cools the water down to somewhere between 10* F. and 15* F., at which temperature the atomized droplets that come off the trailing edge of the blades will, under proper ambient conditions of temperature and humidity, form particles of snow.

Claims

1. A device for atomizing liquid comprising:

a rotatable hub with a central axis, a plurality of fan blades extending radially outward from said hub for rotation with said hub about said central axis, each of said fan blades having a leading edge and a trailing edge, means for applying the liquid to be atomized to said fan blades in such a fashion as to provide a flowing film of liquid over the surfaces of said fan blades when said fan blades are rotating, the major component of flow of said film being toward said trailing edges of said fan blades, to provide atomization off said trailing edges of said fan blades.

2. The atomizing device of claim 1 wherein said means is adapted to apply the liquid to be atomized to the inboard portion of said fan blades.

3. The atomizing device of claim 1 wherein said means is adapted to apply the liquid to be atomized to the leading edges of said fan blades when said fan blades are rotating.

4. The atomizing device of claim 2 wherein said means is adapted to apply the liquid to be atomized to the leading edges of said fan blades when said fan blades are rotating.

5. The atomizing device of claim 1 wherein said plurality of fan blades comprise:

a first longer subset of fan blades extending out from said hub, and a second shorter subset of fan blades extending out form said hub;

the radial length of the blades in said shorter subset of fan blades being substantially less than the radial length of the blades in said longer subset of fan blades, the radial length of the blades in said shorter subset of fan blades being sufficiently long so that the flow of air from said shorter subset of fan blades tends to cancel out the backflow of air from said longer subset of fan blades.

6. The atomizing device of claim 5 wherein said means is adapted to apply the liquid to be atomized to the leading edges of said fan blades when said fan blades are rotating.

7. The atomizing device of claim 6 wherein said means is adapted to apply the liquid to be atomized to the inboard portion of said fan blades.

8. The atomizing device of claim 7 wherein said shorter subset of fan blades is displaced upstream from said longer subset of fan blades.

9. The atomizing device of claim 8 wherein the inboard section of the leading edges of said longer subset of fan blades curves upstream to have essentially the same axial location as the inboard section of the leading edges of said shorter subset of fan blades at the place where the fluid is applied to the fan blades.

10. A snow-making device comprising:

a rotatable hub with a centrAl axis, a plurality of fan blades extending radially outward from said hub for rotation with said hub about said central axis, each of said fan blades having a leading edge and a trailing edge, and means for applying water to said fan blades in such a fashion as to provide a flowing film of water over the surfaces of said fan blades when said fan blades are rotating to provide cooling by partial evaporation, the major component of flow of said film being toward said trailing edges of said fan blades to provide atomization off said trailing edges of said fan blades.

11. The snow-making device of claim 10 wherein said fan blades have substantial width to provide a large enough surface for water to flow over to bring the temperature of the water being atomized to below 15* F. by evaporative cooling.

12. The snow-making device of claim 10 wherein said means is adapted to apply the water to be atomized to the inboard portion of the leading edges of said fan blades.

13. The snow-making device of claim 10 wherein said plurality of fan blades comprise:

a first longer subset of fan blades extending out from said hub, and a second shorter subset of fan blades extending out from said hub, the radial length of the blades in said shorter subset of fan blades being substantially less than the radial length of the blades in said longer subset of fan blades, the radial length of the blades in said shorter subset of fan blades being sufficiently long so that the flow of air from said shorter subset of fan blades tends to cancel out the backflow of air from said longer subset of fan blades.

14. The snow-making device of claim 13 wherein said shorter subset of fan blades is displaced upstream from said longer subset of fan blades.

15. The snow-making device of claim 14 wherein the inboard section of the leading edges of said longer subset of fan blades curves upstream to have essentially the same axial location as the inboard section of the leading edges of said shorter subset of fan blades at the place where the fluid is applied to the fan blades.

16. The snow-making device of claim 15 wherein said fan blades have substantial width to provide a large enough surface for water to flow over to bring the temperature of the water being atomized to below 15* F. by evaporative cooling.

17. The method of atomizing a liquid comprising the step of:

applying the liquid to be atomized to the surfaces of a plurality of fan blades rotating about a central axis in response to a drive from a power source connected to the fan blades, the liquid being applied in such a fashion as to cause a film of said liquid to flow over the surfaces of said fan blades in a direction that includes a significant component of flow toward the trailing edges of said fan blades to atomize the liquid off the trailing edges of said fan blades.

18. The method of atomizing a liquid comprising the step of:

applying the liquid to be atomized to the inboard portion of the leading edges of a plurality of fan blades rotating about a central axis in response to a drive from a power source connected to the fan blades, the liquid being applied in such a fashion as to cause a film of said liquid to flow over the surfaces of said fan blades in a direction that includes a significant component of flow toward the trailing edges of said fan blades to atomize the liquid off the trailing edges of said fan blades.

19. The method of making snow comprising:

applying water to the surfaces of a plurality of fan blades rotating in a gas atmosphere about a central axis in response to a drive from a power source connected to the fan blades, the liquid being applied in such a fashion as to cause a film of said water to flow over the surfaces of said fan blades in a direction that includes a significant component of flow toward the trailing edges of said fan blades to atomize the water off the trailing edges of said fan blades, the temperature of the gas atmoSphere and the temperature of the water being applied enabling the water being atomized to be converted to snow.

20. The method of making snow comprising the step of:

applying the water to be atomized to the inboard portion of the leading edges of a plurality of fan blades rotating in a gas atmosphere about a central axis in response to a drive from a power source connected to the fan blades, the liquid being applied in such a fashion as to cause a film of said water to flow over the surfaces of said fan blades in a direction that includes a significant component of flow toward the trailing edges of said fan blades to atomize the water off the trailing edges of said fan blades, the temperature of the gas atmosphere and the temperature of the water being applied enabling the water being atomized to be converted to snow.