Demister Apparatus and Method

Abstract

A demister apparatus for machine tools having an enclosure booth for confining mist in which a varying outflow of air is drawn from the booth and directed to a remote demister apparatus from a minimum when the access doors to the enclosure are closed to a maximum when one or more of the doors are opened. The air flow may also be varied with the number of machine tools in operation as well with the state of filters in the remote demister apparatus. A cyclonic separator is also provided adjacent to the booth which functions well in a vertical up flow mode over a range of air outflow rates of flow.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61 / 913,553 filed on Dec. 9, 2013.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]In automated machining of parts such as engine components, the machining takes place at machine stations, each station enclosed to form a booth. A coolant / lubricant liquid is sprayed onto the part during the machining operations in order to reduce friction and cool the part.[0003]This spraying creates a fine mist which is intended to be confined within the booth in order to prevent the mist from being dispersed into the air within the plant, where it could be inhaled by plant personnel and present a health hazard. Also, the mist can condense onto adjacent surfaces, creating a maintenance burden.[0004]Oil in the coolant / lubricant can also evaporate from the mist into the air and create an air pollution problem.[0005]In order to minimize this effect, the conventional practice has been to constantly d...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent aims to achieve the goal of reducing air flow from a machining booth to minimize the escape of mist and to save power. This is achieved by controlling the volume of air flow through a fan motor, which is adjusted based on the needs of the machining process. The invention also includes the use of a cyclonic separator to remove mist from the air flow. In a multi-station installation, the fan motor automatically adjusts its operation based on the number of stations in use to conserve power. Additionally, the fan motor adjusts its power based on the resistance of the demister filters to ensure optimal air flow.

Problems solved by technology

This spraying creates a fine mist which is intended to be confined within the booth in order to prevent the mist from being dispersed into the air within the plant, where it could be inhaled by plant personnel and present a health hazard.

Also, the mist can condense onto adjacent surfaces, creating a maintenance burden.

Oil in the coolant / lubricant can also evaporate from the mist into the air and create an air pollution problem.

This is because leaking of condensed mist from the ducting, and evaporation of the oil in the mist into the air can both occur in the ducts, which effects will contribute to the air pollution problem mentioned above.

In addition, condensed water can aid the growth of mold and creation of a fire hazard.

Also, less mist flowing in the ducts reduces the maintenance efforts required in cleaning the ducting through which the mist flows.

Furthermore, high efficiency air filters (HEPA) are used to completely remove the residual mist, and these filters would rapidly become blocked if all of the mist were to reach those filters, greatly increasing maintenance costs since HEPA filters are very expensive.

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