Regenerative Blower Air Dispenser for Automotive Paint Booth Drying
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Solution Overview
Problem
The use of shop compressed air in paint booths for automotive vehicles prolongs the drying time of water-based paints due to high moisture and temperature drops, leading to increased energy consumption when external heaters are used to heat the air.
Innovation Solution
A regenerative blower is used to induce filtered air from outside the booth, which is then expelled along the sides of the vehicle, reducing humidity and providing heat-assisted drying without significant compression, thus facilitating the drying of water-based paints.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If shop compressed air is used to create air flow in the drying booth, then air flow is generated to remove paint particles, but the high moisture content in the compressed air prolongs the drying time of water-based paints
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the harmful moisture component from the air supply system by switching from compressed air (which contains high moisture) to ambient air through a blower. The system separates the air flow generation function from the moisture-containing compressed air supply, using a dedicated blower that draws moisture-free ambient air into the booth.
2Productivity
If pressurized shop air is released through air nozzles to create air flow, then paint particles are removed from the booth, but the air temperature decreases which further prolongs paint drying time
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the temperature-reducing effect by eliminating the use of pressurized compressed air that causes adiabatic cooling. Instead, a blower delivers ambient temperature air without the temperature drop associated with releasing pressurized air, thus maintaining warmer air temperature in the booth.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameters of the air supply by switching from high-pressure compressed air (which causes temperature drop) to low-pressure ambient air (which maintains temperature). This parameter change resolves the contradiction between creating air flow and maintaining temperature.
3Temperature
If external heating means is used to heat the compressed air before release, then air temperature is maintained to speed up paint drying, but energy consumption and operational cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the need for external heating by eliminating the source of the temperature problem - the compressed air supply. By using a blower to deliver ambient air instead of compressed air, the system avoids the temperature drop entirely, making external heating unnecessary and reducing energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the harmful effect of compressed air (temperature drop and high moisture) into a beneficial approach by using ambient air that naturally maintains temperature and has lower moisture content, eliminating the need for additional heating energy.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution reduces drying time for water-based paints by minimizing moisture and maintaining air temperature, while also lowering energy consumption and operational costs compared to traditional heating methods.
Implementation Method 1
A regenerative blower is positioned outside of the booth chamber. The blower includes an inlet which is open to air outside the booth chamber (that is filtered) and has its outlet fluidly connected by piping to the air dispenser. Consequently, upon activation of the blower, the blower inducts air from outside the paint spray and drying booth while the outlet from the blower is fluidly connected to the air dispenser so that the inducted air is expelled within the interior of the booth in a direction along the sides of the booth.
Implementation Method 2
the air output from the regenerative blower provides low humid air from the heat it produces. As such, it facilitates the drying of paint and particularly the drying of water based paints.
Data Source
AI summary
An automotive paint spray and drying booth having a plurality of walls which, together, define a housing with a chamber sufficient in size to contain an automotive vehicle. An air dispenser is positioned within the chamber and the air dispenser includes an outlet positioned to direct air along one or more of the housing walls. A regenerative blower is positioned outside the housing chamber. The blower is connected to an inlet open outside of the housing chamber and includes an outlet which is fluidly connected to the air nozzle.