Energy efficient primary atomization of viscous food oils using an electrostatic method

Food oil coating applications typically require spraying with relatively viscous liquids. Traditional spray methods can by inefficient, requiring a large amount of energy to produce a uniform coating and/or producing a significant degree of overspray. The electrostatic charge injection atomization technique is shown to be appropriate for these viscous and dielectric food oils, where an additional electrical power of ≈0.1W is required. Electrical performance data and also spray imaging and quantitative drop size measurement using phase Doppler interferometry are presented for atomizer orifice diameters of 150 and 250 μm and liquid injection velocities of 10 m/s. The typical average drop diameter is typically 70% of the orifice diameter. The results show the atomization performance is independent of liquid viscosity over a viscosity range of factor 50.