What to Consider Before Buying an Electrostatic Sprayer

In a very short time, the pandemic has changed our world. The virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mainly spreads from person to person. When someone who is infected coughs or sneezes, they send droplets containing the virus into the air. A healthy person can then breathe in those droplets. It can also spread from a person who has the virus to any surface he or she touches. The coronavirus can live for hours to days on surfaces like countertops and doorknobs. How long it survives depends on the material the surface is made from.

Industries using electrostatic sprayers to combat COVID-19 include aviation, education, facility management, government, healthcare, hospitality, retail, sports, and transportation. With such enormous square footage of surfaces in the world, efficient surface methods are needed for environmental disinfection. Prior to COVID, disinfection of surfaces was achieved through manual application of liquid disinfectants (spray bottles and wipes). This method has been shown to be labor intensive and uses about 75% more chemical as compared to alternate means.

Application of disinfectants using electrostatic sprayers

There has been increased application of disinfectants on List N via electrostatic sprayers given the need to disinfect large spaces to reduce the risk of exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19. Complete, comprehensive disinfectant surface coverage can be achieved using electrostatic sprayers.

electrostatic_disinfectant_process- EPIX360-reduced

How Electrostatic Sprayers Work

Electrostatic sprayers work by charging the liquid disinfectant as it passes through a nozzle. Per the EPA, positively charged disinfectant droplets are attracted to negatively charged environmental surfaces allowing for improved coverage on hard, non-porous environmental surfaces.

Electrostatic Sprayer Polarity Matters

It is important to note that most environmental surfaces have a negative or neutral charge (the earth itself is negative). As such, for true electrostatic adhesion to occur, electrostatic sprayers should impart a positive charge so that the positively charged disinfectant droplets are attracted to targeted negative or neutral surfaces.

The Expansion Cloud Effect explains how charged droplets are repelled by objects with a like charge. Coulomb’s Law describes that like charges repel each other while unlike charges attract each other.

As droplets leave the nozzle, they race to find their oppositely charged surfaces, this causes them to spread out and wrap around three-dimensional objects. Just as the automobile painting industry discovered decades ago, using an electrostatic sprayer results in an even coating. This includes hard-to-reach areas typically not touched by manual application.

Droplet Size

Droplet size is a critical factor. Droplets must be large enough to resist evaporation and drift but small enough that the charge can change their trajectory when it comes close to a target. Most electrostatic nozzles produce droplets of less than < 40 microns (categorized as Very Fine). Such small droplets increase drift. Droplets of < 40 microns have a low terminal velocity causing them to fall slowly. This makes them highly drift-prone, decreasing the results of electrostatic adhesion and increasing user inhalation concerns.

EMist TruElectrostatics™ Electrostatic Sprayers

EMist systems are patented. EMist was founded on a legacy of technology and industrial designs by founder and inventor Mike Sides. Mike is an accomplished senior executive with more than 30 years of industrial engineering experience. He has been involved in the design and manufacturing of electrostatic sprayers for more than 30 years. Mike is recognized as an electrostatic industry expert. He works frequently with groups including the Department of Defense, Naval Entomology Center of Excellence, United States Department of Agriculture, World Health Organization, International Pest Application Research Center.

Additionally, in the fall of 2014, fear gripped much of the U.S. when news that a man at a Dallas hospital tested positive for the Ebola virus. EMist was asked to provide electrostatic sprayers and played a pivotal role in disinfection during the crisis.

Learn more about EMist Electrostatic Disinfectant Sprayers: https://pluginemist.wpengine.com/sales-support/

Post Views: 181