Powder coating systems with air or liquid cooled cyclone separators

Abstract

A cyclone is disclosed that includes an enclosure that encloses at least a portion of the cyclone. The enclosure delimits an enclosed volume between an interior surface of the enclosure and the exterior surface of the body. The enclosure retains a gas coolant or liquid coolant in thermal exchange with the enclosed exterior surface of the cyclone. A powder coating system is disclosed that includes a spray booth and a cyclone, where ambient air is added to process air that is drawn from the spray booth into the cyclone. The ambient air may be added to the process air to cool the process air to a temperature that is lower than the process air would be if ambient air were not added, and also may be used to dilute the powder overspray entrained process air.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A powder coating system, comprising:
 a spray booth, said spray booth comprising a recovery duct for powder overspray, and said recovery duct having a recovery duct inlet and a recovery duct outlet;   a cyclone comprising a powder inlet;   a suction duct that connects said recovery duct outlet with said powder inlet, said recovery duct and said suction duct delimiting a powder overspray flow path from said spray booth to said cyclone; and   an opening for admitting air from an exterior of the powder coating system into said powder overspray flow path.   
     
     
         2 . The powder coating system of  claim 1 , wherein said opening is provided in said recovery duct. 
     
     
         3 . The powder coating system of  claim 2 , further comprising a moveable cover configured to adjust a size of said opening. 
     
     
         4 . The powder coating system of  claim 1 , wherein said admitted air comprises ambient air, said ambient air configured to combine with process air that travels from said spray booth to said cyclone via the powder overspray flow path. 
     
     
         5 . The powder coating system of  claim 4 , wherein said ambient air is added to said process air from said spray booth before said process air flows through said recovery duct outlet. 
     
     
         6 . The powder coating system of  claim 5 , wherein said cyclone is configured to draw said process air and said ambient air into said powder overspray flow path. 
     
     
         7 . The powder coating system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an enclosure that encloses a portion of an exterior surface of said cyclone, said enclosure delimiting an enclosed volume between an interior surface of said enclosure and said exterior surface of said cyclone, and said enclosure configured to retain a cooling medium in thermal exchange with said exterior surface.   
     
     
         8 . The powder coating system of  claim 7 , wherein said cyclone comprises a first portion and a second portion,
 wherein the first portion and the second portion are configured to align with each other along a first axis, and   wherein said second portion is pivotally attached to said first portion by a joint.   
     
     
         9 . The powder coating system of  claim 8 , wherein said second portion is configured to pivot about said joint between a first position and a second position,
 wherein said second portion is configured to align with said first portion along said first axis when said second portion is in said first position.   
     
     
         10 . The powder coating system of  claim 9 , wherein said second portion comprises a powder outlet end that is releasably connectable to a powder receptacle. 
     
     
         11 . The powder coating system of  claim 10 , wherein said powder receptacle is moveable away from said cyclone when said second portion is released from said powder receptacle. 
     
     
         12 . A method of implementing a powder coating system, comprising:
 configuring a spray booth to comprise a recovery duct for powder overspray, and said recovery duct having a recovery duct inlet and a recovery duct outlet;   configuring a cyclone to comprise a powder inlet;   configuring a suction duct that connects said recovery duct outlet with said powder inlet, said recovery duct and said suction duct delimiting a powder overspray flow path from said spray booth to said cyclone; and   configuring an opening for admitting air from an exterior of the powder coating system into said powder overspray flow path.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 admitting process air into the cyclone through an inlet opening of the cyclone; and   reducing a temperature of at least a portion of an interior surface of said cyclone using a cooling medium.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 measuring an inlet temperature of said admitted process air at a location proximate to the inlet opening; and   determining a required amount of cooling energy based on said inlet temperature.   
     
     
         15 . A method, comprising:
 configuring a spray booth to comprise a recovery duct for powder overspray, and said recovery duct having a recovery duct inlet and a recovery duct outlet;   configuring a cyclone to comprise a powder inlet;   configuring a suction duct that connects said recovery duct outlet with said powder inlet, said recovery duct and said suction duct delimiting a powder overspray flow path from said spray booth to said cyclone; and   configuring an opening for admitting air from an exterior of a powder coating system into said powder overspray flow path.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the method further comprises:
 admitting air, via an opening, from an exterior of a powder coating system into a powder overspray flow path, said powder overspray flow path extending from the spray booth of said powder coating system to the cyclone of said powder coating system and being delimited by the recovery duct of said spray booth and the suction duct that connects an outlet of said recovery duct with a powder inlet of said cyclone.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said opening is provided in said recovery duct and the method further comprises:
 moving a moveable cover to adjust a size of said opening.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said admitted air comprises ambient air configured to combine with process air that travels from said spray booth to said cyclone via the powder overspray flow path and the method further comprises:
 adding said ambient air to said process air from said spray booth before said process air flows through the outlet of said recovery duct.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising drawing, by said cyclone, said process air and said ambient air into said powder overspray flow path. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the powder coating system includes an enclosure that encloses a portion of an exterior surface of said cyclone and delimits an enclosed volume between an interior surface of said enclosure and said exterior surface of said cyclone, the method further comprising:
 retaining, by the enclosure, a cooling medium in thermal exchange with said exterior surface.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein said cyclone comprises a first portion and a second portion, the first portion and the second portion configured to align with each other along a first axis and the second portion being pivotally attached to the first portion by a joint, the method further comprising:
 pivoting the second portion about said joint from a first position and a second position, said second portion configured to align with said first portion along said first axis when said second portion is in said first position.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein said second portion comprises a powder outlet end that is releasably connectable to a powder receptacle and the method further comprises:
 releasing said second portion from said powder receptacle and moving said powder receptacle away from said cyclone.