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EVALUATION OF A PAINT SPRAY BOOTH UTILIZING AIR RECIRCULATION
Citation:
Norton, L., R. Bryan, AND D. Becvar. EVALUATION OF A PAINT SPRAY BOOTH UTILIZING AIR RECIRCULATION. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/2-84/143.
Description:
The objective of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of the recirculating air spray booth process at the Deere and Company facility in Davenport, Iowa. The effort involved a field measurement program and subsequent analysis of flow rates and emission data from the spray booth to define the degree of enhancement of the emissions stream and permit more efficient and economical control of spray booth emissions. Energy conservation became a matter of concern for industrial operators during the late 1970s when energy costs began to climb rapidly. Deere and Company engineers noted that heated in-plant air passed through the spray booth to the outside air. If this air could be recirculated while keeping worker environments within safety standards, significant energy cost savings could be achieved with an added benefit of the recirculation scheme being a reduction in emission volume. The reduction in emission volume can result in a significant reduction in volitile organic compound (VOC) control cost since only the quantity of make-up air must be controlled. Through rerouting the ductwork and modification of operator apparel to ensure worker safety, Deere and Company designed a recirculating air system that was patented in May 1981. Included in the design is a bleed stream which controls VOC buildup in the recirculating system by routing a portion of the air to a natural gas burner where it serves as combustion air and destroys the entrained VOC.