Spray booths

It is possible to construct a "tunnel" spray booth that has a
smaller opening and consequently requires much less air volume than
a typical wide-faced booth.  In the tunnel concept, the booth is
wide enough to accommodate the thickness of the object, the operator,
and suitable back distance.  For paintings, this could be as little
as 5' (1.5 meters).

The air flow crosses the face of the work, carrying vapor and
overspray away from the operator.  This approach also eliminates the
turbulence and bounce-back that occurs when the air flow comes from
behind the operator. The drawback is that the air flow is more
laminar and of higher effective velocity over the work, so it
carries more of the spray away from the work. This may require
higher spray velocity to overcome.  The bounce-back problem,
however, is virtually eliminated.

Examples of booths that use this type of configuration are those
designed for automobiles, buses and trucks, most of whose surface is
parallel to the air flow.

Geoffrey I. Brown
Curator of Conservation
Kelsey Museum
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1390, U.S.A.
734-647-0439
Fax: 734-763-8976

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 12:58
                 Distributed: Friday, January 15, 1999
                       Message Id: cdl-12-58-008
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