Cleaning applications using a high-speed impinging air jet

Surface cleaning using a high-speed air jet can be applied for the removal of solid particulate contaminants adhering to a solid surface. An air jet is applied to the surface and the air blows off the particle contaminant. The physical mechanism causing the removal is resuspension of particles from a solid surface. The resuspension phenomenon has been studied by means of tube flow. However, the model of the resuspension phenomenon has not yet been established. Thus, the removal efficiency of the high-speed air-jet method cannot be estimated theoretically. Therefore, this chapter focuses on empirical knowledge. The results are presented on the several studies with particular attention to the effect of operating conditions on the removal efficiency. The data given in this chapter were obtained from experiments using monodispersed standard latex particles (styrene/divinyl benzene) as test particles and borosilicate glass as a standard surface. The test particles were deposited by sedimentation in air. After deposition, the test piece was dried for more than 100 h in a desiccator. For all experiments, the test piece was transferred to a controlled removal environment, and the removal experiment was conducted after leaving the test piece in the environment for 2 min or longer. New developments and applications of air jet cleaning are discussed.