DESC:PRIORITY STATEMENT

[001] The present application hereby claims priority to Indian provisional patent application number 202041000997 filed on 09 January 2020, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[002] The present disclosure relates to a fog cannon. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a fog cannon with a swirl airblast and method of operation of the fog cannon.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[003] It is generally known that pollution is continuously and gradually increasing in our environment. The term “pollution” refers to addition or introduction of contaminants in the environment that results in adverse effects. The reason for the pollution is related to one or more unsafe gases, dust, smoke, and the like that make the living environment unsafe for human beings, plants, wildlife, and the like.

[004] Of the above-mentioned reasons, dust plays an important role in affecting health of an individual. The term “dust” refers to fine particles or dry particulates of solid matter. Dust can be pollen, minerals, soil, and many other such particulates found in our surroundings/environment. Dust particularly includes particles in the atmosphere that are generated from a plurality of sources such as but not limited to soil lifted by wind, one or more types of combustion generated particulate matter, coal dust, saw dust, and the like.

[005] Dust is responsible for a plurality of diseases such as asthma, lung cancer, heart disease, infections in eyes, and the like. Hence, it is very important to monitor and control dust. It is typically found that industries engaged in mining tasks are responsible to a great extent in generation of dust. Generally, in the mining industry, dust is created at every step of the mining process such as during extraction, processing, storage, transportation, and the like. Dust can cause multiple types of problems for mining operations such as low visibility in the work area and equipment failure, and can also be associated with health problems, such as asthma, lung cancer, heart disease, and the like. Airborne dust can adversely affect employees working at mines or at transportation facilities, residents who live nearby, and the surrounding environment. Hence, it is very important to control the dust.

[006] In practice, one method to control airborne dust at mineral processing operations is the use of a wet spray system. In essence, as the dust particles (i.e., fines) are wetted, each dust particle’s weight increases, thus decreasing the dust particle’s ability to remain airborne. As the dust particles become heavier, it becomes more difficult for the surrounding air to carry them off, causing the dust to settle down on the ground.

[007] Conventionally, it is known that the use of a fog or a mist cannon for spraying a finely atomized liquid (i.e., water) is effective in suppressing airborne dust. Fog cannons can be used for many other applications also such as spraying various fluids such as pesticides, disinfectants etc. The fog cannons include a ring header having pressure-injection nozzles, wherein, water at relatively high pressures is passed through the nozzles. The spray created is transported to long distances (15 – 100m) using large volumes of air pushed through by large axial fans located at the back of the cannons. The spray consisting of these fine water droplets appears as fog. However, the spray atomization is achieved by the large pressure difference created across the spray nozzle orifices. To create this large water pressure, powerful water pumps are utilized, which utilize more electricity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

[008] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simple manner that is further described in the detailed description of the disclosure. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the subject matter nor is it intended for determining the scope of the disclosure.

[009] One aspect of the disclosure includes a fog cannon. The fog cannon includes an axial fan located inside an axial fan housing and configured for generating airflow in the axial direction. The fog cannon includes a conical housing having a first end and a second end and also includes an outer housing and an inner housing such that the inner housing is centralized within the outer housing. The fog cannon further includes a header plate assembly positioned at the first end of the conical housing. The header plate assembly includes a header plate having a plurality of voids, a ring header having a plurality of fluid outlets connected to a plurality of nozzles, and a plurality of air swirlers positioned in the voids of the header plate.

[0010] Another aspect of the disclosure includes a method for spraying fine droplets of a fluid using a fog cannon. The method includes the steps for generating an axial airflow using an axial fan located inside an axial fan housing of the fog cannon, passing the axial airflow to a conical housing having a first end and a second end. The fog cannon includes an outer housing and an inner housing such that the inner housing is centralized within the outer housing. A first part of the axial airflow passes through the inner housing and a second part of the axial airflow passes through the outer housing in an annular space created between the outer housing and the inner housing. The method also includes passing the airflow from the conical housing to a header plate assembly such that the first part of the axial airflow passes through a central part of a header plate of the header plate assembly and the second part of the axial airflow passes through a plurality of air swirlers positioned in voids of the header plate. The method also includes passing the fluid through a plurality of nozzles positioned in the vicinity of the air swirlers and connected to a plurality of fluid outlets of the header plate assembly.

[0011] These and other aspects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions, while indicating the preferred embodiments and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way of an illustration and not of a limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments herein without departing from the spirit thereof, and the embodiments herein include all such modifications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0012] The disclosure will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying figures in which:

[0013] FIG. 1 illustrates a fog cannon apparatus, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0014] FIG. 2A illustrates an exploded view of a fog cannon, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0015] FIG. 2B illustrates a cut section view of the cannon, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0016] FIG. 3A illustrates a perspective view of a header plate, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0017] FIG. 3B illustrates a front view of the header plate, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0018] FIG. 4A illustrates an exploded view of a ring header assembly, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] FIG. 4B illustrates an isometric view of the ring header assembly, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] FIG. 5A illustrates an exploded view of a header plate assembly, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0021] FIG. 5B illustrates an isometric view of the header plate assembly, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Further, skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and may not have necessarily been drawn to scale. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the figures by conventional symbols, and the figures may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the figures with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the figures and specific language will be used to describe them. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. Such alterations and further modifications to the disclosure, and such further applications of the principles of the disclosure as described herein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the disclosure relates are deemed to be a part of this disclosure.

[0024] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory of the disclosure and are not intended to be restrictive thereof. In the present disclosure, relational terms such as first and second, and the like, may be used to distinguish one entity from the other, without necessarily implying any actual relationship or order between such entities.

[0025] The terms "comprises", "comprising", or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process or method that comprises a list of steps does not include only those steps but may include other steps not expressly listed or inherent to such a process or a method. Similarly, one or more elements or structures or components preceded by "comprises... a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements, other structures, other components, additional devices, additional elements, additional structures, or additional components. Appearances of the phrase “in an embodiment”, “in another embodiment” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.

[0026] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The components, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.

[0027] The present disclosure relates to a fog cannon with swirl airblast that can be used for suppressing flying dust and other similar applications that utilize spraying of fine particles of a fluid. In many embodiments of the disclosed fog cannon and method of operating, the fluid is a liquid. The fog cannon disclosed herein includes a swirl airblast atomizer arrangement and utilizes air blast atomization in addition to pressure atomization to help the nozzles generate small and fine spray droplets. This generation of small droplets enables achieving similar or better atomization at lower fluid pressures when compared with that of products currently available in the market. In order to achieve the small and fine fluid spray droplets, the cannon includes a plurality of air swirlers. These air swirlers are connected with the nozzles.

[0028] Figure 1 illustrates a fog cannon apparatus 10, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. The apparatus 10 includes a fog cannon 100. Figure 2A and 2B illustrate an exploded view and a cut section view of a cannon 200, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. The numerals 200 in Fig 2A and Fig. 2B, and the numeral 100 in Fig. 1, represent the fog cannon. The fog cannon 200 includes an axial fan 205. The axial fan 205 is positioned inside an axial fan housing 210. The axial fan 205 is configured for generating airflow in the axial fan housing 210. The fog cannon 200 includes a conical housing 215. The conical housing 215 includes a first end 216, a second end 217. The conical housing 215 includes an outer housing 215A and an inner housing 215B, such that the inner housing 215B is centralized within the outer housing 215A. The fog cannon 200 further includes a header plate assembly 225 positioned at the first end 216 of the conical housing 215. The header plate assembly 225 includes a header plate 226 having a plurality of voids, a plurality of air swirlers 227 positioned in the voids of the header plate, and a ring header 228 having a plurality of fluid outlets 229 connected to a plurality of nozzles. The axial fan 205 is configured for generating airflow through the axial fan housing 210. The axial fan housing 210 and the second end 217 of the conical housing 215 are connected such that the air from the axial fan 205 passes through the conical housing 215. In some embodiments, the axial fan 205 is used to push large volumes of air at high velocities that are capable of carrying fluid droplets to large distances (typically 15 – 100m).

[0029] The connection between the axial fan housing 210 and the conical housing 215 may be direct or indirect. In some embodiments, the axial fan housing 210 and the conical housing 215 are detachably connected. In some embodiments, the fog cannon 200 includes a support housing 220 connecting the axial fan housing 210 and the second end 217 of the conical housing 215. The conical housing 215 includes a converging shape surface that helps in accelerating the air so that the accelerated air may carry the spray droplets to the long distances.

[0030] In some embodiments, the outer housing 215A is is in the shape of a frustum of a cone that serves as a conduit for air from the axial fan 205 to the front end of the fog cannon 200. The outer housing 215A has a lower diameter at the first end 216 of the conical housing 215 compared to the diameter at the second end 217. In some embodiments, the inner housing 215B is in the shape of a frustum of a cone and has a lower diameter at the first end 216 of the conical housing 215 compared to the diameter at the second end 217. The outer housing 215A includes a larger diameter at the second end 217 of the conical housing 215, wherein the larger diameter is configured for connecting the rear end of the conical housing 215 with the support housing 220. Further, the outer housing 215A includes a smaller diameter at the first end 216 of the conical housing 215, wherein the smaller diameter is configured for connecting the front end of the conical housing 215 with the header plate 226.

[0031] In some embodiments, both the outer housing 215A and the inner housing 215B are shaped like the frustum of a cone. The inner housing 215B is introduced to help channel some percentage of the air being pushed by the axial fan 205 through the air swirlers 227. The inner housing 215B includes a smaller diameter 213 at the first end 216 and a larger diameter 214 at the second end 217 of the conical housing 215. The larger diameter 214 is configured for allowing a certain volume of the air to flow through the air swirlers 227, and the smaller diameter 213 is configured for allowing the remaining air to flow through the smaller diameter 213 of the inner housing 215B. In some embodiments, the first end 216 of the conical housing 215 is connected to the header plate 226 such that the first end of the outer housing 215A is connected to an outer diameter of the header plate 226 and the first end 216 of the inner housing 215B is connected to the inner diameter of the header plate 226.

[0032] Figure 3A and 3B illustrate a perspective view and a front view of the header plate 300 (it should be understood that both the numerals 300 and 226 represent the header plate). The header plate 300 includes a plurality of holes 305 and a central hole 310. As shown in figures 3A and 3B, the holes 305 of the plurality are configured in a ring pattern on the header plate 300.

[0033] As described earlier, the header plate 300 (alternately, 226) is connected to the first end 216 of the conical housing 215. Therefore, the smaller diameter of the inner housing 215B attaches with the central hole 310 of the header plate 300 and allows the remaining air to flow through the central hole 310. The diameter of the inner housing 215B at various points from the first end to the second end of the housing are calculated to allow a certain volume of air to flow through the air swirlers 227 located on the header plate 226 and to allow the remaining air to flow through the central hole 310 of the header plate. In one embodiment, the holes 305 are oriented at an angle in the ring pattern. The air swirlers 227 are embedded into the holes 305 at the angle, so that the air from all the swirlers 227 may be centered at one point on a central axis of the fog cannon 100. The header plate 300 with the air swirlers 227 is introduced to enable spray atomization through shearing action by swirling air.

[0034] The Figures 4A and 4B illustrate an exploded view and an isometric view of a ring header assembly 400, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, the ring header assembly 400 includes a ring header 405, a plurality of water outlets 410, a plurality of nozzles 415, a plurality of air swirlers 420, and one or more connecting end 425. The ring header 405 is configured as a hollow ring, so the ring header 405 acts as a pressure bearing pipe. The plurality of water outlets 410 are connected to the plurality of nozzles 415 via small rigid piping or flexible hose segments. The nozzles 415 have small orifices that help to form a spray. The nozzles 415 are in the vicinity of the air swirlers 227 such that the fluid droplets passing out through the nozzles 415 are influenced by the swirled air flowing out through the air swirlers 420. In some embodiments, the nozzles 415 are fixed at the center of the air swirlers 420. The nozzles 415 are supplied with pressurized water via small segments of pipe or hose as the water outlets 410 between the ring header 405 and the nozzles 415. The air swirlers 420 include vanes that impart either single direction swirl or multiple direction swirl to the air that passes through the air swirlers 420. In one embodiment, the vane angles, size, number of vanes may be varied. In other embodiment, instead of vanes, helical passages may be utilized for imparting swirl to the air. In one embodiment, the connecting end 425 is connected to the water pump 12 through the water supply pipe/ hose 15.

[0035] Figures 5A and 5B illustrate an exploded view and an isometric view of a header plate assembly 500, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in figure 5A, the header plate 300 is connected to the ring header assembly 400.

[0036] In some embodiments, the apparatus 10 may further include a pump 12, a pipe 15, a control panel 20, and a trolley 25. In Figure 1, the fog cannon 100, the pump 12, the pipe 15, and the control panel 20, all are mounted on the trolley 25. The trolley 25 includes at least two wheels 30. The whole apparatus 10 can be easily transported with support of the trolley 25. Further, the fog cannon 100 is configured for spraying fluid. The pump 12 is provided for generating or boosting fluid pressure head. The pipe 15 includes an inlet end 15A and an outlet end 15B, wherein the inlet end 15A is connected to the pump 12, and the outlet end 15B is connected to the fog cannon 100. The control panel 20 includes a plurality of control switches for controlling one or more operations of the apparatus 10. Further, the apparatus 10 includes a rotary actuator 35, a long structural member 140 and thrust plate 45. The control panel 20 may be configured for controlling the operations of the pump 12, axial fan 205 and the actuator 35.

[0037] During operation, in order to get the small fluid droplets through the fog cannon 100, the pump 12 pumps the fluid to the ring header 405 through the fluid supply pipe/ hose 15. The fluid is fed into the plurality of nozzles 415 connected to the ring header 405. The fluid/liquid then emerges through the final discharge orifice in the form of a liquid film with both tangential and axial components, which rapidly disintegrates into ligaments and then spray droplets. A certain percentage of air pushed through by the axial fan 205 goes through the central hole 310 while the rest of the air simultaneously goes through the air swirlers 227/420. The swirling air breaks down the spray droplets further through shearing action converting the spray into a fine fog. The fine fog is transported to the target area by the massive amounts of air coming out through the central hole 310.

[0038] In some embodiments, the actuator 35 includes a rotary actuator to adjust the orientation of the fog cannon 100 in the direction of the dust, and to support weight of the fog cannon 100. Further, the actuator 35 includes a motor and a gearbox. The actuator 35 is connected to the fog cannon 100 via a long structural member 140 with a thrust plate 45. The actuator 35 enables the fog cannon 100 to rotate about the central axis (roll) of the fog cannon 100. The long structural member 140 is connected through a Y-shaped yolk to the fog cannon 100. Further, the long structural member 140 is connected to the rotary actuator via the thrust plate 45. A linear actuator may also be connected between the thrust plate 45 and the fog cannon 100 to enable the fog cannon to pitch. The support housing 220 is connected to the Y-shaped yolk of the long structural member 140 via hinges and supports the entire weight of the fog cannon 100.

[0039] In some embodiments, the plurality of fluid outlets of the fog cannon 100 is configured for spraying water. In some embodiments, a chemical solution may be sprayed using the fog cannon 100. The chemical solution may include, but not limited to, one or more of disinfectants, fire suppressants, pesticides, liquid fertilizers. One application that uses fine spray of water is dust control through dust suppression. Other applications that may utilize fog cannon 100 for spraying water, chemical solutions, or any combinations thereof, but not limited to, odor control, disease control, pest control, fire suppression, and agricultural irrigation, where liquid droplet mists generated are more effective than a conventional fluid stream.

[0040] In the embodiments that use water for spraying through the fog cannon 100 using the apparatus 10, the pump 12 may be a water pump and the hose/pipe 15 is configured to carry the required amount of water to the header plate assembly 225 to be sprayed through the plurality of fluid outlets 229 connected to the plurality of nozzles 415.

[0041] The header plate 300 diameter may be varied depending on the requirement of the fog cannon 100 performance. In some embodiments, number of the holes 305 in the header plate 300, angle of inclination of the holes 305 etc., may be varied as per the requirement. The typical range of the angle of the nozzles and the central axis of the holes with respect to the central axis of the fog cannon is about 20 to 50 degrees. This angle may be varied based on the lateral spread length of the required spray. The number of holes and the number of nozzles may be varied considering the required overall flow rate of the liquid. The typical number of nozzles may range from 6 to 36. In one embodiment, different pressure nozzles may be used depending on the fluid to be sprayed and the desired spray pattern and droplet size and the required throw distance. In some embodiments, the air swirlers and the nozzles are coaxial and the nozzle orifice is in the central axis of the swirler. The nozzle base and the swirler base may be coincided or may be offset from each other. In some embodiments, the nozzle tip may lie on the swirler central axis, but the nozzle base may have a linear offset from the axis of the air swirler. The nozzle base is located such that the offset distance of the nozzle base from the air swirler is configured to be greater than the radius of the air swirler and the nozzle minimally obstructs the airflow.

[0042] In a method for spraying fine droplets of a fluid using a fog cannon apparatus 10, an axial airflow is created using the axial fan 205 located inside the axial fan housing 210. The created axial air flow is passed through the conical housing 215. A first part of the axial airflow passes through the inner housing 215B and a second part of the axial airflow passes through the outer housing 215A in an annular space created between the outer housing and the inner housing. The method also includes passing the airflow from the conical housing 215 to a header plate assembly 225 such that the first part of the axial airflow passes through the central part 310 of the header plate 226 of the header plate assembly 225 and the second part of the axial airflow passes through the plurality of air swirlers 227 positioned in voids of the header plate 226. The method also includes passing the fluid through the plurality of nozzles 415 positioned in the vicinity of the air swirlers 227 and connected to the plurality of fluid outlets 410 of the header plate assembly 225. The plurality of air swirlers 227 are configured for generating swirl in the air passing through the plurality of air swirlers 227.

[0043] During operation of the apparatus 10, the pump 12 pumps the fluid to the ring header 405. The fluid is fed into the multiple nozzles 415 placed in the vicinity of the ring header 405. The fluid then emerges through the final discharge orifice of the nozzles 415 in the form of a liquid film having both tangential and axial components and rapidly disintegrates into ligaments and then into spray droplets. Certain percentage of air pushed through by the axial fan 205 passes through the central hole 310 while the rest of the air passes through the air swirlers 420 and gains swirling motion. The swirling air breaks down the spray droplets further through shearing action, thereby converting the spray droplets into a fine fog. The fine fog is transported to the target area by the massive amounts of air coming out through the central hole 310. Thus, when the pressurized water flowing out through the plurality of nozzles 415 and the swirling air that is blasted through the swirlers 420 are mixed together, a high-quality water spray atomization is delivered through the fog cannon 200.

[0044] In an example embodiment of spraying water to suppress dust, the disclosed fog cannon apparatus 10 uses lower pressure-rated water pumps for producing dust suppression in comparison with other fog cannons exiting in market for producing the same amount of dust suppression. Thus, the present disclosure helps in saving electricity and minimizes the carbon footprint due to usage of the disclosed fog cannon apparatus. Moreover, the disclosed fog cannon uses lower volume flow rates of water for achieving the same dust suppression capability (as achieved by the existing cannons). Thus, the present disclosure helps in saving more water than existing fog cannons. Furthermore, the present disclosure produces smaller water droplets at lower water pressures compared to current dust suppression fog cannons in the market. The swirling air blasted through the swirlers in the present disclosure together with the pressure difference generated across the nozzle orifices by the water pumps work together to deliver high quality water spray atomization. Therefore, instead of all the air from the axial fan being used only to transport the fog to the desired destination, a fraction of it is being utilized for spray atomization as well.

[0045] The present apparatus uses following parameters, such as, a reduction of droplet size, an increase in droplet frequency, an increase of the droplet’s velocity and uniform spray distribution, for increasing performance of the fog cannon. All such parameters enable the apparatus to spray fine fluid droplets. Further, the present apparatus is enabled for producing fluid droplets that cover a larger distance as compared to the currently available systems, for the same pressure-rated water pumps, axial fans and water volume flow rates. Therefore, the present apparatus's mist forming capability is higher compared to the currently known apparatuses.

[0046] The figures and the forgoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. For example, orders of processes described herein may be changed and are not limited to the manner described herein. Moreover, the actions of any flow diagram need not be implemented in the order shown; nor do all of the acts necessarily need to be performed. Also, those acts that are not dependent on other acts may be performed in parallel with the other acts. The scope of embodiments is by no means limited by these specific examples. Numerous variations, whether explicitly given in the specification or not, such as differences in structure, dimension, and use of material, are possible.
,CLAIMS:1. A fog cannon (100, 200) comprising:
an axial fan (205) located inside an axial fan housing (210) and configured for generating airflow in the axial fan housing (210);
a conical housing (215) having a first end (216) and a second end (217) and comprising an outer housing (215A) and an inner housing (215B) centralized within the outer housing (215A); and
a header plate assembly (225) positioned at the first end (216) of the conical housing (215) and comprising:
a header plate (226) having a plurality of voids;
a ring header (228) comprising a plurality of fluid outlets (229, 410) connected to a plurality of nozzles (415); and
a plurality of air swirlers (227, 420) positioned in the voids of the header plate (226).

2. The fog cannon (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the outer housing (215A) is in the shape of a frustum of a cone and has a lower diameter at the first end (216) of the conical housing (215) compared to the diameter at the second end (217).

3. The fog cannon (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the inner housing (215B) is in the shape of a frustum of a cone and has a lower diameter at the first end (216) of the conical housing (215) compared to the diameter at the second end (217).

4. The fog cannon (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first end (216) of the conical housing (215) is connected to the header plate (216) such that the first end (216) of the outer housing (215A) is connected to an outer diameter of the header plate (226) and the first end (216) of the inner housing (215B) is connected to the inner diameter of the header plate (226).

5. The fog cannon (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the air swirlers (227, 420) comprise of vanes.

6. The fog cannon (100) as claimed in claim 1, comprising a support housing (220) connecting the second end (217) of the conical housing (215) to the axial fan housing (210).

7. The fog cannon (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of fluid outlets (229, 410) is configured for spraying water, a chemical solution, or a combination thereof.

8. A method for spraying fine droplets of a fluid using a fog cannon (100), the method comprising:
generating an axial airflow using an axial fan (205) located inside an axial fan housing (210);
passing the axial airflow to a conical housing (215) having a first end (216) and a second end (217) and comprising an outer housing (215A) and an inner housing (215B) centralized within the outer housing (215A) such that a first part of the axial airflow passes through the inner housing (215B) and a second part of the axial airflow passes through the outer housing (215A) in an annular space created between the outer housing (215A)and the inner housing (215B);
passing the axial airflow from the conical housing (215) to a header plate assembly (225) such that the first part of the axial airflow passes through a central part (310) of a header plate (226) of the header plate assembly (225) and the second part of the axial airflow passes through a plurality of air swirlers (227, 420) positioned in voids of the header plate (226); and
passing the fluid through a plurality of nozzles (415) positioned in the vicinity of the air swirlers (227, 420) and connected to a plurality of fluid outlets (229, 410) of the header plate assembly (225).

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the fluid used is water, a chemical solution, or a combination thereof.