Paint spray booth design using recirculation/partitioning ventilation

Abstract

AbstractMany spray painting facility operators have been under pressure to reduce the discharge of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions to the atmosphere. Some operators have been able to convert their operations to lower VOC containing paints and coatings such as powder coating, waterborne coating, and radiation cured coatings. However, because of the functional requirements for some painted surfaces, acceptable paints with low VOC content may not be available. Consequently, these manufacturers may require the continued use of the higher VOC content paint formulations.The control of emissions from paint booths has been considered not economically viable due to the cost of treating the high volume of polluted air exhausted from these sources. Studies conducted by EPA with various Department of Defense (DoD) services, however, have demonstrated that the cost associated with typical spray booth control system can be significantly reduced through the use of spray booth recirculation. Reductions of exhaust flow rates of up to 90 percent may be possible when using recirculation in properly designed and operated booths without concern for the industrial hygiene or fire safety issues often mentioned when discussing recirculating booths. This paper presents the results of the design and demonstration program of full scale recirculating spray paint booths installed and operated at the U. S. Marine Corps (USMC), Marine Corp Logistics Bases (MCLB) facility at Barstow, CA. It also summarizes the regulatory and safety design issues of recirculation spray booths.