An Experimental Investigation of Cutting Fluid Mist Removal via a Novel Atomizer System

In this work, a novel strategy is introduced for the removal of cutting fluid mist from machining environments. This strategy, based on a kinematic coagulation mechanism, utilizes large fluid droplets to capture small airborne fluid particles. A specially designed atomizer system is used to create the large fluid droplets. The performance of the atomizer system is reported in terms of the size of droplets produced for various combinations of the operating parameters. Designed experiments are conducted in conjunction with a turning process to assess the efficacy of the kinematic coagulation mechanism in removing airborne cutting fluid mist. For the process conditions examined, the addition of large fluid droplets is shown to have a significant effect on reducing the mass concentration of airborne mist particulate within the working environment. The removal of fine cutting fluid mist particulate by the kinematic coagulation process is demonstrated to have potential as a cost-effective strategy towards the reduction and elimination of health risks associated with inhalation of airborne mist associated with machining environments.