USA – Electrostatic Spraying Systems, Inc.(ESS), of Watkinsville, Georgia has licensed and incorporated NASA’s electrostatic technology originally made to water plants in space, into the company’s Maxcharge product lines.
NASA, an independent agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for the civil space program, said ESS improved spray nozzles efficiently use basic laws of electricity to achieve complete coverage on targeted surfaces.
An electrostatic sprayer works by inducing an electric charge onto atomized droplets. Much like an inflated balloon sticking to a wall when it’s gained a charge of static electricity, the droplets then stick to targeted surfaces.
The Agency’s interest in this technology originated with astronauts’ need for an easy way to support plant-growth experiments in space.
On the International Space Station, watering plants without the help of gravity isn’t as easy as using a garden hose on Earth.
In the future, using a system like an electrostatic sprayer on the space station or other orbiting destination could help the water droplets stick to the plants with uniform coverage.
However, most spraying systems require large sources of water and air to properly aerosolize fluids.
As both air and water are precious resources in space, NASA needed an easier way to make these incredibly small droplets.
Charles Buhler and Jerry Wang of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida led the efforts to develop this capability, with Edward Law of the University of Georgia as a consulting expert.
Eventually, the NASA team developed a new design by learning from existing technology called a mister nozzle.
The benefit of a mister is that even though the interior volume of the nozzle is small, the pressure inside never builds up, which makes it perfect for enclosed small spaces like the space station.
ESS on its website notes that its air-assisted electrostatic sprayer, patented as MaxCharge™ “air-atomizing induction-charging nozzle, was invented at the University of Georgia.
