Water-Wash Spray in Cold Climates

Q. My Malaysian company makes and installs industrial conveyors, paint spray booths and drying ovens. A company in Saint Petersburg, Russia, has asked for a quote for the installation of a new paint finishing line that includes a water curtain spray booth. Can we safely install a water curtain spray booth at a factory in that country? Won’t the spray booth water start to freeze when the temperature reaches 0ºC, let alone -25ºC? Is it not more advisable to install a dry filter booth in this climate? N.P.

A. Since the freezing point of pure water is 0ºC (32ºF), it will certainly freeze at -25ºC unless it is treated with an antifreeze compound.

Are you sure the spray booth will be operated at -25ºC? The outdoor temperature in Saint Petersburg may reach -25ºC, but I can’t imagine a factory running at that temperature. Under those conditions, the painters and other factory workers would have to wear outdoor clothing to prevent them from freezing. Everything in the factory using water and many other fluids would also freeze. The paint may also freeze or be too viscous to spray.

I am sure that for these reasons the ambient temperature inside the factory will be well above -25ºC unless something catastrophic happens, like the complete failure of the plant heating system.