Tag: water spray nozzle

Take Advantage of the BETE Spray Laboratory

Published on by John BallLeave a comment

EXAIR is a leader in engineered compressed air solutions and static elimination, and BETE is renowned for engineered spray nozzle and spraying systems.  Ever since the merger, we have worked closely together to create a unique market appeal.  In this blog, I wish to cover an important department of BETE, the Spray Lab. 

The Spray Lab features a state-of-the-art research laboratory dedicated to focusing on complex challenges to support research and development efforts.  We test, so that you can get accurate values for your process.  BETE excels with high-quality nozzles for various spray applications, providing fit and function for our customers. Using advanced tools such as test stands, computer modeling, and in-house manufacturing capabilities, BETE’s Spray Lab improves confidence in the solutions it offers for your process.

Running the BETE’s Spray Lab, we have experts that can manage every aspect of a spraying system. Working closely with our clients to define their goals and limitations, they conduct physical tests to evaluate critical parameters such as droplet size, spray reach, and spray angle.  BETE also can use advanced computational fluid dynamics software to simulate the behavior of the droplets that would integrate into the process.  It can optimize the performance and find any shortfalls before manufacturing starts.  With the manufacturing facility located adjacent to the lab, the design team works together with the production team to create tailored solutions.  Overall, the Spray Lab offers a wide range of resources, allowing them to explore various types of applications and to evaluate the effectiveness of misting nozzles.

For more information about EXAIR and BETE, you can view our websites at www.EXAIR.com or www.BETE.com .  We would be happy to hear from you. 

John Ball
Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb

The Power of the BETE HydroClaw®

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

Cleaning tanks that contain solids-heavy materials isn’t a simple rinse-and-go task. Whether it’s sediment-laden wastewater, mineral slurries, biomass, grain residues, or thick process byproducts, tanks with large particles demand a cleaning solution that won’t clog, wear out, or lose performance over time.

For these environments, traditional tank cleaning nozzles often struggle. Abrasive solids eat away spray orifices, large particles cause blockages, and performance drops quickly—leading to longer cleaning cycles and more downtime.

This is exactly where the BETE HydroClaw® stands out.

BETE HydroClaw Cleaning the inside of a Tank. Top Right Square is a zoom-in of an active spray pattern. Right Corner is an image of the HydroClaw Nozzle on a yellow background. The bottom of the image is an application photo in an industrial environment.

A Tough Nozzle for Tough Tank Cleaning Jobs

While originally designed for abrasive slurry applications, the BETE HydroClaw’s internal geometry makes it a natural fit for large-particle and solids-heavy tank cleaning.

Instead of forcing material through a tight orifice, the HydroClaw uses an open, deflected-flow pathway that:

  • Reduces particle impact on critical surfaces.
  • Allows larger solids to pass without clogging.
  • Maintains a consistent spray pattern even in dirty fluids.

For tanks with heavy buildup, sediment, or abrasive residue, this makes a massive difference.

Why Choose BETE?

With decades of engineering expertise and a focus on solving complex spraying challenges, BETE continues to be a leader in industrial nozzle technology. The HydroClaw is a perfect example of that innovation—purpose-built for the harshest environments.

If your current nozzles can’t keep up, or if your maintenance team is constantly pulling and replacing failed components, it may be time to upgrade to a solution designed for the real world.

The BETE HydroClaw® isn’t a standard nozzle—it’s a strategic investment in efficiency, uptime, and long-term system reliability. For operations dealing with abrasive, particulate-heavy fluids, it delivers performance where it counts most.

If you’d like to explore whether the BETE HydroClaw® is the right fit for your tank cleaning application, reach out to an EXAIR Application Engineer at techelp@exair.com. They can help review your system, recommend the best approach, and ensure you’re choosing the most efficient and durable solution for your process.

Jordan Shouse, CCASS

Application Engineer

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External Mix Air Atomizing Spray Nozzles For High Flows, High Viscosity

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

If you’re just looking to spray water or just about any water-like liquid, you’ve got plenty of options…among them, any EXAIR Atomizing Spray Nozzle. We’d just need to find the one with the flow rate and pattern size & shape you’re looking for. That’s something we can handle in a short phone call, or if you’re a control freak, do-it-yourself-er like me, you can use the spec sheets in our Atomizing Spray Nozzles catalog section.

For applications involving liquids with higher viscosity or suspended solids, we’re going to look at our External Mix Air Atomizing Spray Nozzles. Internal Mix models are limited to liquid viscosity of 300cP or less, and you can’t use Siphon Feds for liquids with higher than 200cP viscosity. While we don’t publish a maximum viscosity for the External Mix models, we have customers who successfully use them with 800cP viscosity liquids. They also have larger internal passages for superior performance with suspended solids.

Two of my favorite examples of applications involving these elements come from the food industry — the snack food sector, specifically. The first one is from a company that makes thin, light crackers called ‘crisps’ that come in different flavors, achieved by coating them with a variety of seasonings. To make the seasonings stick, they needed to spray a light coating of oil onto the surface of the crisps, immediately prior to sprinkling the seasoning onto them, and then baking it in. And they called EXAIR for help in selecting the right Spray Nozzle.

We started our selection of the External Mix line, not only because of the viscosity of the oil (it WAS close to 300cP, which ruled out Siphon Feds, and was close to the upper limit of the Internal Mix models) but also because, with an External Mix, the liquid supply pressure ONLY affects the liquid flow rate, and the air supply pressure ONLY affects the pattern size. So, since they had a VERY specific volume of oil to apply to each crisp, they could set the liquid supply pressure accordingly, and use the air supply pressure to spread it evenly & consistently onto each piece. We know it worked because they sent us a video of it:

Model EF9040SS 14.42 GPH 1/8 NPT No Drip External Mix Narrow Angle Flat Fan Atomizing Spray Nozzle

The other one came from a food production facility as well — this time, from a bakery that wanted to spray oil with a suspension of cheese powder onto dough before baking it. And the reason that the External Mix models are best for high viscosity liquids is the same reason they’re best for liquids with suspended solids. Namely, the liquid doesn’t have to go through a cavity between the Liquid & Air Caps where resistance to flow, either from viscosity or particulate, could cause problems. Since the dough was on a 12″ wide chain conveyor, we specified a Model EB1030SS 14 GPH 1/4 NPT External Mix Wide Angle Flat Fan Pattern Atomizing Spray Nozzle. It’s a fairly continuous run, so they didn’t need (or want) the No-Drip feature to turn the spray on & off. They simply shut the pump and the compressed air off when they’re done making the cheesy dough.

External Mix Atomizing Nozzles are ideal for higher viscosity liquids, and those with suspended solids.

And now…I’m hungry! But seriously, if you need to spray liquid of any kind, EXAIR probably has a Spray Nozzle on the shelf for that…give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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BETE MaxiPass Nozzle

Published on by Al WooffittLeave a comment

Last year we announced our merger with BETE. One of the things that excited us about this partnership was our ability to enhance each other’s product offering. To that end, several BETE nozzles have been available to EXAIR customers for some time. Earlier this year, we added a wide array of BETE options to the EXAIR Catalog 36. In this blog, I want to cover the MaxiPass, or MP series of nozzles.

The MaxiPass boasts a patented design that allows for maximum free passage, ensuring top-notch clog resistance when compared to other whirl-type nozzles. This guarantees dependable performance and high energy efficiency, even when dealing with dirty or lumpy liquids. Unlike standard X-vane nozzles, the MaxiPass is crafted with two distinct S-shaped internal vanes to enhance free passage, making it super reliable even in tough situations.

MaxiPass nozzles create atomization by swirling water internally through its vanes before it exits through the orifice, resulting in medium to coarse droplet sizes. Its spray pattern is more consistent than that of spiral nozzles, ensuring even coverage across various applications.

Great for use in chemical processing, pollution control, and even some fire protection applications, there are a variety of situations where the MaxiPass nozzle will shine. The droplet size produced by the MaxiPass is particularly good at breaking up foam. My colleague, Jordan Shouse, covers how an array of MaxiPass nozzles were the perfect solution for foam suppression in his blog here.

Due to the maximum free passage, the MaxiPass is ideal when working with liquids containing large particulates, like wastewater. This also makes them a great choice for liquid cooling applications, as the MaxiPass will atomize your liquid (which increases the surface area relative to the volume) without the risk of clogging.

Available in 3/8NPT and 3/4NPT sizes, in both poly-propylene and 316SS, with spray angles of 60°, 90° and 120° (with more options available directly from BETE). Flow rates range from 0.70 GPM to over 20 GPM (depending on pressure). If you would like to discuss if the MaxiPass nozzle is right for your application, then give us a call!

Al Wooffitt
Application Engineer

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