Availability of cost-effective, clog-resistant plastic nozzles with excellent chemical resistance as part of IKEUCHI’s standard product lineup
Capability to design and manufacture a dedicated plastic adaptor as a customized solution to meet the customer’s needs

One day, a company contracted to operate a wastewater treatment facility contacted IKEUCHI to resolve frequent nozzle clogging during deodorant spraying.

The facility used spray nozzles to apply deodorizing agents at the raw-water, flow-equalization, and aeration tanks to suppress odors. However, the chemical frequently clogged the nozzles, disrupting operations. This led the customer to seek clog-resistant nozzles and an effective solution.

After reviewing the specifications of the existing nozzles supplied by another manufacturer, IKEUCHI found that they were full cone spray nozzles with a 1/2-inch pipe connection, a spray capacity of 16 L/min, and a free passage diameter of 3.5 mm.
The free passage diameter refers to the narrowest part of the liquid flow path inside the nozzle, indicating the maximum size of particles that can pass through without clogging.

IKEUCHI offers the clog-resistant AJP-PPS Series as part of its standard lineup.
This nozzle adopts an L-shaped structure in which liquid entering from the horizontal direction strikes the inner wall surface and is then sprayed vertically downward.
Because it contains no internal atomizing components, it secures a large free passage diameter, minimizing the risk of clogging.

Furthermore, the nozzle is made of PPS, a plastic that offers excellent chemical resistance, making it well suited to this application.
The model with the same spray capacity has a free passage diameter of 4.8 mm—wider than that of the existing nozzles—thus offering sufficient performance to prevent clogging.

However, this model has a 3/8-inch connection, making it incompatible with the previously installed 1/2-inch nozzles. In addition, the existing nozzles were a straight-through (in-line) design, with the inlet and spray direction aligned vertically, which meant the new L-shaped nozzle could not be mounted directly onto the existing piping.

To resolve this issue, IKEUCHI designed a dedicated plastic adaptor to connect the existing piping to the AJP-PPS (L-shaped) nozzle.
The adaptor was configured with a 1/2-inch inlet and a 3/8-inch outlet to the nozzle, and was delivered with the nozzle preassembled, enabling smooth installation at the site.

More than a year has passed since installation, and no clogging issues have occurred.
IKEUCHI’s spray nozzles continue to support the stable operation of the wastewater treatment plant.