Patent ID: 7593790

Claim:
A method of determining a preferred fluid for dispensing from an aerosol spray container in an aerosol spray dispensing system and designing the aerosol spray dispensing system, the method comprising the steps of: predetermining a propellant concentration (x 5 ) for the aerosol dispensing system; determining properties of an aerosol spray container for use in the aerosol spray dispensing system, the properties including an exit orifice diameter (x 1 ), a vapor tap diameter (x 2 ), a dip tube diameter (x 3 ), a body orifice diameter (x 4 ), and a stem cross section area (x 6 ); selecting a value for each of one or more desired performance characteristics (Φ) of the system; determining fluid properties of a fluid for dispensing from a provided aerosol spray container in accordance with the following equation: Φ = a 0 + ∑ i = 1 13 ⁢ b i ⁢ x i + ∑ i = 1 13 ⁢ ∑ j = 1 13 ⁢ c ij ⁢ x i ⁢ x j + ∑ i = 1 13 ⁢ ∑ j = 1 13 ⁢ ∑ k = 1 13 ⁢ d ijk ⁢ x i ⁢ x j ⁢ x k wherein the fluid properties include a density (x 7 ), a low sheer viscosity (x 8 ), a high sheer viscosity (x 9 ), an initial surface tension (x 10 ), an equilibrium surface tension (x 11 ), a partition coefficient (x 12 ), and a Zahn viscosity (x 13 ), and a, b, c, and d are coefficients unique to each of the one or more performance characteristic; and designing the aerosol spray dispensing system according to properties determined in the determining steps.