A portable
system for treating, for example, cleaning and / or
drying, surfaces, including both indoor and outdoor surfaces, is provided. The
system includes a pressurized air outlet
assembly, or ā
air knifeā
assembly, coupled to a source of pressurized air, for example, a blower, a fan, or a
turbine. The
air knife assembly concentrates a high volume exhaust flow of air into a
high velocity, high temperature, and / or
high pressure air
stream directed at a
target surface. The air
stream can be angularly varied to propel water,
snow, debris, and other particulate from the
target surface, for example, a path or roadway being cleaned or dried. The
air knife blade assembly is substantially long enough to allow a single lane of roadway or
runway to be dried and cleaned in
one pass, but can also be shortened to allow treatment of narrower paths.