INTEGRATED DRYING PROCESSES AND APPARATUS

• US 3,668,785 A
• Filed: 06/19/1970
• Issued: 06/13/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Electric Canada (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: Stephen Anthony Rodwin
• Inventors: Rodwin, Stephen Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Dority, Jr., Carroll B.
• Application Number:
  US05/047,643
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 34/1,14,18,23,69,114,115,155
• US Class Current: 34/398
• CPC Class Codes: D21F 5/00 Dryer section of machines for making continuous webs of paper
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 13/10 Arrangements for feeding, heating or supporting materials; Controlling movement, tension or position of materials heating processes F26B3/00
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 23/00 Heating arrangements by radiation, e.g. infrared, ultraviolet, solar F26B3/28 and F26B3/30; using heated air or gases F26B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 5/02 by using ultrasonic vibrations using sonic energy generated by pulse jet combustion F26B23/026

Abstract

Paper or other webs are dried in a composite drying cycle having pre-heated air compressed in a gas turbine to provide compressed air as a mechanical input to whistles of a dryer section, with thermal input to a succeeding dryer section provided directly or by heat exchange from the turbine exhaust gases, at least one section using impingement air in drying relation to remove moisture from the web.

Claims

1. Web drying apparatus comprising a gas turbine machine, preheater means to raise the temperature of air entering a compressor portion of the machine, air bleed means to extract uncombusted air from the compressor, sonic actuated web drying means receiving the extracted air for energization in moisture dislocating operation relative to a travelling web, and gaseous impingement web drying means, means to pass exhaust gas from a turbine portion of the machine to the impingement drying means, and heat interchange means for controlling the psychrometric condition of gaseous fluid impinging on a said web.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including gaseous induction means to induce flow of web conditioning gaseous fluid.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including electrical generating means powered by said turbine machine, and web drying apparatus energized thereby.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including hot gas filter means to filter post-combustion gases prior to utilization thereof in a said drying means.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including hot gas filter means interposed between a combustor portion of said machine and said turbine to remove impurities of a predetermined size range from said hot gas before admission of the gas to the turbine.

6. The method of utilizing a gas turbine machine, having a compressor section, a combustor section and a turbine section, in the drying of an air permeable web comprising the steps heating air prior to entry into the compressor section;

raising the temperature and pressure of the air within the section;

passing a portion of thus heated air from the compressor section to sound generating means arranged in web drying relation adjacent the path of a moving web, to generate a sonic field of sufficient intensity to dislocate moisture within the web;

passing hot exhaust gas from the turbine section in impinging relation against the web, and controlling the psychrometric state of a gaseous fluid before passage thereof in impinging relation on said web.