Drier installation for drying web

• US 7,918,040 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2005
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Solaronics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bekaert Combustion Technology B.V., NV Bekaert SA
• Inventors: Lenoir, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): GRAVINI, STEPHEN MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US10/591,431
• Publication Number:
  US 20080256818A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,234 Days
• Field of Search: 34/60, 34/80, 34/90, 341/17, 341/24, 346/11, 346/19, 346/30, 162/359.1, 280/736, 280/738, 60/395, 432/8, 432/59
• US Class Current: 34/630
• CPC Class Codes: D21F 5/00 Dryer section of machines for making continuous webs of paper
• CPC Class Codes: D21F 5/001 Drying webs by radiant heating
• CPC Class Codes: D21F 5/18 Drying webs by hot air
• 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 3/305 the infrared radiation being generated by combustion or combustion gases

Abstract

A drier installation (1) for drying web (2), more particularly paper, which installation is provided for drying a maximum web width, the installation (1) comprises gas-heated radiant elements (3) for radiating the web, arranged according to at least one row (4) stretching out in the transversal (5) direction over the substantially entire maximum web width. The installation (1) comprises at least a transversal convective system (7, 36) equipped with suction and blowing devices (8) for sucking at least part of the combustion products produced by the radiant elements (3) by means of a suction duct (13) and for blowing this pa o the combustion products towards the web (2) by means of a blowing duct (14). Both suction (13) and blowing (14) ducts stretch out in the transversal (5) direction of the web (2). The convective system (7, 36 comprising at least a mixing device (12, 22, 28, 37, 46) installed opposite of the passing web (2) in relation to corresponding suction (13) and blowing (14) ducts and arranged so as to suck and/or blow the combustion products. The drier installation as subject of the present invention is characterized in that the vector average of the projections (V1, V2, V3, V5, V6, V7, V8) in a plane (P1) perpendicular to the web ( ) and stretching out in the transversal (5) direction of the web (2), has component (V4) parallel to the web (2) that is smaller than the maximum web width of the web (2), the vectors representing the respective trajectories of the different jets of sucked and/or blown combustion products.

Claims

1. A drier installation for drying a web, said installation being provided for drying a maximum web width, said installation comprising:

radiant elements configured to radiate said web arranged in at least one row stretching out in a transverse direction to a substantially entire maximum web width, wherein the radiant elements produce combustion products, and

at least a transversal convective system equipped with suction and blowing devices configured to suck at least part of the combustion products produced by said radiant elements by a suction duct and configured to blow said part of the combustion products towards said web by a blowing duct, wherein said suction and blowing ducts stretch out in the transverse direction of said web,

said convective system comprising at least a mixing device installed opposite of the web in relation to corresponding suction and blowing ducts, wherein the mixing device is arranged so as to suck and/or blow said at least part of the combustion products, said sucked and/or blown at least part of the combustion products comprising different jets,

wherein respective trajectories of the different jets are represented by vectors, each of said vectors having a projection in a plane perpendicular to said web and stretching out in the transverse direction of said web,

wherein a vector average of the projections of the vectors in the plane perpendicular to said web and stretching out in the transverse direction of said web has a component parallel to the web that is smaller than said maximum web width of said web.

2. The drier installation according to claim 1, wherein said component parallel to the web is smaller than approximately half of said maximum web width of the web.

3. The drier installation according to claim 1, wherein each mixing device is arranged in such a way that the vector average, wherein the vector average is an average of vectors representing the respective trajectories of the different jets of the sucked and/or blown combustion products by each of said mixing devices, of the projections of the vectors in the plane perpendicular to the web and stretching out in the transverse direction of said web is substantially perpendicular to said web or substantially null.

4. The drier installation according to claim 1, wherein each mixing device and the corresponding blowing duct are arranged so that the vectors representing the respective trajectories of the different jets of combustion products blown on said web have, in projection to the plane perpendicular to the web and stretching out according to a median longitudinal axis of said web, a component that is not null.

5. The drier installation according to claim 1, wherein each mixing device and the corresponding suction and blowing ducts are arranged so that the vectors representing the respective trajectories of the different jets of sucked and/or blown combustion products are distributed in a substantially symmetrical way in relation to the plane perpendicular to said web and stretching out according to a median longitudinal axis of said web.

6. The drier installation according to claim 1, wherein said convective system includes at least one suction duct that stretches out at least in the transverse direction of the web, and at least one blowing duct that stretches out at least in the transverse direction of the web, wherein the suction duct and the blowing duct are separated from one another by a common wall.

7. The drier installation according to claim 6, wherein said common wall is equipped with devices configured to advance thermal exchanges between the sucked combustion products and the blown combustion products.

8. The drier installation according to claim 1, wherein said transversal convective system has a first exterior casing for suction of said combustion products,

wherein said first exterior casing has in a longitudinal cross-section according to a plane perpendicular to said web and stretching out according to a median longitudinal axis of said web a substantially U-shaped cross-section with an opening towards the web, wherein said U-shaped first exterior casing substantially stretches out in the transverse direction of the web,

wherein said transversal convective system has a second internal casing inside the first external casing for blowing said combustion products, wherein said second internal casing has a wall with a substantially U-shaped longitudinal cross-section with an opening towards the web, wherein said second internal casing stretches out in the transverse direction of the web inside said first external casing.

9. The drier installation according to claim 8, wherein the U-shaped wall of the second internal casing has several first openings, wherein a device to blow air under pressure is arranged substantially in an axis of each first opening so as to create a venturi effect, so as to suck at least a part of the combustion products and to blow them towards the web.

10. The drier installation according to claim 9, wherein the U-shaped wall of the second internal casing has several second openings stretching out in the transverse direction of the web,

wherein a cylindrical rotor with radial blades rotating around an axis parallel to the web, said axis being substantially perpendicular to a passing direction of the web, is installed on an interior side of the first external casing in front of each of the second openings.

11. The drier installation according to claim 10, wherein the first or second openings are made in a tube formed by a wall of the transversal convective system that is substantially parallel to the web.

12. The drier installation according to claim 1, wherein said convective system at least has one turbine, an axis of which is substantially perpendicular to the web.

13. The drier installation according to claim 12, wherein each turbine has a centrifugal turbine wheel of which a suction opening is connected to an upstream transversal suction duct in relation to the web, wherein sucked combustion products are blown through two tangential outlet openings substantially directly opposite in the transverse direction of the web and connected to the transverse blowing duct adjacent to the suction duct.

14. The drier installation according to claim 12, wherein said convective system has at least two turbines arranged in a row stretching out in the transverse direction of the web, wherein each turbine cooperates with a corresponding suction and blowing duct stretching out transversally along a respective part of the width of the web.

15. The drier installation according to claim 1, wherein said installation comprises at least two transversal convective systems arranged one after the other in a passing direction of the web and separated one from the other by at least one transversal row of the radiant elements.

16. The drier installation according to claim 1, wherein the web is paper.

17. The drier installation according to claim 1, wherein the radiant elements are gas-heated.