Dryer Fabrics and Energy Consumption in the Drying Section, PaperCon '09 Conference

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The dryer fabric plays a role in both heat and mass transfer in the paper drying process. Cylinder drying relies on conduction heat transfer to the web. Acting through fabric tension, the dryer fabric exerts a pressure on the web holding it in intimate contact with the cylinder. Increased fabric tension improves contact heat transfer resulting in an increased overall heat transfer coefficient, steam to paper. The dryer fabric exerts an influence on mass transfer through its ventilating effect. Owing to the entrainment of boundary layer air, a moving fabric will contribute to dryer pocket ventilation resulting in lower humidity levels, which increases the driving force for evaporation. This effect will be felt more on machines having no pocket ventilation systems or systems which are inefficient.