Through air drying : Thermographic studies of drying rates, drying non-uniformity and infrared assisted drying

Sammanfattning: The removal of water is an integral part of papermaking. The drying process is responsible for a great share of the energy used in the paper machine. Premium grade tissue products are dried by through air drying. Large volumes of natural gas are burned to heat the air drawn through the paper web to achieve the drying. The low grammages for which this technique is used are believed to have material properties differing from the bulk properties achieved at higher grammages. If through air drying could be performed more efficiently, premium products could be produced with less environmental impact and at a lower cost.The objective of this thesis was to investigate the non-uniformity and the rate of through air drying. The aspects considered were grammage, pulp type, formation, web-fabric interaction and infrared radiation. A method was developed, where the time-dependent change in surface temperature of a drying sample was recorded. The experimental equipment allowed paper samples to be dried by drawing air through them, with the option of additional energy from infrared radiation. An infrared camera captured the spatial variations in surface temperature during drying.