TWO-SIDED DRYING OF COATINGS ON POROUS WEBS

ABSTRACT

A relatively simple spreadsheet-based model of the drying of coated webs has been extended to cover coatings on porous webs Two cases have been modeled. In one the coating is assumed to fully saturate the porous web, with the drying being completely symmetrical about the center plane except for differences in the air velocities and temperatures. The drying rate in the constant rate period is then increased, but because of the greater thickness that the coating now occupies, diffusion is much slower and the falling rate drying can be slower, even though it takes place on both sides. In the other case the coating is assumed to lie on top of the porous web, with solvent vapor diffusing through the web. Here the constant rate drying is only slightly faster than in the base case, but in the falling rate period the drying can be greatly accelerated Both models predict the temperatures and solvent levels throughout the length of the dryer.