Process for cleaning a transport belt for manufacturing a paper web

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10201840-B2
Application number	US-201313799721-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2013
Priority date	Apr 11, 2012
Publication date	Feb 12, 2019
Grant date	Feb 12, 2019

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a continuous cleaning method for cleaning a moving fabric in a paper machine. The method uses one or more cleaning stages. In one embodiment, one cleaning stage applies steam to heat and soften contaminants on the fabric followed by the application of water, preferably superheated water, to remove the contaminants. Another cleaning stage may apply hot water, steam and/or superheated water via an encapsulated shower and evacuation chamber making it possible to clean the width of the fabric without substantial rewet.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for continuous cleaning a transfer or drying papermaking fabric during paper production comprising:
producing a paper web on a papermaking machine using a transfer or drying fabric to be cleaned, the fabric having a width and length and traveling in a machine direction;
subjecting the fabric to be cleaned to an initial cleaning stage, wherein the initial cleaning stage includes applying either steam or water, or both, at a temperature of greater than 80° C. from an initial cleaning assembly that spans the entire width of the fabric to be cleaned;
subjecting the fabric to be cleaned to a second cleaning stage following the initial cleaning stage downstream in the machine direction relative to the initial cleaning stage, wherein the second cleaning stage includes a second cleaning assembly, separate from the first cleaning assembly, that spans the entire width of the fabric to be cleaned; and
wherein paper production is not interrupted during cleaning.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising using water in the initial cleaning stage, and wherein the water is superheated water.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, applying an air stream from an air knife to the fabric after the initial cleaning stage.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second cleaning assembly comprises an encapsulated cleaning shower.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein superheated water is applied during the second cleaning stage.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein both steam and water are applied during the initial cleaning stage.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein steam is applied during the second cleaning stage.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein both steam and superheated water are applied during the second cleaning stage.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein less than 0.5 g/m 2 of water remains in the fabric after the second cleaning stage.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the initial cleaning assembly comprises a series of nozzles or a shower bar that span the entire width of the fabric to be cleaned by applying the steam or water, or both, to the entire width of the papermaking fabric simultaneously.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the initial cleaning assembly comprises a series of nozzles or a shower bar that span the entire width of the fabric to be cleaned by reticulating back and forth to apply the steam or water, or both, across the entire width of the papermaking fabric.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second cleaning assembly comprises a series of nozzles or a shower bar that span the entire width of the fabric to be cleaned by applying a cleaning media to the entire width of the papermaking fabric simultaneously.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second cleaning assembly comprises a series of nozzles or a shower bar that span the entire width of the fabric to be cleaned by reticulating back and forth to apply a cleaning media across the entire width of the papermaking fabric.

14. The method of claim 2 , further comprising using both steam and water in the initial cleaning stage, and wherein the superheated water is applied to a surface of the fabric after the application of steam.

15. The method of claim 8 , wherein both steam and superheated water are applied to both sides of the fabric during the second cleaning stage.

16. A method of minimizing rewet of a paper web on a moving transfer or drying papermaking fabric during cleaning and during paper production, comprising:
producing a paper web on a papermaking machine using a transfer or drying papermaking fabric to be cleaned, the fabric having a width and length and traveling in a machine direction;
subjecting the fabric to be cleaned to an initial cleaning stage, wherein the initial cleaning stage includes the application of steam from an initial cleaning assembly that spans the entire width of the fabric to be cleaned;
subjecting the fabric to be cleaned to a second cleaning stage following the initial cleaning stage downstream in the machine direction relative to the initial cleaning stage, wherein the second cleaning stage includes applying steam from a second cleaning assembly, separate from the first cleaning assembly, that spans the entire width of the fabric to be cleaned, wherein the second cleaning assembly comprises an encapsulated shower; and
wherein the encapsulated shower further includes vacuum sources on both sides of the fabric; and
wherein less than 0.5 g/m 2 of water remains in the fabric after the second cleaning stage, thereby minimizing the water available to rewet the paper web that contacts the papermaking fabric after cleaning.

17. A method of effectively cleaning a moving transfer or drying papermaking fabric during paper production without the use of VOCs, comprising:
producing a paper web on a papermaking machine using a transfer or drying papermaking fabric to be cleaned, the fabric having a width and length and traveling in a machine direction;
subjecting the fabric to be cleaned to an initial cleaning stage, wherein the initial cleaning stage includes application of steam and the application of superheated water at a temperature of greater than 100° C. from an initial cleaning assembly that spans the entire width of the fabric to be cleaned;
subjecting the fabric to a second cleaning stage following the initial cleaning stage downstream in the machine direction relative to the initial cleaning stage, wherein a second cleaning stage includes application of steam and superheated water from a second cleaning assembly, separate from the first cleaning assembly, that spans the entire width of the fabric to be cleaned; and
wherein paper production is not interrupted during cleaning.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein at least one of the initial cleaning assembly and the second cleaning assembly comprises a series of nozzles or a shower bar that span the entire width of the fabric to be cleaned by reticulating back and forth to apply the steam across the entire width of the papermaking fabric.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein at least one of the initial cleaning assembly and the second cleaning assembly comprises a series of nozzles or a shower bar that span the entire width of the fabric to be cleaned by applying the steam to the entire width of the papermaking fabric simultaneously.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein at least one of the initial cleaning assembly and the second cleaning assembly comprises a series of nozzles or a shower bar that span the entire width of the fabric to be cleaned by applying the steam and the superheated water to the entire width of the papermaking fabric simultaneously.

21. The method of claim 17 , wherein at least one of the initial cleaning assembly and the second cleaning assembly comprises a series of nozzles or a shower bar that span the entire width of the fabric to be cleaned by reticulating back and forth to apply the steam and the superheated water across the entire width of the papermaking fabric.

Assignees

• Gpcp Ip Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Hunter Mark S
• Baumgartner Dean J
• Raines David Drew
• Kennedy Theodore D
• Veldhuizen David S
• Busch Glenn W
• Edbauer Mitchell S

Classifications

• B08B3/022

  Cleaning travelling work (B08B3/042 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65G45/22

  comprising fluid applying means · CPC title

• D21F1/325

  with reciprocating devices · CPC title

• B08B2230/01

  Cleaning with steam · CPC title

• D21F1/32 Primary

  Washing wire-cloths or felts · CPC title