Through air drying characteristics of machine-formed semi-permeable paper

Printing and heavier grade paper are dried over steam heated cylinder dryers, a mature process which is characterized by low drying rates and lack of ability for control of moisture uniformity across the sheet. The present study examines factors relating to the applicability of through air drying for such grades of paper. This drying process yields much higher drying rates but now is restricted to high permeability, light weight products such as tissue and toweling as the cost of providing through flow across the sheet is the key economic factor in this technique. With over 400 through drying experiments the parameters characterizing the drying rate curves were determined for 10 quite different types of uncalendered paper produced on a variety of papermachines. The relation between drying conditions and two characteristics, the moisture content at the end of increasing rate period and the constant drying rate, did not vary significantly between these types of paper. However, the extent of the constant rate and falling rate drying periods varied substantially as the critical moisture content is specific to the type of paper.