EVAPORATIVE-COOLING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR THE CONTROL OF WEB OR WEB-PRODUCTION MACHINE COMPONENT SURFACE TEMPERATURES

摘要

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREDisclosed is an apparatus for providing a showerof fog onto a web or a machine component in contact witha web. The fog, which has a temperature lower than thetemperature of the surface of the web or the machinecomponent to be cooled, is applied to the surface and iscaused to evaporate by the difference in thetemperatures. A supply of dry air is supplied totransport, the evaporated fog from the region adjacent thesurface to be cooled. Fog may be generated through theuse of an air-atomizing nozzle which propels water andcompressed air through a small orifice under pressure tocreate an atomized mist or fog. In one embodiment, thefog may also be supplied in controlled specifiedquantities locally as required to provide for acontrollable fog application rate across the fullapparatus width. The fog is thus generated at a singlesource and then supplied to a common cross-machine plenumwith the flow of fog to each local region being regulatedby a locally adjustable outlet of the apparatus throughwhich the fog and dry air flow.