Superheated Steam Drying of Paper Web

The use of superheated steam as a drying medium for paper drying has been studied on a laboratory scale since the mid-1980s. This paper reviews previous studies in the context of a study aiming at industrial application of superheated steam drying of paper. The drying rates in a superheated steam atmosphere as well as the quality effects of steam drying on paper are both extensively reported in the literature. However, there are a number of questions to be answered before applying steam drying on an industrial scale. Air tightness, quality of steam, and the use of steam are examples of topics to be addressed. To study these questions more closely, a continuous steam dryer was built. Integration of a steam dryer was studied with steady-state process simulation.