Atmospheric Treater With Roller Confined Discharge Chamber
AssigneeEnercon Industris Corporation
InventorsRichard R. Hammen, Joseph Roethle, Gregory W. Schuelke
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A continuous feed discharge surface treater for treating web materials has a discharge chamber where ionization of a process gas occurs defined and contained by one or more rollers. Enhanced chemical coronas and plasmas are achieved by limiting depletion of the gas chemistry from the discharge chamber and dilution or contamination from mixing with drawn in ambient air. Atmospheric coronas can also be achieved in which minimal or no ozone is exhausted from the treater. Various roller and electrode assemblies, including both fixed and rolling electrodes, can be employed.
Claims27
A surface treater, comprising:
- a support for supporting a material passing through the treater;
- an active electrode having a discharge surface disposed opposite the support;
- a roller disposed proximate to the active electrode to define a discharge chamber between the support and the roller in which the discharge surface of the active electrode is disposed;
- and
- a high voltage power supply operatively connected to the active electrode to ionize a process gas and produce a discharge within the discharge chamber, wherein the roller sealingly engages the material to confine the discharge chamber.
A continuous feed discharge treater, comprising:
- a backing roll supporting a material passing through the treater;
- a roller electrode disposed to a side of the web material opposite the backing roll;
- a feed side nip roller disposed at the feed side of the treater in sealing engagement with the roller electrode and the web material;
- an exit side nip roller disposed at the exit side of the treater in sealing engagement with the roller electrode and the web material;
- and
- a power supply having a high voltage lead operatively connected to the roller electrode and a ground lead operatively connected to the backing roll;
- wherein at least one of the backing roll and the roller electrode has a dielectric outer surface and wherein energization of the roller electrode effects a discharge between the roller electrode and the backing roll within a discharge chamber defined by the backing roll, the roller electrode and the nip rollers through which the web material passes.
A corona treater, comprising:
- an active electrode having a discharge surface;
- a roller disposed proximate to the active electrode to define a discharge chamber between material being treated and the roller in which the discharge surface of the active electrode is disposed, the discharge chamber being confined at the feed and exit sides of the treater and in communication with ambient air at a lateral end;
- and
- a high voltage power supply operatively connected to the active electrode to produce a discharge within the discharge chamber and ozone exhaust of no more than 0.01 parts per million within one meter of the discharge chamber.
A process for surface treatment of continuous web materials, the process comprising:
- supporting a web material on a support;
- creating a discharge chamber between the support and at least one roller;
- disposing a discharge surface of an active electrode within the discharge chamber;
- passing the web material into the discharge chamber;
- confining the discharge chamber at the interface with the web material by contacting the web with the at least one roller;
- energizing the active electrode with high voltage to ionize process gas within the discharge chamber to create a discharge through which the web material passes.
A roller assembly for a discharge treater station used to treat a surface of a material by ionizing a process gas and producing an electrical discharge to which the material surface is subjected, the roller assembly comprising:
- a roller electrode having a conductive discharge surface;
- a first roller having a compliant surface in rolling sealing engagement with the roller electrode;
- and
- a second roller having a compliant surface in rolling sealing engagement with the roller electrode;
- wherein when installed in the treater station, the roller electrode and the first and second rollers cooperate with the material to define a discharge chamber therebetween in which the discharge is produced and to confine the discharge chamber at feed and exit sides thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.