Heated drum having high thermal flux and belt press using same

A press comprising a rotatable drum, an endless flexible belt reeved about said drum, and means for guiding and tensioning the belt about the drum to compress a web moving between the belt and drum, said drum further comprising;

• an inner cylindrical load bearing drum;
• an outer cylindrical shell, said shell coaxially surrounding and spaced radially outward and apart from the inner drum to create an annulus between the shell and said inner drum the annulus being closed at each end;
• radial connections within said annulus, extending between said shell and said inner drum to secure the shell to the inner drum and transmit any load bearing against the shell to the inner drum, the radial connections being spaced both axially and circumferentially of the inner drum,
• said radial connections and said shell and said inner drum defining axial fluid flow passages,
• at least a part of said axial fluid flow passages being within a defined radial distance of the outer perimeter of said shell wherein said radial distance is equal to 1/5.sqroot.k inches and k is the thermal conductivity of the material of construction of the outer shell expressed in Btu/hour/ft.sup.2 /unit temperature gradient in .degree.F./ft,
• said fluid flow passages within said defined said radial distance having a total surface area greater than the shell outer perimeter total surface area.