Apparatus for rinsing metal strip

Abstract

An apparatus for rinsing metal strip has a rinse tank with an inlet end, an outlet end, a bottom and sides. The bottom has an upper surface which slopes upwardly toward the inlet and the outlet ends to define a respective weir at each of the inlet and outlet ends. The bottom further has rinse fluid ports for discharging rinse fluid onto the upper surface. The apparatus has a rinse fluid supply means for supplying rinse fluid to the rinse fluid ports. The apparatus further has control means for controlling the depth of rinse fluid flowing over the weirs to completely immerse metal strip in rinse fluid as the metal strip is passed through the rinse tank and across the weirs. A method of rinsing metal strip uses a rinse tank as generally described above and comprises the steps of: 1) supplying rinse fluid to the rinse tank; 2) passing metal strip across the weirs from the inlet to the outlet; 3) allowing the rinse fluid to overflow the weirs and the edges of the metal strip to flood the upper surface of the metal strip; and, 4) controlling the depth of the rinse fluid to completely submerse the metal strip in the rinse fluid between the weirs.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.