Apparatus for drying roll material

An apparatus for drying a web of roll material, comprising:

• two rows of rotating, comparatively low temperature and high temperature cylinders, wherein a first row has at least one low temperature cylinder with an external contact surface, a second row has at least one high temperature cylinder with an external contact surface, and the web is transported on a serpentine path alternatingly around the surfaces of said low and high temperature cylinders;
• a heated belt and a porous belt, each being entrained to run in parallel with the web held between them on the serpentine path around the surfaces of said cylinders, wherein, as the web is transported around the at least one low temperature cylinder, the porous belt makes contact with the surface of said low temperature cylinder, and as the web is transported around the at least one high temperature cylinder, the heated belt makes contact with the surface of said high temperature cylinder;
• belt heating means for heating said heated belt to a desired elevated temperature prior to a contact position of the web and said belts on an input side of said low temperature cylinder;
• pressure means including at least an input press roll located in proximity to the contact position on the input side of said low temperature cylinder for applying a desired high pressure to the heated belt against the web, said porous belt, and the surface of said low temperature cylinder;
• negative air pressure means for providing a negative air pressure at the surface of said low temperature cylinder in order to facilitate evaporation of water from the web through said porous belt to the surface of said low temperature cylinder;
• and
• cylinder heating means for heating said high temperature cylinder for re-heating said heated belt after leaving said low temperature cylinder.