Prescour bleaching tunnel

Commercial bleaching apparatus comprising:

• a horizontally disposed drum structure having an open inlet end into which textile goods to be bleached may be inserted, and an open outlet end through which bleached textile goods may be discharged,
• said drum structure having stationary hollow cylindrical outer wall means, and perforated hollow cylindrical inner wall means concentrically disposed within said outer wall means and being operatively drivable relative thereto in a manner alternatively oscillating said inner wall means through a rotational arc of approximately 240.degree. and then rotating said inner wall means through a full 360.degree. arc, the interior of said outer wall means being axially divided into a prescour zone positioned at said inlet end and bleach rinse zones positioned downstream of said prescour zone, and the interior of said inner wall means being divided into axial sections received in said prescour, bleach and rinse zones,
• said inner wall means, in response to successive rotations thereof through full 360.degree. arcs, being operative to axially shift textile goods from section to section thereof, toward said open outlet end, and then outwardly through said open outlet end;
• drive means for operatively driving said inner wall means relative to said outer wall means at a rotational speed of approximately 5 RPM;
• makeup means for continuously flowing water through said prescour and rinse zone and then to waste in a manner maintaining essentially constant, equal heights of water in lower side portions of said prescour and rinse zones and in the sections of said inner wall means disposed therein;
• recirculating means for maintaining an essentially constant height of water in said bleach zone essentially equal to the water heights in said prescour and rinse zone,
• said makeup means and said recirculating means being operative to maintain volumes of water in said prescour, bleach and rinse zones equal to from about 25% to about 30% of the total volumes of said prescour, bleach and rinse zones,
• said recirculating means including means for periodically transferring water from said rinse zone back into said bleach zone;
• heating means for heating water disposed in said prescour, bleach and rinse zones, said heating means being operative to maintain water temperatures within said drum structure that progressively decrease from said bleach zone to said rinse zone;
• and
• means for selectively adding a bleaching agent to said bleach zone.