Method for cooling a web

Abstract

A method of removing heat from a moving web includes providing a quantity of a liquid which has a temperature of vaporization below the surface temperature of the web; heating the liquid to a temperature slightly below the temperature of vaporization of the liquid; spraying the heated liquid onto the surface of the web; and vaporizing liquid from the surface of the web to cool the web. In a preferred embodiment, an electrically charged screen is disposed intermediate the sprayer and the web. The liquid passes through openings in the screen to form electrically charged droplets of liquid which move onto the surface of the web. An apparatus for removing heat from a moving web includes liquid supply means for providing a liquid having a temperature of vaporization below the surface temperature of the web; heater means for heating the liquid to a temperature slightly below its temperature of vaporization; and sprayer means for spraying the heated liquid onto the surface of the web.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.