Vacuum device for paper web making apparatus

A vacuum device for a paper web making apparatus, said vacuum device comprising:

• a housing having an outer web-facing surface and an elongate vacuum channel extending within the housing and having a longitudinal direction and an opening at said web-facing surface;
• a vacuum source in fluid communication with the vacuum channel for drawing air into the vacuum channel via the vacuum channel opening at the web-facing surface of the housing and for directing the air to flow through the vacuum channel in a vacuum flow direction;
• and
• a fluid delivery system configured to deliver cleaning liquid into the vacuum channel in a fluid delivery direction at least partially different from the vacuum flow direction and at least partially different from the longitudinal direction of the vacuum channel, said fluid delivery system comprising at least in part a liquid delivery device operable to deliver the cleaning liquid into the vacuum channel.

A vacuum device for a paper web making apparatus, said vacuum device comprising:

• a housing having an outer web-facing surface and an inner channel wall defining an elongate vacuum channel extending within the housing, said inner channel wall having an outer end at the web facing surface and an inner end, the vacuum channel having an opening at the web-facing surface, said inner channel wall being at least in part defined by opposed elongate inner surfaces;
• a vacuum source in fluid communication with the vacuum channel and operable to draw air into the vacuum channel via the vacuum channel opening at the web-facing surface of the housing and directing the air to flow through the vacuum channel in a vacuum flow direction;
• a fluid delivery system configured to deliver cleaning liquid into the vacuum channel, said fluid delivery system comprising at least one orifice in at least one of the inner surfaces of the channel wall intermediate the outer and inner ends thereof;
• and
• a source of cleaning liquid in fluid communication with said orifice whereby cleaning liquid is delivered from said source of cleaning liquid by said fluid delivery system into the vacuum channel via said at least one orifice.

Apparatus for making a paper web, said apparatus comprising:

• at least one endless fabric supporting the paper web, said endless fabric being moveable in a machine direction of the apparatus to transport the paper web in said machine direction;
• and
• a vacuum device comprising:
• a housing having a web-facing surface whereby the paper web supported by the fabric is transported past the web-facing surface of the vacuum device upon movement of the fabric in the machine direction, and an elongate vacuum channel extending within the housing and having a longitudinal direction and an opening at said web-facing surface;
• a vacuum source in fluid communication with the vacuum channel and being operable to draw a vacuum on the paper web via the vacuum channel opening;
• a fluid delivery system configured to deliver cleaning liquid into the vacuum channel generally transverse to the longitudinal direction thereof during operation of the vacuum source;
• and
• a source of cleaning liquid in fluid communication with the fluid delivery system whereby cleaning liquid is delivered from said source of cleaning liquid into the vacuum channel via the fluid delivery system.

A vacuum device for a paper web making apparatus, said apparatus being adapted to transport a paper web in a machine direction past the vacuum device, said vacuum device comprising:

• a housing having an outer web-facing surface and an elongate vacuum channel extending within the housing and having a longitudinal direction and an opening at said web-facing surface;
• a vacuum source in fluid communication with the vacuum channel and being operable to draw a vacuum on the paper web via the vacuum channel opening;
• and
• a fluid delivery system configured to deliver cleaning liquid into the vacuum channel generally transverse to the longitudinal direction thereof, said fluid delivery system comprising at least one orifice in the housing in fluid communication with the vacuum channel for delivering cleaning liquid into the vacuum chamber, said at least one orifice being disposed downstream of the vacuum channel opening in the vacuum flow direction at a location at which the vacuum channel extends downstream from said at least one orifice a distance greater than a distance between the vacuum channel opening and said at least one orifice, the vacuum source being operable during the delivery of cleaning liquid into said vacuum channel.

A vacuum device for a paper web making apparatus, said apparatus being adapted to transport a paper web in a machine direction past the vacuum device, said vacuum device comprising:

• a housing having an outer web-facing surface and an elongate vacuum channel extending within the housing and having a longitudinal direction and an opening at said web-facing surface, the vacuum channel being defined at least in part by opposing walls;
• a vacuum source in fluid communication with the vacuum channel and being operable to draw a vacuum on the paper web via the vacuum channel opening;
• and
• a fluid delivery system configured to deliver cleaning liquid into the vacuum channel generally transverse to the longitudinal direction thereof, said fluid delivery system comprising at least one orifice in each of the opposing walls in fluid communication with the vacuum channel, said at least one orifice being in fluid communication with a source of cleaning liquid, said fluid delivery system being configured to deliver cleaning liquid from the source of cleaning liquid to said at least one orifice for delivery into the vacuum channel, said vacuum source being operable during the delivery of cleaning liquid into said vacuum channel.