FLUID REPLACEMENT SYSTEM

摘要

An apparatus for treating a travelling porous web of material in a predetermined gaseous atmosphere comprising a process chamber (1) through which a moving web of porous material (2) is transported from an inlet at a first end of the process chamber (1) to an outlet at a second end of the process chamber (1) and a means for introducing and controlling required gas intended to provide said predetermined gaseous atmosphere in the chamber, (1). The inlet and outlet each comprise a sealing means (4a, 4b) designed to enable passage of the web of material therethrough whilst minimising the ingress of an external gas boundary layer around said material. The apparatus additionally comprises one or more intermediate chamber (s) (10) upstream of the process chamber (1) and/or one or more post-processing chamber (s) (18) downstream of the process chamber. Each intermediate chamber (s) (10) and/or post-processing chamber comprises a purging means (11) for purging the porous web (2) with a gas to replace fluid trapped in the porous web (2) a gas removing means (12) for extracting the fluids purged out of the porous web (2).