Condensate effects on power and torque requirements during starting of dryer sections

The presence of condensate inside the dryer cylinders results in a significant increase in the power and torque required until the condensate transitions to the rimming stage. This paper evaluates the effect of the condensate during the starting of a dryer section using the experimental curves reported by several authors, as well as using a dimensionless model of the input power as a function of the condensate quantity and roll velocity. Through the evaluation of a 9-cylinder dryer section for various condensate quantities and varying number of cylinders containing condensate, a comparison is made to the power requirements of several actual paper machine dryer sections undergoing various starting procedures. These comparisons indicate that if the % condensate (condensate volume/full cylinder volume × 100) in the range of 0.5% to 1%, or greater, is nominally assumed to be present, then the sizing of the section drive capacity must take into consideration the additional indrive load resulting from this condensate. Options are proposed to consider the effect of the condensate without increasing the TAPPI rated drive capacity (RDC) of dryer sections.