Trial Equipment
For unproven applications an assortment of trial and surplus equipment is available from Wells Enterprises, Inc.
Lazy Steam Hood 24 inch square
Lazy Steam Injectors 1" or 2" header pipes and 12", 18", or 24" steaming lengths
Portable Lazy Steam Generator
Surplus and 2nd-hand equipment
Lazy Steam Hood
To cover two suction boxes on the fourdrinier a small 24” x 24” non-profiling Lazy Steam Hood (left photo below) can be cantilevered out from the machine rails. On narrow machines a pair of angle iron tracks spanning the machine can support the Hood over the single felted sheet upstream of a press (the right photo below shows such a trial installation between wet presses).
A small 24” x 24” non-profiling Lazy Steam Hood.
A Lazy Stem Hood on a narrow machine.
Lazy Steam Injectors
For testing the benefit of heating press fabrics small Lazy Steam Injectors with 1" or 2" wide x 12" or 24" long steaming areas can be cantilevered over a Uhle box, under a fabric, or a suction roll under the sheet. Downstream temperature profiles and moisture scans quickly demonstrate the effect. These units are also available for purchase for permanent installation over a flatbox or in a suction press nip on machines that suffer from chronic wet edges.
The photos below illustrate various trial units.
12" x 24" injector supported over suction turning roll with 2" pipe.
Typical trial injector and shipping container.
12" trial unit cantilevered over Uhle box of pickup felt without steam (left) and with (right) steam. Note the clean streak on the felt downstream.
Lazy Steam Generator
To quickly test multiple locations on a given machine, a unique portable Lazy Steam Generator is available. Nonturbulent, transparent, "lazy steam" can be treated much like it was hot air and safely delivered from outside the machine framework via a 4" or 8" diameter wire-bound canvas hose to the edge of the sheet or fabric anywhere there is vacuum available to pull the steam in.
Popular testing locations are "tunnels" of Bi-Nip or Tri-Nip presses, as well as tight nips such as at the couch. The generator is particularly useful for ascertaining potential positive or negative effects that higher temperatures may have on sheet properties such as bulk or smoothness at the reel.
Different attachments to fit on the end of the ductwork can be supplied for custom locations. The generator can also be used to open up compacted streaks on press fabrics caused by wadburns or contaminants.
Lazy Steam Generator in the aisle feeding steam to the Tri-Nip "tunnel" on a Linerboard machine.
Lazy Steam Generator heating up in the aisle.
Lightweight portable Lazy Steam Generator weighs only 30 lbs, fed with a 2" steam hose.
Operator injecting "lazy" steam into ingoing nip of couch lumpbreaker with a handheld 4" diameter hose.
Different attachments can be fabricated for custom applications such as the pulp machine press fabric.