SIMULATING TEXTILE PADDING WITH VACUUM EXTRACTION .1. INFLUENCE OF PROCESS VARIABLES UNDER IDEAL CONDITIONS

Mass balance equations were developed for several equipment configurations used for textile padding, followed by vacuum extraction and solution recycling. The effects of changes in process variables on the amount of chemical in the bath and that retained by the fabric were simulated for both transitory and steady-state operation. The time to reach a new steady state after a perturbation of the process depended on the nature of the variable changed, the kind of equipment, and whether the vacuum extracted solution was recycled and to which container. Systems for which the chemical solution is metered and the bath level maintained by water make-up have quite different characteristics from those with bath make-up by a chemical solution alone. The process simulations permitted comparison of the response times for different equipment types, along with useful information for equipment selection, process optimization, and prediction of the influence of process changes.