PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR DRYING FIBROUS MATERIAL

A method and apparatus for drying separate units of moist fibrous material. The method may include the steps of flowing under a pressure greater than one atmosphere in a closed circuit a gaseous medium through both units of material, such that the gaseous exhaust from one unit is the gaseous intake of another unit, and heating the gaseous medium subsequent to its passage through the units of fibrous material by compressing the gaseous medium. The apparatus may include two containers each of which has a support for the fibrous material to be dried, the material being positioned on the support to divide the interior of each of said containers into an inner and an outer chamber which communicate with each other via the material, and a circulation system having a gaseous drying medium therein. The system includes the containers and comprises a first connection line for fluidly interconnecting the two inner chambers, a second connection line for fluidly interconnecting the two outer chambers, a first device for heating the gaseous drying medium in the first connection, a second device for heating the gaseous drying medium in the second connection line, and a water separator. One of the two devices is a compressor, the suction end of which is connected to the water separator.