Improvements for infrared drying: A leather finishing application

The use of alternative technologies in leather finishing such as infrared radiation provides a faster and more efficient heat transfer for drying water-based films than the commonly used convection technology. In industry, all products and processes must be subjected to improvements, and infrared applications are no exception. The purpose of this research is to demonstrate how the heat transfer efficiency of an infrared furnace can be increased by adapting radiation shields along the infrared panels inside the drying tunnel. A theoretical analysis of the radiative heat transfer, a response surface model for evaporation percentage, and the measurement of the temperature at the walls were carried out to assess the performance of the new design. This paper may be useful to the leather industry in optimizing the finish film drying process and thus reducing leather manufacturing costs.