Drier and process of drying

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR DRYING AIR PERMEABLE MATERIALS BY MEANS OF A PLURALITY OF PERFORATED DRUM DRIES WHICH ARE ARRANGED IN SIDE BY SIDE SUBSTANTIALLY ABUTTING RELATIONSHIP AND IN WHICH THE DRYING MEDIUM, FOR EXAMPLE AIR, IS INDUCED THROUGH THE MATERIAL AT BE DRIED AND THROUGH PERFORATIONS ON THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL PERIPHERY OF SAID DRUMS BY A FAN ARRANGED AT THE END OF THE DRUMS, THE DRUMS BEING ARRANGED TO EXTEND ACROSS A DRYING CHAMBER BETWEEN AN INLET ADJACENT ONE END INTO WHICH THE TEXTILE MATERIALS ARE DIRECTED AND OUTLET ADJACENT THE OPPOSITE END THROUGH WHICH THE DRIED TEXTILE MATERIALS ARE PASSED, COMPRISING ADVANCING THE MATERIAL THROUGH A HOUSING FOR TREATMENT IN A PLURALITY OF DRYING STAGES FIRST OVER A PARTIAL AREA OF THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL PERIPHERY OF THE FIRST DRUM ADJACENT THE INLET AND THEN OVER A PARTICAL CIRCUMFERENTIAL AREA OF THE NEXT ADJACENT DRUM AND SO ON TO THE NEXT ADJACENT DRUMS TO THE OUTLET WHILE DRYING AIR IS PULLED THROUGH THE MATERIAL AND THROUGH THE PERFORATIONS OF THE DRUM BY THE DRUM FANS ARRANGED AT THE END OF THE DRUMS, AND DIRECTING AIR THROUGH THE CHAMBER SURROUNDING THE DRUMS TO PROVIDE A PLURALITY OF DRYING STAGES WHEREIN AT LEAST ONE OF THE DRYING STAGES IS CARRIED OUT BY CO-CURRENT FLOW OF MATERIAL AND DRYING AIR AS THE MATERIAL IS ADVANCED OVER THE DRUMS AND ANOTHER OF THE STAGES IS CARRIED OUT BY COUNTER-CURRENT FLOW OF MATERIAL AND DRYING AIR AS THE MATERIAL IS ADVANCED OVER THE DRUMS FROM THE INLET TO THE OUTLET.