Dow Corning Ireland Limited

Frank Swallow

Peter Dobbyn

John Kennedy

Richard Sibbick

Alan Hynes

John Brennan

An apparatus for treating a travelling web of material in a predetermined gaseous atmosphere comprising a chamber () through which a moving web of material () is transported from an inlet at a first end of the chamber () to an outlet at a second end and a means for introducing and controlling gas () intended to provide said predetermined gaseous atmosphere within said chamber (), wherein said inlet and outlet each comprise a sealing means () designed to enable passage of said web of material () therethrough whilst minimising the ingress of an external gas boundary layer () around said web of material () characterised in that said apparatus also comprises one or more re-circulation channels () adapted to re-circulate gases within said chamber () from the second end of the chamber to the first end of the chamber thereby negating or substantially negating any pressure difference within the chamber () between said inlet and outlet. Said apparatus is preferably s part of a non thermal equilibrium plasma generating apparatus or corona discharge assembly.

Web sealing device

A plasma glow discharge and/or dielectric barrier discharge generating assembly () comprising at least one pair of substantially equidistant spaced apart electrodes (), the spacing between the electrodes being adapted to form a plasma zone () upon the introduction of a process gas and enabling passage, where required, of gaseous, liquid and/or solid precursor(s) characterized in that at least one of the electrodes () comprises a housing () having an inner () and outer () wall, wherein the inner wall () is formed from a non-porous dielectric material, and which housing () substantially retains an at least substantially non-metallic electrically conductive material.

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Penarth, United Kingdom

Frank Swallow