Patent ID: 7303655

Claim:
An apparatus for conditioning a fabric in a papermaking machine, the fabric having an outer side adapted to engage a paper web and an opposing inner side, said apparatus comprising: an inlet element configured to engage the inner side of the fabric, the inlet element being further configured to have the fabric wrapped at least partially thereabout so as to form an incoming nip at an upstream engagement therebetween; a fluid-emitting device configured to wet the fabric with a fluid so as to clean the fabric, the fluid-emitting device further comprising a flooded nip shower disposed upstream of the inlet element and configured to direct the fluid into the incoming nip; an arcuate member disposed downstream of the inlet element and configured to engage the outer side of the fabric, the arcuate member being further configured to have the fabric wrapped at least partially thereabout such that the fabric advanced thereabout is centrifugally dewatered; and a vacuum device disposed downstream of the arcuate member and laterally spaced apart from the inlet element and the arcuate member so as to reduce re-wetting of the fabric, the vacuum device being configured to engage the inner side of the fabric so as to dewater the fabric with suction following centrifugal dewatering thereof by the arcuate member.