A wash tunnel maintains continuous production by moving batches between modules. Each batch stays in each stage for a set time; continuous does not mean the separation between loads disappears.
Textile flow and water flow
Prepared batches enter in a coordinated way and pass through modules that carry out functions such as prewash, wash, and rinse. At each transfer, the line moves the textile to the next section. The water flow can be separate, reused, or combined depending on the design and process requirements.
Girbau documents batch modular systems that integrate with presses and drying. The presence of those downstream units matters: the tunnel should not be understood as a single drum that washes, spins, and dries everything from start to finish.
Capacity and cadence
The mass of each batch and the interval between transfers determine a theoretical output. In an arithmetic example, 40 kg every 3 minutes equals 800 kg/h while that cadence is maintained. This is not a stated performance rating: load changes, startup times, interruptions, and downstream equipment can reduce actual output.
A press, extractor, or dryer that receives less load per hour can limit the overall system even if the tunnel is set up to move faster. In a batch extractor, coordination follows a different pattern because the same chamber completes the cycle before unloading.
Resource recovery
Reusing water or heat and adjusting dosing are technical options that must be verified at the system level. They do not allow a fixed savings assumption or the exchange of water between loads that the procedure keeps separate. The environmental assessment needs process boundaries and measured data.
To understand a line, identify where the wash ends and which equipment receives each batch after transfer.