Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING WOOD FIBERS
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is related to following application, which is filed
concurrently herewith
and which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety': U.S. Patent
Application No.
15/860,006 (Attorney Docket No. TEC-120257-U S), entitled "APPARATUS AND
METHOD
FOR PROCESSING WOOD FIBERS," by Dwight Anderson.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present disclosure relates generally to processing wood fibers in a
refiner and more
particularly to an apparatus and method for refining wood fibers and breaking
up fiber bundles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Disc-type refiners have traditionally been used to process wood fibers in a
step of a
paper product making process. Such refiners include first and second refming
members having
a refining space therebetween. Each of the first and second refining members
include a
plurality of refiner bars separated by refiner grooves, in which the refiner
bars define cutting
surfaces for cutting the wood fibers. During operation, at least one of the
first and second
refining members is rotated relative to the other, in which rotation of the
cutting surfaces of the
refiner bars cut wood fibers being processed in the refiner. Once the wood
fibers are processed
in the refiner, the processed wood fibers may be further processed in
subsequent paper product
making processes to produce paper products. In some instances, the wood fibers
may undergo
additional processing, such as in a separate tickler refiner or deflaker.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, a refining member
for a pulp
refiner is provided. The refining member comprises a refining body including a
refining
surface comprising first refiner bars separated by first refiner grooves and
second refiner bars
separated by second refiner grooves. Each of the first refiner bars extends
from a radially
inward position on the refining surface to a first radially outward position
on the refining
surface. Each of the second refiner bars extends to a second radially outward
position on the
refining surface. The second refiner bars have a longitudinal length from
about 0.6 cm to about
10 cm, in which the second radially outward position is nearer to an outermost
part of the
refining body than the first radially outward position. The first refiner bars
have a first
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maximum height extending upward from a floor of an adjacent first refiner
groove, and the
second refiner bars have a second maximum height extending upward from a floor
of an
adjacent second refiner groove. The second maximum height is at least 0.35 mm
less than the
first maximum height. The first refiner bars are adapted to refine wood
fibers, and the second
refiner bars are adapted to break up fiber bundles.
The first maximtun height of the first refiner bars, when measured from the
floor of the
adjacent first refiner groove, may be from about 4 mm to about 10 mm. The
second maximum
height of the second refiner bars, when measured from the floor of the
adjacent second refiner
groove, may be from about 0.35 mm to about 1.5 mm less than the first maximum
height. The
second maximum height of the second refiner bars, when measured from the floor
of the
adjacent second refiner groove, may be from about 0.7 mm to about 1.5 mm less
than the first
maximum height.
The longitudinal length of the second refiner bars may be from about 2 cm to
about 10
cm.
The second refiner bars may be integral with the first refiner bars such that
the second
refiner bars extend from the first radially outward position to the second
radially outward
position. Each of the second refiner bars may slope continuously downward from
the first
radially outward position to the second radially outward position.
The first and second refiner bars may have a width extending between side
edges of
from about 2 mm to about 8 mm.
At least a portion of the first refiner grooves may be provided with dams.
The refining member may further comprise third refiner bars separated by third
refiner
grooves and fourth refiner bars separated by fourth refiner grooves. Each of
the third refiner
bars may extend to a third radially outward position on the refining surface,
and each of the
fourth refiner bars may extend to a fourth radially outward position on the
refining surface.
The fourth refiner bars may have a longitudinal length from about 0.6 cm to
about 10 cm. The
fourth radially outward position may be nearer to an outermost part of the
refming body than
the third radially outward position. The third refiner bars may have a third
maximum height
extending upward from a floor of an adjacent third refiner groove, and the
fourth refiner bars
may have a fourth maximum height extending upward from a floor of an adjacent
fourth refiner
groove. The fourth maximum height may be at least 0.35 mm less than the third
maximum
height. The third refiner bars may be adapted to refine wood fibers, and the
fourth refiner bars
may be adapted to break up fiber bundles.
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The third refiner bars may be integral with the second refiner bars such that
the third
refiner bars extend from the second radially outward position to the third
radially outward
position, and the fourth refmer bars may be integral with the third refiner
bars such that the
fourth refiner bars extend from the third radially outward position to the
fourth radially outward
position.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present disclosure, a pulp refiner
is provided.
The pulp refiner comprises: a frame, at least a first pair of refining
members, and a rotor
associated with the frame. The refining members comprise a first refining
member associated
with the frame and comprising a first refining body and a second refining
member associated
with the frame and comprising a second refining body. The first refining body
includes a first
refining surface comprising: first refiner bars separated by first refiner
grooves, each of the first
refiner bars extending from a radially inward position on the refining surface
to a first radially
outward position on the refining surface, and second refiner bars separated by
second refiner
grooves, each of the second refiner bars extending to a second radially
outward position on the
refining surface. The second refiner bars have a longitudinal length from
about 0.6 cm to about
10 cm. The second radially outward position may be nearer to an outermost part
of the refining
body than the first radially outward position. The first refiner bars have a
first maximum height
extending upward from a floor of an adjacent first groove, and the second
refiner bars have a
second maximum height extending upward from the adjacent second groove floor.
The second
maximum height is at least 0.35 mm less than the first maximum height. The
second refining
member includes a second refining surface comprising second member refiner
bars separated
by second member refiner grooves. The first refining member is spaced from the
second
refining member to define a refining space therebetween. The rotor is coupled
to one of the
first refining member or the second refining member such that rotation of the
rotor effects
movement of the one of the first or the second refining member relative to the
other. When a
slurry of wood pulp comprising wood fibers is supplied to the frame, the wood
pulp slurry
passes through the refining space such that a significant number of the wood
fibers in the wood
pulp slimy are refined and a plurality of wood fiber bundles in the wood pulp
slurry are
separated.
The second maximum height may be at least 0.7 min less than the first maximum
height.
The longitudinal length of the second refiner bars may be from about 2 cm to
about 10
cm.
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The second member refiner bars may comprise: third refiner bars extending from
a
radially inward position on the second refining surface to a first radially
outward position on
the second refining surface, and fourth refiner bars extending to a second
radially outward
position on the second refining surface. The second radially outward position
may be nearer
to an outermost part of the second refining body than the first radially
outward position. The
third refiner bars may have a third maximum height extending upward from a
floor of an
adjacent groove, and the fourth refiner bars may have a fourth maximum height
extending
upward from the adjacent groove floor. The fourth maximum height may be at
least 0.35 mm
less than the third maximum height.
The first refilling member may be a non-rotating stator member. and the second
refining
member may be a rotating rotor member.
In accordance with a third aspect of the present disclosure, a method for
processing
wood fibers is provided. The method comprises: providing a refiner comprising
at least a first
pair of refining members. The refining members comprise: a first refining
member comprising
a first refining body and a second refining member comprising a second
refining body. The
first refining body includes a first refining surface comprising: first
refiner bars separated by
first refiner grooves and having a first maximum height extending upward from
a floor of an
adjacent first refiner groove, and second refiner bars separated by second
refiner grooves and
having a second maximum height extending upward from a floor of an adjacent
second refiner
groove. The second refining body includes a second refining surface comprising
second
member refiner bars separated by second member refiner grooves. The first
refining member
is spaced from the second refining member to define a refining space
therebetween. At least a
portion of the second member refiner bars are positioned so as to be across
from the second
refiner bars such that a gap between the portion of the second member refiner
bars and the
second refiner bars is defined. The method further comprises: rotating at
least one of the first
refming member or the second refining member such that the first and second
refining members
move relative to one another; supplying a slurry of wood pulp comprising wood
fibers to the
refiner such that the slurry passes through the refining space; and applying
axial pressure to at
least one of the first refining member or the second refining member as the
slurry is supplied
such that the gap between the portion of the second member refiner bars and
the second refiner
bars is between about 0.9 mm and about 1.5 ram, in which at least a portion of
wood fiber
bundles passing through the gap are separated.
The second refiner bars may have a longitudinal length from about 0.6 cm to
about 10
cm, and the second maximum height may be at least 0.35 mm less than the first
maximtun
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height. The longitudinal length of the second refiner bars may be from about 2
cm to about 10
cm.
The second member refiner bars may comprise: third refiner bars and fourth
refiner
bars. The third refiner bars may have a third maximum height extending upward
from a floor
of an adjacent groove, and the fourth refiner bars may have a fourth maximum
height extending
upward from an adjacent groove floor. The fourth maximum height may be at
least 0.35 mm
less than the third maximum height.
In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a refining
member for a
pulp refiner is provided. The refining member comprises: a refining body
comprising a
plurality of radially extending pie-shaped segments comprising: at least one
first pie-shaped
segment and at least one second pie-shaped segment. The at least one first pie-
shaped segment
comprises a first refining surface comprising first refiner bars separated by
first refiner grooves.
The first refmer bars have a first maximum height extending upward from a
floor of an adjacent
first refiner groove. The at least one second pie-shaped segment comprises a
second refining
is surface
comprising second refiner bars separated by second refiner grooves. The second
refiner
bars have a second maximum height extending upward from a floor of an adjacent
second
refiner groove. The second maximum height is at least 0.35 mm less than the
first maximum
height. The first refiner bars are adapted to refine wood fibers, and the
second refiner bars are
adapted to break up fiber bundles.
The first maximtun height of the first refmer bars, when measured from the
floor of the
adjacent first refiner groove, may be from about 4 mm to about 10 mm.
The second maximum height of the second refiner bars, when measured from the
floor
of the adjacent second refiner groove, may be from about 0.35 mm to about 1.5
mm less than
the first maximum height.
The second maximum height of the second refiner bars, when measured from the
floor
of the adjacent second refiner groove, may be from about 0.7 mm to about 1.5
mm less than
the first maximum height.
In accordance with a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a pulp refiner is
provided.
The pulp refiner comprises: a frame, at least a first pair of refming members,
and a rotor
associated with the frame. The refining members comprise: a first refining
member associated
with the frame and comprising a first refining body and a second refining
member associated
with the frame and comprising a second refining body. The first refilling body
includes a
plurality of radially extending pie-shaped segments comprising: at least one
first pie-shaped
segment and at least one second pie-shaped segment. The at least one first pie-
shaped segment
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comprises a first refining surface comprising first refiner bars separated by
first refiner grooves.
The first refiner bars have a first maxinnun height extending upward from a
floor of an adjacent
first refiner groove. The at least one second pie-shaped segment comprises a
second refining
surface comprising second refiner bars separated by second refiner grooves.
The second refiner
bars have a second maximum height extending upward from a floor of an adjacent
second
refiner groove. The second maximum height is at least 0.35 mm less than the
first maximum
height. The second refining body includes a second member refining surface
comprising
second member refiner bars separated by second member refiner grooves. The
first refining
member is spaced from the second refining member to defme a refining space
therebetween.
The rotor is coupled to one of the first refming member or the second refining
member such
that rotation of the rotor effects movement of the first and second refining
members relative to
one another. When a slurry of wood pulp comprising wood fibers is supplied to
the frame, the
wood pulp slurry passes through the refining space such that a significant
number of the wood
fibers in the wood pulp slurry are refined and a plurality of wood fiber
bundles in the wood
pulp slurry are separated.
The second maximum height of the second refiner bars, when measured from the
floor
of the adjacent second refmer groove, may be from about 0.35 mm to about 1.5
mm less than
the first maximum height.
The second maximum height of the second refiner bars, when measured from the
floor
of the adjacent second refiner groove, may be from about 0.7 mm to about 1.5
mm less than
the first maximum height.
The second refining body may comprise a plurality of radially extending pie-
shaped
segments comprising: at least one third pie-shaped segment and at least one
fourth pie-shaped
segment. The at least one third pie-shaped segment may comprise a third
refining surface
comprising third refiner bars separated by third refiner grooves. The third
refiner bars may
have a third maximum height extending upward from a floor of an adjacent third
refiner groove.
The at least one fourth pie-shaped segment may comprise a fourth refining
surface comprising
fourth refiner bars separated by fourth refiner grooves. The fourth refiner
bars may have a
fourth maximum height extending upward from a floor of an adjacent fourth
refiner groove.
The fourth maximum height may be at least 0.35 mm less than the third maximum
height. The
third and fourth refiner bars may define the second member refiner bars, and
the third and
fourth refiner grooves may define the second member refiner grooves.
The first refining member may be anon-rotating stator member, and the second
refining
member may be a rotating rotor member.
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In accordance with a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a refining member
for a pulp
refiner is provided. The refining member comprises a refining body including a
refming
surface comprising: refmer bars separated by refiner grooves, each of the
refiner bars extending
from a radially inward position on the refining surface to a first radially
outward position on
the refming surface; and teeth extending to a second radially outward position
on the refining
surface. The second radially outward position is nearer to an outermost part
of the refining
body than the first radially outward position. The refiner bars are adapted to
refine wood fibers
and the teeth are adapted to break up fiber bundles.
The refmer bars may have a first maximum height, when measured from a floor of
an
adjacent refiner groove, from about 4 mm to about 10 mm.
The refiner bars may have a width extending between side edges of from about 2
mm
to about 8 mm.
At least a portion of the refiner grooves may be provided with dams.
In accordance with a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a pulp refiner
is provided.
The pulp refiner comprises a frame, at least a first pair of refining members,
and a rotor
associated with the frame. The refining members comprise a first refining
member associated
with the frame and comprising a first refining body including a first refining
surface and a
second refining member associated with the frame and comprising a second
refining body
including a second refining surface. The first refming surface comprises:
first refmer bars
separated by first refiner grooves, each of the first refiner bars extending
from a radially inward
position on the first refining surface to a first radially outward position on
the first refining
surface, and first teeth extending to a further radially outward position on
the first refining
surface. The further radially outward position is nearer to an outermost part
of the first refining
body than the first radially outward position. The first refining member is
spaced from the
second refining member to define a refining space therebetween. The rotor is
coupled to one
of the first refining member or the second refining member such that rotation
of the rotor effects
movement of the first and second refining members relative to one another.
When a slurry of
wood pulp comprising wood fibers is supplied to the frame, the wood pulp
slurry passes
through the refining space such that a significant number of the wood fibers
in the wood pulp
slurry are refined and a plurality of wood fiber bundles in the wood pulp
slurry are separated.
The second refining member may comprise a second refining body including a
second
refining surface comprising: second refmer bars separated by second refiner
grooves, each of
the second refiner bars extending from a radially inward position on the
second refining surface
to a first radially outward position on the second refining surface, and
second teeth extending
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to a second radially outward position on the second refining surface. The
second radially
outward position may be nearer to an outermost part of the second refming body
than the first
radially outward position.
The second refming surface may comprise a first row of the second teeth
extending to
the second radially outward position on the second refining surface and a
second row of the
second teeth extending to a fourth radially outward position on the second
refining surface.
The first teeth intermesh with the second teeth.
The first refming member may be a non-rotating stator member, and the second
refining
member may be a rotating rotor member.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and
distinctly
claiming the present invention, it is believed that the present invention will
be better understood
from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying Drawing
Figures, in
which like reference numerals identify like elements, and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic, partial cross-sectional view of a disc refiner;
FIGS. 2 and 3 are plan views of a first and a second refining body,
respectively;
FIGS. 4A and 48 are plan views of a section of a refining surface of the first
refining
body of FIG. 2;
FIGS. 5A and 5B are plan views of a section of a refining surface of the
second refining
.. body of FIG. 3;
FIG. 6A is a partial cross-sectional view of a refining body taken along line
6A-6A in
FIGS. 4A and 5A;
FIG. 6B is a partial cross-sectional view of a refining body taken along line
6B-6B in
FIGS. 4B and 5B;
FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 in FIGS. 4A, 4B,
5A, and
5B;
FIGS. 8 and 9 are partial cross-sectional views of a refiner bar on a first
refining body
that is spaced apart and positioned above a corresponding refmer bar on a
second refining body;
FIGS. 10 and 11 are plan views of portions of a first and a second refining
body,
respectively, comprising a plurality of radially extending pie-shaped
segments;
FIGS. I 2A and 12B are partial cross-sectional views of refiner bars from the
pie-shaped
segments of FIGS. 10 and 11, in which one refining body is spaced apart and
positioned above
another refining body;
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FIGS. 13 and 14 are plan views of a first and a second refining body,
respectively,
comprising teeth;
FIG. 15 is a plan view of a section of a refming surface of the first refining
body of
FIG. 13;
FIG. 16 is a plan view of a section of a refming surface of the second
refining body of
FIG. 14;
FIG. 17 is a partial cross-sectional view of a refiner bar and tooth on a
first refining
body that is spaced apart and positioned above a second refining body
comprising a refiner bar
and teeth; and
FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for processing wood
fibers.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference
is made
to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by
way of
illustration, and not by way of limitation, specific preferred embodiments in
which the
invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may
be utilized and
that changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the
present invention.
FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic, partial cross-sectional view of a disc refiner
10 according
to the present disclosure. The disc refiner 10 comprises a housing with a
first housing section
12 and a second housing section 14 that may be bolted or otherwise attached
fixedly together.
The housing sections 12, 14 define an inlet 16, an outlet 18, and a refiner
inner cavity 64 that
contains one or more pairs of refining members. The embodiment shown in FIG. I
is a double-
disc refiner 10 comprising two pairs of refining members, e.g., a first
refining member 20
paired with a second refining member 30 and a third refining member 40 paired
with a fourth
refining member 50. The first refining member 20 comprises a first refining
body 22 with a
first refining surface 24, and the second refining member 30 comprises a
second refining body
32 with a second refining surface 34. The third refining member 40 comprises a
third refming
body 42 and a third refining surface 44, and the fourth refining. member 50
comprises a fourth
refining body 52 and a fourth refining surface 54. Each of the refining
members 20, 30,40, 50
are associated with a main support frame comprising a fixed support frame 66
secured to the
first housing section 12 and a movable support frame 68, as described herein.
The first, second, third, and fourth refining bodies 22, 32, 42, 52 may be
generally disc-
shaped with substantially identical outer diameters (see FIGS. 2 and 3). The
first and second
refining members 20, 30 are arranged such that the first refining surface 24
faces the second
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refining surface 34, and the third and fourth refining members 40, 50 are
arranged such that the
third refining surface 44 faces the fourth refining surface 54. The first
refining member 20 is
spaced apart from the second refining member 30 to define a first refining
space 60 between
the respective refining surfaces 24, 34. The third refining member 40 is
spaced apart from the
.. fourth refining member 50 to define a second refining space 62 between the
respective refining
surfaces 44, 54. The disc refiner 10 may have a structure similar to the one
illustrated in U.S.
Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0037728 Al, the disclosure of which is
incorporated
herein by reference.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the first and fourth refining members 20,
50 are
stationary, and the second and third refining members 30, 40 rotate relative
to the first and
fourth refining members 20, 50. The first refining member 20 may be fixed to
the support
frame 66 by bolts or other suitable fasteners (not shown). The second and
third refining
members 30, 40 may be attached to a support 70 that is coupled to and extends
radially
outwardly from a rotatable shaft 72. The support 70 is coupled to the shaft 72
so as to rotate
with the shaft 72 and is also axially movable along the shaft 72. The shaft 72
is driven by a
first motor 74 such that the support 70 and the second and third refining
members 30,40 rotate
with the shaft 72 during operation of the disc refiner 10. The shaft 72 has a
central axis 72A
that is generally coaxial with an axis of rotation of the second and third
refining members 30,
40. The shaft 72 may be rotatably mounted to the fixed support frame 66 such
that the first
and second refining members 30, 40 are associated with the main support frame.
The support
70 may be movable axially along the shaft 72, e.g., substantially along the
central axis 72A,
relative to the first and fourth refining members 20,50, as described herein.
The fourth refining
member 50 may be fixed to the movable support frame 68 by bolts or other
suitable fasteners
(not shown). Thus, the support 70 and the shaft 72 may define a rotor
associated with the main
support frame such that the second and third refining members may define
rotating rotor
members, and the first and fourth refining members 20, 50 may define non-
rotating stator
members. Rotation of the rotor effects movement of the second and third
refining members
30, 40 relative to the first and fourth refining members 20, 50, respectively.
The movable support frame 68 may be mounted in the second housing section 14
and
is coupled to a second motor 76, which may comprise a reversible electric
motor, which is
fixed in position. The second motor 76 moves the movable support frame 68 in a
substantially
horizontal (i.e., axial) direction shown by arrow A. The refiner 10 may
comprise, for example,
a jack screw (not shown) coupled to the second motor 76 and the movable
support frame 68,
which second motor 76 may rotate the jack screw to move the movable support
frame 68 to
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which is attached, for example, the fourth refining member 50. This movement
adjusts the size
of the gaps, i.e., the first and second refining spaces 60,62, defined between
the first and second
refining members 20, 30 and the third and fourth refining members 40, 50 (see
also FIGS. 8
and 9). In other embodiments (not shown), control of the size of the gaps may
be achieved by
one or more magnetic bearings. Magnetic bearings that control the axial
position of the shaft
72 may be used to control the position of the rotating rotor members that are
fixed to the shaft
72. Magnetic bearings may be used to control the axial position of one or more
additional
movable sections of the main support frame, i.e., the movable support frame
68, to which one
or more of the non-rotating stator members are attached.
As will be discussed further herein, a slurry of wood pulp comprising wood
fibers
passes through the refining spaces 60,62. As the jack screw rotates in a first
direction, it causes
movement of the movable support frame 68 and the fourth refining member 50
inwardly
towards the third refming member 40. The fourth refining member 50 then
applies an axial
force to the pulp slurry passing through the second refining space 62 which,
in turn, applies an
axial force to the third refining member 40, causing the third refining member
40, the support
70 and the second refining member 30 to move inwardly toward the first refming
member 20.
As the jack screw rotates in a second direction, opposite to the first
direction, it causes
movement of the movable support frame 68 and the fourth refining member 50
outwardly away
from the third refining member 40. This reduces the axial force applied by the
fourth refining
member 50 to the pulp slurry passing through the second refining space 62
which, in turn,
reduces an axial force applied by the pulp slurry to the third refining member
40. The axial
force applied by the pulp slurry passing through the first refining space 60
is then sufficient to
cause the second refining member 30, the support 70 and the third refining
member 40 to move
toward the fourth refming member 50. This occurs until the axial forces
applied by the wood
slurries passing through the first and second refining spaces 60,62 against
the second and third
refining members 30 and 40 are approximately equal.
In some embodiments (not shown), the disc refiner 10 may further comprise a
further
motor and a second rotatable shaft, and the first and/or fourth refilling
members 20, 50 may be
coupled to the second rotatable shaft such that the first and/or fourth
refining members 20, 50
may be counter-rotatable relative to the second and/or third refining members
30, 40,
respectively. In other embodiments (not shown), the disc refiner 10 may
comprise only one
pair of refining members in which one refining member is a non-rotating stator
member and
the other refining member is a rotating rotor member. In further embodiments
(not shown),
the disc refiner may comprise three or more pairs of refining members. In yet
further
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embodiments (not shown), the disc refiner 10 may comprise a conical refmer
with one or more
pairs of refining members.
FIGS. 2 and 3 are plan views of the refining surfaces 24, 34 of the first
refining body
22 and the second refining body 32, respectively, for use in a pulp refiner
according to one
embodiment of the present disclosure. Although not discussed in detail herein,
the structure of
the refining surfaces 44, 54 of the third and fourth refining bodies 42, 52,
respectively, (see
FIG. 1) may be substantially similar to the refining surfaces 24, 34 of the
first and second
refining bodies 22, 32, respectively.
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the first refining body 22 may comprise a
plurality of
sections, e.g. sections 22A-22C, that are bolted or otherwise attached
together to form the disc-
shaped refining body 22 comprising a radially outer edge 27. The refining
surface 24 comprises
a plurality of elongated refiner bars 26 separated from one another by refiner
grooves 28.
Although not shown in FIG. 2, it is understood that the other sections (not
labeled) of the first
refining body 22 would similarly comprise refiner bars 26 and refiner grooves
28. The refiner
bars 26 extend radially outwardly from a radially inner location 23 toward the
radially outer
edge 27 of the first refining body 22. The refiner bars 26 may be slanted at
various angles as
shown in FIG. 2, and each section 22A-22C may comprise one or more segments
(not
separately labeled) of refiner bars 26 that are slanted in different
directions. The refiner bars
26 and refiner grooves 28 within each section 22A-22C in FIG. 2 may otherwise
be similar in
structure.
As shown in FIG. 3, the second refining body 32 may similarly comprise a
plurality of
sections, e.g. sections 32A-32C, that are bolted or otherwise attached
together to form the disc-
shaped refining body 32 comprising a radially outer edge 37. The refining
surface 34 comprises
a plurality of elongated refiner bars 36 separated from one another by refiner
grooves 38.
Although not shown in FIG. 3, it is understood that the other sections (not
labeled) of the second
refining body 32 would similarly comprise refiner bars 36 and refiner grooves
38. The refiner
bars 36 extend radially outwardly from a radially inner location 33 toward the
radially outer
edge 37 of the second refining body 32. The refiner bars 36 may be slanted at
various angles
as shown in FIG. 3, and each section 32A-32C may comprise two or more segments
(not
separately labeled) of refiner bars 36 that are slanted in different
directions. The refiner bars
36 and refiner grooves 38 within each section 32A-32C in FIG. 3 may otherwise
be similar in
structure.
Paths of a slurry of wood pulp comprising wood fibers through the refiner 10
are
illustrated via arrows B in FIG. 1. With reference to FIGS. 1-3, the pulp
slurry enters the disc
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refiner 10 through an inlet 16 and passes into the refiner inner cavity 64 via
a central aperture
21 in the first refining member 20. The refiner inner cavity 64 may be
defined, in part, by the
fixed support frame 66 and the movable support frame 68. The refining surfaces
24, 34 may
comprise one or more additional rows of refiner bars (not labeled), such as
those located near
the center of the refining bodies 22, 32, e.g., near the central aperture 21.
These additional
refiner bars may be wider and spaced further apart than the other refiner bars
26 to break up
large fiber bundles before they enter the refining space 60. The wood fibers
travel radially
outwardly between the refining members 20, 30, 40, 50. The first refining
space 60 defined
between the first and second refining members 20,30 and the second refining
space 62 defined
between the third and fourth refming members 40, 50 define separate paths
along which the
wood fibers may travel from the inlet 16 to the outlet 18. It is believed that
the wood fibers
only pass through one of the first and second refining spaces 60, 62 at a
time. The refiner
grooves 28, 38 may be considered part of the refining space 60 defined between
the first and
second refining members 20, 30. It is believed that a majority of the flow of
the wood fibers
through the refining space 60 passes through the refiner grooves 28, 38.
Similarly, the refiner
grooves (not shown) of the third and fourth refining members 40, 50 may be
considered part
of the refining space 62 defined between the third and fourth refining members
40, 50. It is
believed that a majority of the flow of wood fibers through the refining space
62 passes through
the refiner grooves (not labeled) of the third and fourth refining members 40,
50. After
processing, the wood fibers exit the refiner 10 via the outlet 18, at least in
part under the action
of centrifugal force.
FIGS. 4A and 4B are detailed views of one portion of the refining surface 24
of the first
refining body 22, and FIGS. 5A and 5B are detailed views of a corresponding
portion of the
refining surface 34 of the second refining body 32. FIGS. 6A and 6B are
partial cross-sectional
views of the refining bodies 22, 32 taken along lines 6A-6A and 6B-6B,
respectively,
illustrating two embodiments of a refiner bar 26, 36, as shown in FIGS. 4A,
4B, 5A, and 5B.
FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 in FIGS. 4A, 4B,
5A, and 5B.
In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 4A, 5A, 6A, and 7, each refiner bar 26, 36
may
comprise a first refiner bar 26A, 36A and a second refiner bar 26B, 36B. The
first refiner bars
26A, 36A may be separated from one another by first refiner grooves 28A, 38A,
and the second
refiner bars 26B, 36B may be separated from one another by second refiner
grooves 28B, 38B.
The first and second refiner grooves 28A, 38A, 28B, 38B may have a width WG of
from about
2 mm to about 6 mm. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 7, the first refiner bars 26A,
36A comprise
a first maximum height 1-1] extending upward from a floor Fi of the adjacent
first refiner groove
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28A, 38A, and the second refiner bars 26B, 36B comprise a second maximum
height H2
extending upward from a floor F2 of the adjacent second refiner groove 28B,
38B, in which the
second maximum height 1-1.2 is less than the first maximum height Hi. The
minimum height
difference between Hi and H2 is depicted as Di in FIG. 6A. In some examples, a
radially outer
portion ROI of the first refiner bar 26A, 36A may comprise a step-down from
the first
maximum height Hi to the second maximum height I-12.
In some examples, the second maximum height H2 may be at least 0.35 mm less
than
the first maximum height Hi. In other examples, the second maximum height H2
may be at
least 0.70 rum less than the first maximum height Hi. In further examples, the
first maximum
height Hi of the first refiner bars 26A, 36A, when measured from the floor Fi
of the adjacent
first refiner groove 28A, 38A, may be from about 4 mm to about 10 mm. In a
particular
example, the second maximum height H2 of the second refiner bars 26B, 36B,
when measured
from the floor F2 of the adjacent second refiner groove 28B, 38B, may be from
about 0.35 mm
to about 1.5 mm less than the first maximum height Hi. In another particular
example, the
second maximum height 112 of the second refiner bars 26B, 36B, when measured
from the floor
F2 of the adjacent second refiner groove 28B, 38B, may be from about 0.7 mm to
about 1.5
mm less than the first maximum height Hi. In further examples, the first
refiner bars 26A, 36A
and the second refiner bars 26B, 36B may comprise a width W26 extending
between sides edges
of the respective refiner bars 26A, 36A, 26B, 36B of from about 2 min to about
8 mm.
Each of the first refiner bars 26A, 36A extend from a radially inward position
Pi on the
refining surface 24, 34 to a first radially outward position P2 on the
refining surface 24, 34.
Each of the second refiner bars 26B, 36B extend to a second radially outward
position P3 on
the refining surface 24, 34. The second radially outward position P3 may be
nearer to an
outermost part, e.g., the radially outer edge 27, 37, of the refining body 22,
32 than the first
radially outward position P2. In some examples, the radially inward position
Pi may comprise
a position at or near the radially inner location 23, 33. The second refiner
bars 26B, 36B may
comprise a longitudinal length Li from about 0.6 cm to about 10 cm and
preferably from about
2 cm to about 10 cm.
In some embodiments, the second refiner bars 26B, 36B may be integral with the
first
refiner bars 26A, 36A, as shown in FIGS. 4A, 5A, and 6A, such that the second
refiner bars
26B, 36B extend from the first radially outward position P2 to the second
radially outward
position P3. In a particular embodiment, the second refiner bars 26B, 36B may
slope
continuously downward from the first radially outward position P2 to the
second radially
outward position P3. As shown in FIG. 6A, the height of the second refiner
bars 26B, 36B may
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decrease continuously along substantially the entire longitudinal length Li
from the second
maximum height H2 to a second minimum height HT. In another particular
embodiment, the
second refmer bars 26B, 36B may extend substantially horizontally from the
first radially
outward position P2 to the second radially outward position P3, as depicted by
the dashed line
in FIG. 6A, such that the second refiner bars 26B, 36B are at the second
maximum height H2
along substantially the entire longitudinal length LI of the second refiner
bars 26B, 36B. In
other embodiments (not shown), the first refiner bars 26A, 36A may be radially
separated from
the second refiner bars 26B, 36B by a space.
With reference to FIGS. 4A, 5A, and 7, the refining surfaces 24,34 may
comprise dams
29, 39 provided in at least a portion of the first refiner grooves 28A, 38A.
The dams 29, 39
may comprise a height that is substantially the same as or less than the
height of the adjacent
first refiner bars 26A, 36A. The dams 29, 39 serve to divert wood fibers from
the first refiner
grooves 28A, 38A so as to be engaged by the first and second refiner bars 26A,
36A, 26B, 36B.
With reference to Figs. 1, 4A, 5A, and 6A, when a slurry of wood pulp
comprising
wood fibers is supplied to the frame 66, e.g., the inlet 16, of the refiner
10, the first refiner bars
26A, 36A are adapted to refine the wood fibers in the pulp slurry, while the
second refiner bars
26B, 36B are adapted to break up or separate fiber bundles. Refining may be
used to break
apart and reduce small flocs of fibers, induce external or internal
fibrillation to effect fiber
bonding, and/or cut a significant number of long wood fibers in the wood pulp
slurry such that
the lengths of the long wood fibers are reduced. However, the refining process
also causes
some of the wood fibers to re-form into small, dense fiber bundles ("flakes"),
particularly
during refining of long fibers such as softwood. The fiber bundles may
adversely affect tensile
strength, formation, etc. of the finished paper product, seed formation of
strings of pulp that
clog downstream components, and/or inhibit the drainage of fluid/water from
the fibers during
paper product production. Thus, the flakes should be broken apart after
refining in a process
called deflaking. As used herein, the term "deflaking" is used to refer to the
process of breaking
apart fiber bundles that have formed during refining. When refining involves a
conventional
pulp refiner, deflaking typically takes place in one or more subsequent
refiners, frequently
operating at low power and referred to as a "tickler" refiner, or deflakers.
Use of separate
refiner(s) or deflakers increases the cost and complexity of the system. In
addition, the tickler
refiner(s) and the associated lines and tank(s) and a downstream machine chest
may accumulate
residual amounts of fibers from previous runs and allow the continued
formation of fiber
bundles. Processing in the tickler refiner(s) may degrade the properties of
the fibers when
dissimilar pulp slurries are refined together. It is believed that refining
members 20, 30, 40, 50
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according to the present disclosure solve these problems by incorporating
refiner bars 26A,
26B, 36A, 36B of differing heights such that refining and deflaking may be
performed within
a single refiner 10.
The first maximum height Hi of the first refiner bars 26A, 36A, which is
greater than
the second maximum height H2, means that the wood fibers are subjected to high
intensity
shearing and compression forces as the fibers pass through the portion of the
refining space 60
that is at least partially defined by the first refiner grooves 28A, 38A and
engaged by cutting
side edges 126A, 136A of the first refiner bars 26A, 36A on the opposing first
and second
refining surfaces 24, 34 (see also FIGS. 8 and 9). Hence, the portion of the
refining space 60
that is at least partially defined by the first refiner grooves 28A, 38A and
extends from the
radially inward position Pi on the refining surface 24, 34 to the first
radially outward position
P2 on the refining surface 24, 34 may at least partially defme a refining
zone. In some
examples, the radially inner location 23, 33 of the respective refining body
22, 32 may define
the start of the refining zone. When the refined fibers pass into the portion
of the refining space
60 that is at least partially defined by the second refiner grooves 28B, 38B
(e.g., from about
the first radially outward position P2 to about the second radially outward
position P3 in FIG.
6A), the second refiner bars 26B, 36B comprise the second maximum height H2,
and the
intensity of the force applied to the fibers decreases in response to the
reduced height (see also
FIGS. 8 and 9). Thus, the portion of the refining space 60 that is at least
partially defined by
the second refiner grooves 28B, 38B and extends from the first radially
outward position P2 to
the second radially outward position P3 on the refining surface 24, 34 may at
least partially
define a deflaking zone. The decreased force applied to the fibers in the
deflaking zone is
believed to break up the fiber bundles formed during refining without further
refining or only
minimally refining the fibers. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 6A, the
second refmer bars
26B, 36B form an annular ring defining the deflaking zone around a radially
outer portion (not
separately labeled) of the first and second refining bodies 22, 32. It is
believed that the second
maximum height H2 of the second refiner bars 26B, 36B should be at least about
0.35 mm less
than the first maximum height Hi of the first refiner bars 26A, 36A in order
to cease refining
of the fibers and begin deflaking. The refining zone may comprise 60% or more
of the total
area defined by both the refining and deflaking zones on each refining surface
24, 34.
In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 4B, 5B, and 6B, each refiner bar 26', 36'
may
comprise a first refiner bar 26A', 36A', a second refiner bar 26W, 36W, a
third refiner bar
26C, 36C, and a fourth refiner bar 26D, 36D. The first refiner bars 26A', 36A'
and the second
refiner bars 26B', 36' may be substantially similar to the first refmer bars
26A, 36A and the
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second refiner bars 26B, 36B as depicted in FIGS. 4A, 5A, 6A, and 7 and as
described herein
but the first and second refiner bars 26A', 36K, 26B', 36W may extend radially
outwardly a
shorter distance. The first refiner bars 26A', 36A' may be separated from one
another by first
refiner grooves 28A', 38A', and the second refiner bars 26B', 36B' may be
separated from one
another by second refiner grooves 28B', 38B'. The first and second refiner
grooves 28A',
38A', 28B', 38W may have a width WG of from about 2 mm to about 6 mm. The
third refiner
bars 26C, 36C may be separated from one another by third refiner grooves 28C,
38C, and the
fourth refiner bars 26D, 36D may be separated from one another by fourth
refiner grooves 28D,
38D. As shown in FIG. 6B, the third refiner bars 26C, 36C comprise a third
maximum height
1-13 extending upward from a floor F3 of the adjacent third refiner groove
28C, 38C, and the
fourth refiner bars 26D, 36D comprise a fourth maximum height H4 extending
upward from a
floor F4 of the adjacent fourth refiner groove 28D, 38D, in which the fourth
maximum height
Ha is less than the third maximum height 1-13. The third maximum height H3 may
substantially
equal the first maximum height Hi, and the fourth maximum height Ha may
substantially equal
the second maximum height H2. The minimum height difference between 1-13 and
H4 is depicted
as D2 in FIG. 6B. In some examples, a radially outer portion R02 of the third
refiner bar 26C,
36C may comprise a step-down from the third maximum height 1-13 to the fourth
maximum
height Ha. The third and fourth refiner grooves 28C, 38C, 28D, 38D may have a
width WG of
from about 2 mm to about 6 mm.
In some examples, the fourth maximum height Ha may be at least 0.35 mm less
than
the third maximum height 1-13. In other examples, the fourth maximum height H4
may be at
least 0.70 mm less than the third maximum height H3. In further examples, the
third maximum
height H3 of the third refiner bars 26C, 36C, when measured from the floor F3
of the adjacent
third refiner groove 28C, 38C, may be from about 4 mm to about 10 mm. In a
particular
example, the fourth maximum height Ha of the fourth refiner bars 26D, 36D,
when measured
from the floor Fa of the adjacent fourth refiner groove 28D, 38D, may be from
about 0.35 mm
to about 1.5 mm less than the third maximiun height H3. In another particular
example, the
fourth maximum height H4 of the fourth refiner bars 26D, 36D, when measured
from the floor
Fa of the adjacent fourth refiner groove 28D, 38D, may be from about 0.7 mm to
about 1.5 mm
less than the third maximum height 1-b. In further examples, the third refiner
bars 26C, 36C
and the fourth refiner bars 26D, 36D may comprise a width (not separately
labeled) extending
between sides edges of the respective refiner bars 26C, 36C, 26D, 36D of from
about 2 mm to
about 8 mm.
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Each of the first refiner bars 26A', 36A' extends from a radially inward
position Pr on
the refining surface 24, 34 to a first radially outward position P2' on the
refining surface 24,34.
Each of the second refiner bars 26B', 36W extends to a second radially outward
position P3'
on the refining surface 24,34. Each of the third refiner bars 26C, 36C extend
to a third radially
outward position P4 on the refining surface 24, 34. Each of the fourth refiner
bars 26D, 36D
extend to a fourth radially outward position Ps on the refining surface 24,
34. The fourth
radially outward position Ps may be nearer to an outermost part, e.g., the
radially outer edge
27, 37, of the refming body 22, 32 than the first, second, and third radially
outward positions
P2'. P3' and Pa. The fourth refiner bars 26D, 36D may comprise a longitudinal
length L2 from
about 0.6 cm to about 10 cm and preferably from about 2 cm to about 10 cm.
In some embodiments, the second refiner bars 26B', 36B' may be integral with
the first
refiner bars 26A', 36A', as shown in FIGS. 4B, 5B, and 6B, such that the
second refiner bars
26W, 36B' extend from the first radially outward position P2' to the second
radially outward
position P3'. In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 4B, 5B. and 6B, the third
refiner bars
26C, 36C may be integral with the second refiner bars 26B', 36W such that the
third refiner
bars 26C, 36C extend from the second radially outward position P3' to the
third radially outward
position P4' and the fourth refiner bars 26D, 36D may be integral with the
third refiner bars
26C, 36C such that the fourth refiner bars 26D, 36D extend from the third
radially outward
position P4 to the fourth radially outward position Ps. In a particular
embodiment, the second
.. refiner bars 26B', 36B' may slope continuously downward from the first
radially outward
position P2 to the second radially outward position P3'. As shown in FIG. 6B,
the second
refiner bars 26W, 36B' may comprise a longitudinal length Li of from about 0.6
cm to about
10 cm and preferably from about 2 cm to about 10 cm. The height of the second
refiner bars
26B', 36B' may decrease continuously along substantially the entire
longitudinal length Li
from the second maximum height I-12 to a second minimum height Hr. In another
particular
embodiment, the second refiner bars 26B', 36B' may extend substantially
horizontally from
the first radially outward position Pr to the second radially outward position
Pr, as depicted
by the dashed line in FIG. 6B, such that the second refiner bars 26B', 36W are
at the second
maximum height H2 along substantially the entire longitudinal length Li of the
second refiner
bars 26B', 36B'. In a particular embodiment, the fourth refiner bars 26D, 36D
may slope
continuously downward from the third radially outward position 134 to the
fourth radially
outward position P5. As shown in FIG. 6B, the height of the fourth refiner
bars 26D, 36D may
decrease continuously along substantially the entire longitudinal length L2
from the fourth
maximum height H4 to a fourth minimum height H4'. In another particular
embodiment, the
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fourth refiner bars 26D, 36D may extend substantially horizontally from the
third radially
outward position P4 to the fourth radially outward position P5, as depicted by
the dashed line
in FIG. 6B, such that the fourth refiner bars 26D, 36D are at the fourth
maximum height H4
along substantially the entire longitudinal length L2 of the fourth refiner
bars 26D, 36D. In
other embodiments (not shown), the third refiner bars 26C, 36C may be radially
separated from
the fourth refiner bars 26D, 36D by a space.
With reference to FIGS. 4B, 5B, and 7, the refining surface 24, 34 may
comprise dams
29, 39 provided in at least a portion of the first and/or third refiner
grooves 28A', 38A', 28C,
38C, as described herein.
The first refiner bars 26A', 36A' in FIGS. 4B, 5B, and 6B are adapted to
refine wood
fibers, and the second refiner bars 26B', 36B' in FIGS. 4B, 5B, and 6B are
adapted to break up
fiber bundles, as described with respect to the first and second refiner bars
26A, 36A, 26B, 36B
in FIGS. 4A, 5A, and 6A. The third refiner bars 26C, 36C are adapted to refine
wood fibers
(similar to the first refiner bars 26A', 36A'), while the fourth refiner bars
26D, 36D are adapted
to break up fiber bundles (similar to the second refiner bars 26W, 36B'), as
described herein.
With reference to FIGS. 1, 4B, 5B, and 6B, the portions of the refining space
60 that
are at least partially defined by the first refmer grooves 28K, 38A' and the
third refiner grooves
28C, 38C and extending from the radially inward position Pr to the first
radially outward
position P2 and from the second radially outward position P3' to the third
radially outward
position P4 on the refining surface 24, 34 may at least partially define first
and second refming
zones, respectively, as described herein. The portions of the refining space
60 that are at least
partially defined by the second refmer grooves 28B', 38B' and the fourth
refiner grooves 28D,
38D and extending from the first radially outward position P2' to the second
radially outward
position P3' and from the third radially outward position P4 to the fourth
radially outward
position Non the refining surface 24, 34 may at least partially defme first
and second deflaking
zones, respectively, as described herein. It is believed that the second
maximum height 1-12 of
the second refiner bars 26B', 36B' should be at least about 0.35 mm less than
the first maximum
height Hi of the first refiner bars 26A', 36A' in order to cease refming of
the fibers and begin
deflaking. Similarly, it is believed that the fourth maximum height H4 of the
fourth refiner bars
26D, 36D should be at least about 0.35 mm less than the third maximum height 1-
13 of the third
refiner bars 26C, 36C in order to cease refming of the fibers and begin
deflaking. The first and
second refming zones may comprise 60% or more of the total area defined by
both the first and
second refining and deflaking zones on each refining surface 24, 34.
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FIGS. 8 and 9 are partial cross-sectional views of the first and second
refining bodies
22, 32/132 of the first and second refining members 20, 30/130 according to
the present
disclosure. The first refining member 20 is spaced apart and positioned
adjacent to and across
from the second refining member 30 (see FIG. 1). In the embodiment shown in
FIG. 8, a
refining body according to the present invention, e.g., the first refining
body 22, is paired with
the conventional refining body 132. The first refining body 22 comprises a
first refiner bar
26A, a first refiner groove 28A, a second refiner bar 26B, and a second
refiner groove 28B,
which may correspond to the first and second refiner bars 26A, 26B and first
and second refiner
grooves 28A, 28B, as described herein with respect to FIGS. 4A, 4B, 6A, 6B,
and 7. It is
understood that the features described in FIG. 8 with respect to the first and
second refiner bars
26A, 26B and first and second refiner grooves 28A, 28B apply equally to the
third and fourth
refiner bars 26C, 26D and third and fourth refiner grooves 28C, 28D,
respectively, as described
herein (see FIGS. 4B, 5B, and 6B). The conventional refining body 132
comprises a
conventional refiner bar 136, which is a uniform height along substantially
the entire
longitudinal length of the refiner bar 136, and a refiner groove 138. In other
embodiments (not
shown), the non-rotating stator member, e.g., the first refining member 20,
may comprise
conventional refiner bars that are a uniform height along substantially their
entire length, and
the rotating rotor member, e.g., the second refining member 30 may comprise
refiner bars 26A,
26B and refiner grooves 28A, 28B according to the present disclosure (see FIG.
1).
A first gap G] is defined in FIG. 8 between an outer surface 526A of the first
refiner bar
26A and an outer surface S136 of the conventional refiner bar 136. In examples
in which the
second refiner bar 26B slopes continuously downward, a second gap G2 may be
defined
between an outer surface 526B of the second refiner bar 26B and the outer
surface of the
conventional refiner bar 136, in which G2 is greater than Gi . In examples in
which the second
refiner bar 26B extends substantially horizontally (shown in FIG. 8 by dashed
lines), a third
gap G3 may be defined between an outer surface 526B' of the second refiner bar
26B and the
outer surface S136 of the conventional refiner bar 136, in which G3 is greater
than GI. As shown
in FIG. 8, in embodiments in which one of the second refiner bars, e.g., the
second refiner bar
26B, is sloped, a distance between the outer surface 526B of the second
refiner bar 26B and the
outer surface S136 of the conventional refiner bar 136 may increase
continuously along at least
a portion of the longitudinal length (not labeled; see FIGS. 6A and 6B) of the
second refiner
bar 26B from a minimum distance corresponding to the third gap G3 to a maximum
distance
corresponding to the second gap G2.
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In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, one refming body according to the present
invention, e.g., the first refining body 22, is paired with another refining
body according to the
present invention, e.g., the second refming body 32. The first refining body
22 comprises a
first refiner bar 26A, a first refiner groove 28A, a second refiner bar 26B,
and a second refiner
groove 28B, which may correspond to the first and second refiner bars 26A, 26B
and first and
second refiner grooves 28A, 28B, as described herein with respect to FIGS. 4A,
4B, 6A, 6B,
and 7. The second refining body 32 comprises a first refiner bar 36A, a first
refiner groove
38A, a second refiner bar 36B, and a second refiner groove 38B, which may
correspond to the
first and second refiner bars 36A, 36B and first and second refiner grooves
38A, 38B, as
described herein with respect to FIGS. 5A, 5B, 6A, 6B, and 7. It is understood
that the features
described in FIG. 9 with respect to the first and second refiner bars 26A,
26B, 36A, 36B and
first and second refiner grooves 28A, 28B, 38A, 38B apply equally to the third
and fourth
refiner bars 26C, 26D and third and fourth refiner grooves 28C, 28D,
respectively, as described
herein (see FIGS. 4B, 5B, and 6B).
A first gap GI is defined between an outer surface 526A of the first refiner
bar 26A of
the first refining body 22 and an outer surface 536A of the first refiner bar
36A of the second
refining body 32. In examples in which the second refiner bar 26B of the first
refining body
22 and the second refiner bar 36B of the second refining body 32 both slope
continuously
downward, a gap G4 may be defined between an outer surface 526B of the second
refiner bar
26B and an outer surface 536B of the second refiner bar 36B of the second
refining body 32, in
which G4 is greater than GI. In examples in which one of the second refiner
bars, e.g., the
second refiner bar 26B of the first refining body 22, slopes continuously
downward and the
other of the second refiner bars, e.g., the second refmer bar 36B of the
second refining body
32, extends substantially horizontally (shown in FIG. 9 by dashed lines), a
gap G5 may be
defined between the outer surface 526B of the second refiner bar 26B and an
outer surface 536B'
of the second refiner bar 36B, in which G5 is greater than GI. In examples in
which the second
refiner bar 26B of the first refining body 22 and the second refiner bar 36B
of the second
refining body 32 both extend substantially horizontally (shown in FIG. 9 with
dashed lines), a
gap G6 may be defined between an outer surface 526B' of the second refiner bar
26B and the
outer surface 536B' of the second refiner bar 36B, in which G6 is greater than
GI. In some
particular examples, G4 is greater than G5, and G5 is greater than G6.
As shown in FIG. 9, in embodiments in which one or both of the second refiner
bars
26B, 36B are sloped, a distance between the outer surfaces 526B, 526B', 536B,
536B' of the second
refiner bars 26B, 36B may increase continuously along at least a portion of
the longitudinal
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length (not labeled; see FIGS. 6A and 6B) of one or both of the respective
second refiner bars
26B, 36B. For example, when one refining body, e.g., the first refining body
22, comprises a
sloped second refiner bar 26B, the distance between the outer surfaces 526B,
S368' of the second
refiner bars 26B, 36B may increase from a minimum distance corresponding to
the gap G6 to
a maximum distance corresponding to the third gap G5. When both refining
bodies 22, 32
comprise sloped second refiner bars 26B, 36B, the distance between the outer
surfaces 526B,
536B of the second refiner bars 26B, 36B may increase from a minimum distance
corresponding
to the gap G6 to a maximum distance corresponding to the second gap G4.
In all embodiments depicted in FIGS. 8 and 9, as the rotatable refining member
(e.g.,
the first refilling member 20; see FIG. 1) rotates relative to the stationary
refining member (e.g.,
the second refining member 30/130; see FIG. 1), the pulp slurry comprising
wood fibers is
supplied to the frame 66, e.g., the inlet 16, of the refiner 10 (see FIG. 1)
and enters the refining
space 60 defined between the first and second refining bodies 22, 32/132. With
reference to
FIG. 8, as the wood fibers enter the portion of the refining space 60 that is
at least partially
defined by the first refiner grooves 28A of the first refining body 22 and the
refiner grooves
138 of the second refining body 132, the first and second refining bodies 22,
132 are spaced
apart to define the first gap Gi between the first refiner bars 26A of the
first refining body 22
and the conventional refiner bars 136 of the second refming body 132 such that
the refiner bars
26A and 136 interact with one another to refine the wood fibers, as described
herein. It is
believed that the first gap GI should be less than about 0.9 mm and preferably
between about
0.2 mm to about 0.9 mm in order for refining to occur.
With continued reference to FIG. 8, as the wood fibers pass into the portion
of the
refining space 60 that is at least partially defined by the second refiner
grooves 28B of the first
refining body 22 and the refiner grooves 138 of the second refining body 132,
a distance
between the second refiner bars 26B of the first refining body 22 and the
refiner bars 136 of
the second refining body 132 is increased such that it is believed that
refining stops and
deflaking begins. In embodiments in which the second refiner bars 26B slope
continuously
downward, the distance increases from the first gap GI to the second gap G2.
In embodiments
in which the second refiner bars 26B extend substantially horizontally, the
distance increases
from the first gap GI to the third gap G3. It is believed that the distance
between the second
refiner bars 26B of the first refining body 22 and the refiner bars 136 of the
second refining
body 132, i.e., G2 or G3, should be between about 0.9 mm and about 1.5 mm in
order for
deflaking to occur.
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With reference to FIG. 9, as the wood fibers enter the portion of the refining
space 60
that is at least partially defined by the first refiner grooves 28A, 38A of
the first and second
refining bodies 22, 32, respectively, the first and second refining bodies 22,
32 are spaced apart
to define the first gap GI between the first refiner bars 26A, 36A such that
the refiner bars 26A,
36A interact with one another to refine the wood fibers, as described herein.
As the wood
fibers pass into the portion of the refining space 60 that is at least
partially defined by the second
refiner grooves 28B, 38B of the first and second refining bodies 22, 32,
respectively, a distance
between the second refiner bars 26B of the first refining body 22 and the
second refiner bars
36B of the second refining body 32 increases to one of the gaps Gs, G5, or G6
such that refining
stops and deflaking begins. It is believed that the first gap GI should be
less than about 0.9
mm and preferably between about 0.2 mm to about 0.9 mm in order for refining
to occur and
that the gaps Gs, G5, G6 should be between about 0.9 mm and about 1.5 mm in
order for
deflaking to occur.
With reference to FIGS. 1, 6A, 6B, 8, and 9, the gaps GI and G2, G3, G4, G4,
G5, G6
defined between the refining bodies 22, 32/132 may be adjusted by applying
axial pressure to
at least one of the first or second refining members 20, 30, for example, via
the second motor
76 that is coupled to the movable support frame 68 via the jack screw (not
shown). For a
single-disc refiner, the second refining member 30 may be coupled directly to
the movable
support frame 68 such that the second refining member 30 moves with the
movable support
.. frame 68 as the latter is moved via the second motor 76 and the jack screw.
For a double-disc
refiner 10, the second refilling member 30 is moved as described above, i.e.,
as the jack screw
rotates in a first direction, it causes movement of the movable support frame
68 and the fourth
refining member 50 inwardly towards the third refming member 40. The fourth
refining
member 50 then applies an axial force to the wood slurry passing through the
second refining
space 62 which, in turn, applies an axial force to the third refining member
40, causing the third
refining member 40, the support 70 and the second refining member 30 to move
inwardly
toward the first refining member 20.
The gap GI defined between the refiner bars 26A, 36A, 136 may be maintained at
a
substantially constant gap value by adjusting the positioning of the second
refining member 30
relative to the first refining member 20 via the second motor 76 (controlled
manually or via a
controller/processor coupled to the second motor 76) and jack screw so that an
amount of power
required to be input/generated by the first motor 74 (controlled manually or
via a
controller/processor coupled to the first motor 74), running at a
predetermined rotational
velocity, to process a certain amount of pulp flowing through the refining
space 60, is
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maintained at a predefined input power level, which power level is monitored
by an operator
or a controller/processor controlling the first motor 74. For example, if pulp
is moving through
the refining space 60 of a 20 inch diameter Andrite Twinflo IIIB low
consistency refiner at a
flow rate of 151 gallons/minute, and the first motor 74 is running at a
constant rotational speed
of 800 RPM, the second motor 76 is controlled so as to move the second
refining member 30
relative to the first refining member 20 until the power input by the first
motor 74 equals 114
kilowatts. When the power input by the first motor 74 equals 114 kilowatts, it
is presumed that
the gap size between the first and second refining members 20, 30 is at a
value of 0.57 mm.
With continued reference to FIGS. 1, 6A, 6B, 8, and 9, it is believed that the
gap G2,
G3, G4, G4, G5, G6 required to achieve deflaking may vary depending on the
load or flow rate
(i.e., the liters/minute of pulp slurry flowing through the refining space 60)
to which the
refining bodies 22, 32/132 are subjected. For example, when the refining
bodies 22, 32/132
are lightly loaded, refining of the wood fibers may stop and deflaking may
begin almost
immediately upon passage of the fibers into the portion of the refining space
60 that is at least
partially defined by the second refiner grooves 28B/2813', 38B/38B', e.g.,
upon movement of
the wood fibers past the first radially outward position P2/ P2' and/or the
third radially outward
position P4, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. When the refining bodies 22, 32/132
are heavily
loaded, some refining of the wood fibers may continue along at least a portion
of the refining
space 60 that is at least partially defined by the second refiner grooves
28B/28B', 38B/38B'.
In situations in which the refming bodies 22, 32/132 are heavily loaded,
embodiments
in which one or both of the second refiner bars 26B/26B' of the first refining
body 22 and the
second refiner bars 36B/36B' of the second refining body 32 slope continuously
downward
may be particularly advantageous to ensure that a sufficient distance between
the refiner bars
26B/26B' and 136/36B/36B' is achieved along at least a portion of the refining
space 60 that
is at least partially defined by the second refiner grooves 28B/28B', 38B/38B'
to allow refining
to cease and deflaking to occur. In addition, the refining surfaces 24, 34 of
the refining bodies
22, 32 may wear and degrade over time. In particular, the first and third
refiner bars 26A/26A',
26C, 36A/36A', 36C that perform the majority of the high intensity, high
energy refining may
wear faster than the second and fourth refiner bars 26B/26B', 26D, 36B/36B',
36D that perform
deflaking, which is generally lower intensity and lower energy than refining.
The position of
the refming bodies 22, 32/132 may be adjusted as described herein to maintain
the first gap Gi
between the first and third refiner bars 26A/26A', 26C, 36A/36A', 36C at a
substantially
constant value as their outer surfaces 526A, 536A begin to wear down. However,
the gap G2, G3,
G4, Ght, G5, G6 between the second and fourth refiner bars 26B/26B', 26D,
36B/36B', 36D may
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not be adjustable. Thus, embodiments in which one or both of the second refmer
bars
26B/26B', 36B/36B and/or one or both of the four refiner bars 36B/36B, 36D are
sloped are
believed to allow the transition between the refining and deflaking zones to
shift radially
outward along the longitudinal length (not labeled: see FIGS. 6A and 6B) of
the second and
fourth refiner bars 26B/26B', 26D, 36B/36B', 36D as the first and third
refiner bars 26A/26A',
26C, 36A/36A', 36C wear down.
FIGS. 10 and 11 are plan views of portions of refuting surfaces of a first
refining body
22' and a second refining body 32', respectively, according to another
embodiment of the
present disclosure. With reference to FIGS. 1, 10, and 11, the first and
second refining bodies
22', 32' may be part of refining members, e.g., first and second refming
members 20, 30,
respectively, as described herein, for use in a pulp refiner, such as the disc
refiner 10 depicted
in FIG. 1. Each of the refining members 20, 30 comprising the first and second
refining bodies
22', 32', respectively, may be associated with the main support frame
comprising the fixed
support frame 66 secured to the first housing section 12 and the movable
support frame 68.
One refining member, e.g., the first refining member 20 comprising the first
refining body 22',
may be fixed to the support frame 66 of the refiner 10 to defme a non-rotating
stator member.
Another refining member, e.g., a second refining member 30 comprising the
second refming
body 32', may be fixed to the support 70, which rotates with the shaft 72 and
defines a rotor
that is associated with the main support frame, such that rotation of the
rotor effects movement
of the second refming member 30 relative to the first refining member 20.
Third and fourth
refining members (not shown), having third and fourth refining bodies similar
to the first and
second refining bodies 22', 32', may also be provided.
As shown in FIG. 10, the first refining body 22' comprises a plurality of
sections 22A'-
22C' that may be bolted or otherwise attached together to form the disc-shaped
refining body
22' comprising a radially outer edge 27'. Each section 22A'-22C comprises a
plurality of
elongated refiner bars 26' separated from one another by refiner grooves 28'.
Although not
shown in FIG. 10, it is understood that the other sections (not labeled) of
the first refining body
22' would similarly comprise refiner bars 26' and refuter grooves 28'. The
refuter bars 26'
extend radially outwardly from a radially inner location 23' toward the
radially outer edge 27'
of the first refining body 22'. Each section 22K-22C' of the first refining
body 22' may
comprise one or more or more radially extending pie-shaped segments comprising
at least one
first pie-shaped segment 22B-1 and at least one second pie-shaped segment 22B-
2.
As shown in FIG. 11, the second refining body 32' comprises a corresponding
plurality
of sections 32A'-32C' that may be bolted or otherwise attached together to
form the disc-
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shaped refining body 32' comprising a radially outer edge 37'. Each section
32A'-32C'
comprises a plurality of elongated refiner bars 36' separated from one another
by refiner
grooves 38'. Although not shown in FIG. 11, it is understood that the other
sections (not
labeled) of the second refining body 32' would similarly comprise refiner bars
36' and refiner
grooves 38'. The refiner bars 36' extend radially outwardly from a radially
inner location 33'
toward the radially outer edge 37' of the second refining body 32'. Each
section 32A'-32C' of
the second refining body 32' may comprise one or more or more radially
extending pie-shaped
segments comprising at least one first pie-shaped segment 32B-1 and at least
one second pie-
shaped segment 32B-2. Although not discussed in detail herein, the third and
fourth refining
bodies 42, 52 of FIG. 1 may comprise a structure that is substantially similar
to the first and
second refining bodies 22', 32', respectively, as described herein.
At least one of the first and second refining bodies 22', 32' of FIGS. 10 and
11
comprises one or more sections 22A'-22C', 32A'-32C' with at least one radially
extending pie-
shaped segment, e.g., 22B-1 and 32B-1, of refiner bars 26', 36' that comprises
one or more
characteristics that are different from the refiner bars 26', 36' in an
adjacent radially extending
pie-shaped segment, e.g., 22B-2 and 32B-2, respectively. FIGS. 12A and 12B are
partial cross-
sectional views in which the first and second refining bodies 22', 32 of FIGS.
10 and 11 are
spaced apart and positioned adjacent to and across from each other (see FIG.
1). In FIG. 12A,
a first refiner bar 26-1, which may be located on a refining surface 24-1 of
the at least one first
pie-shaped segment 22B-1 of the first refining body 22' (also referred to
herein as a first
refining surface), is spaced apart and positioned adjacent to and across from
a third refiner bar
36-1, which may be located on a refining surface 34-1 of the at least one
third pie-shaped
segment 32B-1 of the second refining body 32' (also referred to herein as a
third refining
surface). In FIG. 12B, a second refiner bar 26-2, which may be located on a
refining surface
24-2 of the at least one second pie-shaped segment 22B-2 of the first refining
body 22' (also
referred to herein as a second refining surface), is spaced apart and
positioned adjacent to and
across from a fourth refmer bar 36-2, which may be located on a refining
surface 34-2 of the
at least one fourth pie-shaped segment 32B-2 of the second refining body 32'
(also referred to
herein as a fourth refining surface).
With reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 12A, the first refiner bars 26-1 are
separated from
one another by first refiner grooves 28-1 and may comprise a first maximum
height Hr
extending upward from a floor Fr of a respective adjacent first refiner groove
28-1. The third
refiner bars 36-1 are separated from one another by third refiner grooves 38-1
and may
comprise a third maximum height H3' extending upward from a floor F3' of a
respective
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adjacent third refmer groove 38-1. As shown in FIG. 12A, the first and third
refiner bars 26-
1, 36-1 may be substantially similar to one another, and the first and third
maximum heights
Hr, 1-13- may be substantially equal.
With reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 12B, the second refiner bars 26-2 are
separated
from one another by second refiner grooves 28-2 and may comprise a second
maximum height
H2' extending upward from a floor F2 of an adjacent second refiner groove 28-
2. The fourth
refmer bars 36-2 are separated from one another by fourth refiner grooves 38-2
and may
comprise a fourth maximum height H4' extending upward from a floor F4' of an
adjacent fourth
refiner groove 38-2. As shown in FIG. 12B, the second and fourth refiner bars
26-2, 36-2 may
be substantially similar to one another, and the second and fourth maximum
heights H2', H4'
may be substantially equal. All of the refiner bars 26-1, 26-2, 36-1, 36-2
within a respective
pie-shaped segment 22B-1, 22B-2, 32B-1, 32B-2 may comprise a same height with
respect to
each other.
The second maximum height H2' of the second refiner bars 26-2 may be less than
the
first maximum height Hr of the first refiner bars 26-1. In some examples, the
second maximum
height H2', when measured from the floor Fr of the adjacent second refiner
groove 28-2, may
be at least 0.35 mm less than the first maximum height Hr. In other examples,
the second
maximum height Hr, when measured from the floor F2' of the adjacent second
refiner groove
28-2, may be at least 0.70 mm less than the first maximum height Hr. In
further examples, the
first maximum height Hr of the first refmer bars 26-1, when measured from the
floor Fi' of the
respective adjacent first refiner groove 28-1, may be from about 4 mm to about
10 mm. In a
particular example, the second maximum height Hr of the second refiner bars 26-
2, when
measured from the floor F2' of the respective adjacent second refmer groove 28-
2, may be from
about 0.35 mm to about 1.5 mm less than the first maximum height Hr. In
another particular
example, the second maximum height I-12- of the second refiner bars 26-2, when
measured from
the floor Fr of the respective adjacent second refiner groove 28-2, may be
from about 0.7 mm
to about 1.5 mm less than the first maximum height Hr. In further examples,
the first refiner
bars 26-1 and the second refiner bars 26-2 may comprise a width extending
between sides
edges of the respective refmer bars 26-1, 26-2 of from about 2 mm to about 8
mm (not shown;
see FIG. 7). The fourth maximum height 114- of the fourth refiner bars 36-2,
which may
correspond to the second maximum height 1-12-, may be less than the third
maximum height 1-13.
of the third refiner bars 36-1, which may correspond to the first maximum
height Hr.
With reference to FIGS. 1, 10, 11, 12A, and 12B, as the second refining member
30
rotates relative to the first refining member 20, the refining surface 34-1 of
the at least one third
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pie-shaped segment 32B-1 of the second refining body 32' will pass the
refining surface 24-1
of the at least one first pie-shaped segment 22B-1 of the first refining body
22', and the refining
surface 34-2 of the at least one fourth pie-shaped segment 32B-2 of the second
refining body
32' will pass the refining surface 24-2 of the at least one second pie-shaped
segment 22B-2 of
the first refining body 22'. When a slurry of wood pulp is supplied to the
frame 66, e.g., the
inlet 16, of the refiner 10 and passes through the refining space 60, and the
refming surface 34-
1 of the at least one third pie-shaped segment 32B-1 of the second refining
body 32' passes the
refining surface 24-1 of the at least one first pie-shaped segment 22B-1 of
the first refining
body 22', the third refiner bars 36-1 comprising the third maximum height H3'
will be
positioned opposite the first refiner bars 26-1 comprising the first maximum
height Hi' such
that the first and third refiner bars 26-1 and 36-1 refine a significant
number of the wood fibers.
When the refining surface 34-2 of the at least one fourth pie-shaped segment
32B-2 of the
second refining body 32' passes the refining surface 24-2 of the at least one
second pie-shaped
segment 22B-2 of the first refining body 22', the fourth refiner bars 36-2
comprising the fourth
maximum height FT4' will be positioned opposite from the second refiner bars
26-2 comprising
the second maximum height Hr such that the second and fourth refiner bars 26-2
and 36-2
break up or separate a plurality of wood fiber bundles in the wood pulp
slurry, as described
herein. Low intensity refining may occur when the refining surface 34-1 of the
at least one
third pie-shaped segment 32B-1 of the second refining body 32' passes the
refining surface 24-
2 of the at least one second pie-shaped segment 22B-2 of the first refining
body 22', and the
refining surface 34-2 of the at least one fourth pie-shaped segment 32B-2 of
the second refining
body 32' passes the refining surface 24-1 of the at least one first pie-shaped
segment 22B-1 of
the first refining body 22'.
As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, one or more of the sections 22K-22C', 32A'-32C'
of
.. the respective refining bodies 22', 32' may, in some examples, each
comprise three radially
extending pie-shaped segments 22B-1, 22B-1, 22B-3 and 32B-1, 32B-2, 32B-3. In
some
particular examples, two segments, e.g., 22B-1, 22B-3 and 32B-1, 32B-3, may
comprise refiner
bars with one of the first or second maximum height Hr, H2', and one segment,
e.g., 22B-2 and
32B-2, may comprise refiner bars with the other of the first or second maximum
height Hi',
1-12., in which the second maximum height H2' is less than the first maximum
height Hr. For
example, the segments 22B-1, 22B-3 may comprise the first refiner bars 26-1,
the segments
32B-1, 32B-3 may comprise third refiner bars 36-1, the segment 22B-2 may
comprise the
second refiner bars 26-2, and the segment 32B-2 may comprise the fourth
refiner bars 36-2. In
other examples (not shown), one or more of the sections 22A'-22C', 32A'-32C-
may each
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comprise only two segments of refiner bars or may each comprise four or more
segments of
refiner bars. In further examples (not shown), one or more of the sections
22A'-22C', 32A'-
32C' may not comprise separate segments, such that an entire section comprises
refiner bars
of one height. It is understood that a refining body according to the present
disclosure, e.g.,
one of refining bodies 22', 32', may be paired with a refining body comprising
conventional
refiner bars, e.g.; refmer bars that are all of the same height.
It is believed that a gap between opposing first and third refiner bars 26-1,
36-1 should
be less than about 0.9 mm and preferably between about 0.2 mm to about 0.9 mm
in order for
refining to occur and that a gap between opposing second and fourth refiner
bars 26-2, 36-2
should be between about 0.9 mm and about 1.5 mm in order for deflalcing to
occur.
FIGS. 13 and 14 are plan views of portions of a first refining surface 224 of
a first
refining body 222 and a second refining surface 234 of a second refming body
232,
respectively, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. With
reference to
FIGS. 1, 13, and 14, the first and second refining bodies 222, 232 may be part
of refining
members, e.g., refining members 20, 30, respectively, as described herein, for
use in a pulp
refiner, such as the disc refiner 10 depicted in FIG. 1. Each of the refming
members 20, 30
comprising the first and second refming bodies 222, 232, respectively, may be
associated with
the main support frame comprising the fixed support frame 66 secured to the
first housing
section 12 and the movable support frame 68. One refining member, e.g., the
first refining
member 20 comprising the first refining body 222, may be fixed to the support
frame 66 of the
refiner 10 to define a non-rotating stator member. Another refining member,
e.g., the second
refining member 30 comprising the second refining body 232, may be fixed to
the support 70,
which rotates with the shaft 72 and defines a rotor that is associated with
the main support
frame, such that rotation of the rotor effects movement of the second refining
member 30
relative to the first refining member 20.
As shown in FIG. 13, the first refining body 222 comprises a plurality of
sections (not
separately labeled; see FIGS. 2 and 3) that may be bolted or otherwise
attached together to
fonn the disc-shaped refining body 222 comprising a radially outer edge 227.
The first refining
surface 224 comprises a plurality of elongated first refiner bars 226
separated from one another
by first refiner grooves 228. The first refiner bars 226 extend radially
outwardly from a radially
inner location 223 toward the radially outer edge 227 of the first refming
body 222. The first
refiner bars 226 may be slanted at various angles as shown in FIG. 13, and
each section of the
refming body 222 may comprise one or more segments (not labeled) of refiner
bars 226 that
are slanted in different directions. The first refining body 222 further
comprises one or more
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annular rows or rings of teeth 400 located between the first refiner bars 226
and the radially
outer edge 227 of the first refining body 222. Although not shown in FIG. 13,
it is understood
that the other sections (not labeled) of the first refining body 222 would
similarly comprise
refiner bars 226, refmer grooves 228, and teeth 400.
As shown in FIG. 14, the second refining body 232 comprises a plurality of
sections
(not separately labeled; see FIGS. 2 and 3) that may be bolted or otherwise
attached together
to form the disc-shaped refming body 232 comprising a radially outer edge 237.
The second
refining surface 234 comprises a plurality of elongated second refmer bars 236
separated from
one another by second refiner grooves 238. The second refiner bars 236 extend
radially
outwardly from a radially inner location 233 toward the radially outer edge
237 of the second
refining body 232. The second refiner bars 236 may be slanted at various
angles as shown in
FIG. 14, and each section of the refining body 232 may comprise one or more
segments (not
labeled) of refiner bars 236 that are slanted in different directions. The
second refining body
232 further comprises one or more annular rows or rings of teeth 400 located
between the
second refiner bars 236 and the radially outer edge 237 of the second refining
body 232.
Although not shown in FIG. 14, it is understood that the other sections (not
labeled) of the
second refining body 232 would similarly comprise refiner bars 236, refiner
grooves 238, and
teeth 400. In addition, although not discussed in detail herein, the structure
of the refining
surfaces 44, 54 of the third and fourth refining bodies 42, 52, respectively,
of FIG. 1 may
comprise a structure that is substantially similar to the refining surfaces
224, 234 of the first
and second refming bodies 222, 232, respectively, as described herein.
FIGS. 15 and 16 are detailed views of one portion of the first and second
refining
surfaces 224, 234, of FIGS. 13 and 14, respectively. FIG. 17 is a partial
cross-sectional view
of a first refiner bar 226 and tooth 400B, which may be located on the first
refining body 222
of FIGS. 13 and 15, and a second refiner bar 236 and teeth 400A, 400C, which
may be located
on the second refining body 232 of FIGS. 14 and 16, in which the first
refining body 222 is
spaced apart and positioned adjacent to and across from the second refining
body 232 to define
a refining space 260 therebetween. With reference to FIGS. 15-17, the first
refining surface
224 comprises first refiner bars 226 that are separated from one another by
first refiner grooves
228, and the second refining surface 234 comprises second refiner bars 236
that are separated
from one another by second refiner grooves 238. One or both of the first and
second refming
surfaces 224, 234 may comprise dams 229, 239 provided in at least a portion of
the first and
second refiner grooves 228, 238, as described herein. Each of the first and
second refiner bars
226, 236 extends from a radially inward position Ploo to a first radially
outward position P200
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on the respective first and second refining surfaces 224, 234. In some
examples, the radially
inward position P100 may comprise a position at or near the respective
radially inner location
223, 233 (see FIGS. 13 and 14). The first and second refiner bars 226, 236 may
comprise a
width W226, W236, respectively, extending between sides edges of the
respective refiner bars
226, 236 of from about 2 inm to about 8 mm.
The first refining surface 224 comprises first teeth 400B located between a
radially
outer edge R0226 of the first refiner bars 226 and the radially outer edge 227
of the first refining
body 222. The first teeth 400B extend to a third radially outward position,
e.g., P400, on the
first refining surface 224, in which the third radially outward position 13400
is nearer to an
outermost part, e.g., the radially outer edge 227, of the first refilling body
222 than the first
radially outward position P200 of the first refining bars 226. The second
refining surface 234
comprises second teeth 400A, 400C that are located between a radially outer
edge R0236 of the
second refmer bars 236 and the radially outer edge 237 of the second refining
body 232. The
second teeth 400A, 400C extend to a second or a fourth radially outward
position, e.g., P300 or
P500, on the second refining surface 234, in which the second and fourth
radially outward
positions P300, P500 are nearer to an outermost part, e.g., the radially outer
edge 237, of the
second refining body 232 than the first radially outward position P200 of the
second refining
bars 236.
With continued reference to FIGS. 15-17, the teeth 400A-400C may be arranged
in
concentric rings and may protrude substantially perpendicularly toward one
another from the
respective refining surfaces 224, 234. The ring comprising first teeth 400B is
spaced apart
from the radially outer edge R0226 of the first refiner bars 226 by a first
substantially planar
area 282 and from the radially outer edge 227 of the refining body 222 by a
second substantially
planar area 284. The ring comprising second teeth 400A is spaced apart from
the radially outer
edge R0236 of the second refiner bars 236 by a first substantially planar area
286 and from the
ring comprising second teeth 400C by a second substantially planar area 288.
In the
embodiment shown in FIGS. 15-17, the first refining surface 224 of the first
refining body 222
comprises one concentric row/ring of first teeth 400B, and the second refining
surface 234 of
the second refining body 232 comprises two concentric rows/rings of second
teeth 400A, 400C,
in which the first and second teeth 400A-400C are arranged on the respective
refining surfaces
224, 234 such that the first teeth 400B intermesh with the second teeth 400A,
400C. In other
embodiments (not shown), the first refining surface 224 may comprise two or
more concentric
rings of teeth, and the second refining surface 234 may comprise one
concentric row of teeth
or three or more concentric rings of teeth. In all embodiments, one of the
refming bodies will
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comprise one fewer rings of teeth than the other refining body, and the teeth
are arranged on
each refining body such that the teeth from one refining body intermesh with
the teeth of the
other refining body, as is known in the art.
It is understood that the teeth 400A-400C may comprise any suitable shape
and/or
dimensions known in the art. As illustrated with respect to tooth 400A in FIG.
17, in some
examples, each of the first and second teeth 400A-400C may comprise a
substantially
pyramidal or trapezoidal shape with a base 402, a radially inward facing
surface 404, a radially
outward facing surface 406, sides (not separately labeled) slightly angled
inwardly toward a
center axis (not labeled) of the tooth 400A, and a generally planar outer
surface 408. The
radially inward and outward facing surfaces 404,406 of each tooth 400A-400C
may slope from
the base 402 towards its respective outer surface 408. The outer surface 408
of each tooth
400A-400C may be substantially parallel to a plane of the respective
substantially planar area
282, 284, 288 that is opposite the tooth 400A-400C. In other examples (not
shown), each of
the first and second teeth 400A-400C may comprise a shape that is
substantially triangular,
rectangular, or any other suitable geometric shape. As shown in FIGS. 15-17,
the base 402 of
the teeth 400A-400C may comprise a radial dimension that is greater than a
circumferential
dimension, but in other embodiments (not shown), the base 402 may comprise a
radial
dimension that is less than a circumferential dimension. In some instances, at
least a portion
of the base 402 of teeth 400A-400C may comprise a longitudinal length (not
labeled), i.e., in a
radial direction, of at least 0.6 cm, and in some particular instances, the
longitudinal length may
comprise between 0.6 cm to about 2 cm. In other instances, at least a portion
of the base 402
of the teeth 400A-400C may comprise a width (not labeled), in a
circumferential direction, that
is substantially equal to the combined width, e.g., W226, W236, of one refiner
bar 226, 236 and
a width WG of one adjacent groove 228, 238. The width \VG may be from about 2
mm to about
6 mm. For example, the base 402 of the teeth 400A-400C may comprise at least
about 10 mm
in the circumferential direction. In other instances, the base 402 of the
teeth 400A-400C may
comprise between about 10 mm and 20 mm in the circumferential direction. in
addition, one
or more of the radially inward and outward facing surfaces 404,406 or the
sides of one or more
of the teeth 400A-400C may comprise one or more radially-extending projections
that may
affect the interaction of the teeth 400A-400C with the wood fibers to separate
wood fiber
bundles. The teeth 400A-400C may have a structure similar to those illustrated
in U.S. Patent
No. 8,342,437 B2, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
As shown in FIG. 17, the first refiner bars 226 comprise a first height flioo
extending
upward from a floor Fioo of an adjacent first refmer groove 228, and the
second refiner bars
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236 comprise a second height H200 extending upward from a floor F200 of an
adjacent second
refiner groove 238. In some examples, the first and second heights H100, H200
of the first and
second refiner bars 226, 236 may be substantially equal to one another and may
comprise from
about 4 mm to about 10 mm. The first and second refining bodies 222, 232 are
spaced apart
by a first gap Gioo that is defined between an outer surface 5226 of the first
refiner bar 226 and
an outer surface S236 of the second refiner bar 236. A second gap Gm is
defined between the
generally planar outer surfaces 408 of the teeth 400A-400C and a respective
one of the
substantially planar areas 282, 284, 288 that is opposite the tooth 400A-400C,
in which G200
may be greater than Gioo. In some examples, a height (not labeled) of the
teeth 400A-400C
extending upward from the adjacent, respective first or second refiner groove
228, 238 may be
about 8-10 mm. As shown in FIG. 17, the teeth 400A-400C are intermeshed such
that a portion
of one or both of the radially inward or outward facing surfaces 404, 406 of
each tooth 400A-
400C overlaps in an axial direction, e.g., in the direction of arrow A in FIG.
1, with a portion
of the radially inward or outward facing surface 404,406 of an adjacent tooth
400A-400C. The
overlapping portion(s) of the teeth 400A-400C may be spaced apart by a third
gap G300 that is
defined between the respective radially inward or outward facing surfaces
404,406 of the teeth
400A-400C. In some examples, G300 may be substantially equal to G200. In other
examples,
G300 may be less than or more than G200.
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 17, when a slurry of wood pulp is supplied to
the frame
of the refiner 10, e.g., the inlet 16, the wood fibers pass into the portion
of the refining space
260 that is at least partially defined by the first and second refiner grooves
228, 238, e.g., from
about the first radially inward position Pioo to about the first radially
outward position P2oo.
The first and second refiner bars 226, 236 interact with one another to refine
a significant
number of the wood fibers in the wood pulp, as described herein. It is
believed that the first
.. gap Gioo should be less than about 0.9 mm and preferably between about 0.2
mm to about 0.9
mm in order for refining to occur. The refined wood fibers then pass into the
portion of the
refining space 260 that is at least partially defined by the respective first
and second
substantially planar areas 282, 284, 286, 288, e.g., from about the first
radially outward position
P200 to about the fourth radially outward position Psoo. It is believed that
the second and third
.. gaps Gm and G300 should be between about 0.9 mm and about 1.5 mm in order
for deflaking
to occur. The teeth 400A-400C are adapted to break up or separate a plurality
of wood fiber
bundles in the wood pulp slurry, as described herein. G200 is greater than
Gioo such that it is
believed that refining stops and deflaking begins at about the first radially
outward first position
P2oo.
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With reference to FIGS. 1 and 15-17, the refining surfaces 224, 234 of the
refining
bodies 222, 232, particularly the outer surfaces S226, S236 of the first and
second refiner bars
226, 236 and the outer surfaces 408 of the teeth 400A-400C, may wear and
degrade over time.
To compensate for this wear, the spacing between the first and second refining
members 20,
.. 30 comprising the first and second refining bodies 222, 232, respectively,
may be readjusted
as described herein such that the first gap Gloo remains substantially
constant. This adjustment
of the first and second refining bodies 222, 232 may cause the second gap G200
to decrease, as
the refiner bars 226,236 perform the more intense function of refining and
typically wear faster
than the teeth 400A-400C. This difference in wear may be factored into the
selection of the
teeth 400A-400C (e.g., the type(s) of metal used for the teeth 400A-400C, the
initial size of the
second gap Groo, the shape of the teeth 400A-400C, etc.) such that an adequate
second gap G200
may be maintained to ensure that refining ceases and deflaking begins when the
wood fibers
enter the portion of the refining space 260 that is at least partially defined
by the respective first
and second substantially planar areas 282, 284, 286, 288. When the refining
bodies 222, 232
are new, the third gap G300 may be substantially equal to or greater than the
second gap G200.
As the refining surfaces 224, 234 wear and the refining members 20, 30 are
moved closer
together, the third gap G300 may decrease until the third gap G300 is less
than the second gap
G200.
In all embodiments described herein, the refiner 10 of FIG. 1 may be coupled
to a
controller (not shown) that receives data from a fiber analyzer (e.g., a
Valmee MAP Pulp
Analyzer (Valmet Corp.)) regarding one or more fiber properties measured at
one or more
locations downstream of the refiner 10, such as a number, size, etc. of fiber
bundles (also
referred to as "Wide Shives"), fibrillation, Canadian Standard Freeness, fiber
length, fiber
width, kink, curl, coarseness, number of fines, etc. Based on this data, the
controller may
.. control operation of the refiner 10 as part of a feedback loop. For
example, the controller may
adjust the spacing between the one or more pairs of refining members 20, 30,
40, 50 in order
to maintain the one or more fiber properties within a predetermined target
range. In some
examples, it is believed that the controller may also increase or decrease a
rotational speed of
the one or more rotating rotor members of the refiner 10 (e.g., the second and
third refining
members 30, 40) based on this data. In other examples, the controller may
control operation
of the refiner 10, such as by varying the size of the refining gap GI, Gioo,
and the deflaking gap
G2, G3, G4, Gs, Go, G200, G300, to generate a refined softwood pulp that has
less than a
predetermined number, e.g., 1,000 ppm, of fiber bundles of a particular size,
e.g., about 150 -
2,000 microns wide and from 0.3 to 40 mm long.
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In other examples, refining members 20, 30, 40, 50 according to the present
disclosure
may be installed in one or more of a plurality of refmers that are arranged in
a series, in which
each refiner may be substantially similar to the refiner 10 of FIG. 1. The
controller may control
operation of one or more of the plurality of refiners in order to maintain the
one or more fiber
properties within the predetermined target range. In some particular examples,
refining
members 20, 30, 40, 50 according to the present disclosure may be installed
only in the last
refiner of the series, and in other examples, refining members 20, 30, 40, 50
according to the
present disclosure may be installed in two or more of the refiners.
FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for processing wood
fibers.
Although reference is made to the components of the refiner 10 in FIG. 1, it
is understood that
the method is not limited only to this structure. The method may begin at Step
500 with
providing a refiner 10 comprising at least a first pair of refining members 20
and 30, 40 and
50. The at least one pair of refining members may comprise a first refining
member 20
comprising a first refining body 22 including a first refining surface 24 and
a second refining
member 30 comprising a second refining body 32 including a second refining
surface 34. The
first refining surface 24 may comprise first refiner bars 26A separated by
first refiner grooves
28A and second refiner bars 26B separated by second refiner grooves 28B, in
which the first
refiner bars 26A have a first maximum height Hi extending upward from a floor
Fi of an
adjacent first refmer groove 28A and the second refiner bars 26B having a
second maximum
height H2 extending upward from a floor F2 of an adjacent second refiner
groove 28B. The
second refining surface 34 may comprise second member refiner bars 36
separated by second
member refiner grooves 38. The first refining member 20 may be spaced from the
second
refining member 30 to define a refining space 60 therebetween. At least a
portion of the second
member refiner bars 36 may be positioned so as to be across from the second
refiner bars 26B
of the first refining member 20 such that a gap G2, G3, G4, G5, G6 between the
portion of the
second member refiner bars 36 and the second refiner bars 26B is defined.
The method may continue with rotating at least one of the first refining
member 20 or
the second refining member 30 such that the first and second refming members
20, 30 move
relative to one another in Step 510, and supplying a slurry of wood pulp
comprising wood
fibers to the refiner 10 such that the slurry passes through the refining
space 60 in Step 520.
At Step 530, axial pressure may be supplied to at least one of the first
refining member 20 or
the second refining member 30 as the slurry is supplied such that the gap G2,
G3, Ga, G5, G6
between the portion of the second member refiner bars 36 and the second
refiner bars 26B is
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between about 0.9 mm and about 1.5 mm, in which at least a portion of wood
fiber bundles
passing through the gap G2, G3, G4, G5, G6 are separated, after which the
method may terminate.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated
and
described, it should be understood that various changes and modifications may
be made
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore
intended to cover
in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the
scope of this
invention.
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