Optimizing refiner operation with statistical modelling

A series of pilot scale refining trials has been conducted to study the impact of refining conditions on the energy efficiency of the process and on the handsheet quality of a chemimechanical pulp. Black spruce (Picea mariana) chips, cooked to a yield of 90% and a sulphonate content of 1.4%, were refined in two atmospheric stages. Plate gap and consistency in each stage was controlled according to a central composite design. Statistical models of refiner performance were constructed from these experimental results and a non-linear optimization of process conditions was conducted. Optimization results were verified with plant trials which indicate that increasing the ratio of specific energy applied in the first stage leads to a reduction of approximately 15% in the total energy required. Inversely, this strategy can be used to obtain significant increases in pulp quality for a given energy input. The results also indicate that the largest proportion of energy must be applied to the fibres at high consistency.     

Dielectric Behavior of Paper Sheets Prepared from Rice Straw Pulp Bleached by Nonconventional H2O2 Method

The dielectric behavior of paper sheets prepared from rice straw pulp bleached by a nonconventional hydrogen peroxide method has been studied. The dielectric behavior is discussed. On the other hand, the dielectric relaxation time t, activation energy δH_?, and entropy change δS_? for the dielectric relaxation are calculated. It was found that the mechanical properties of the paper calculated as the quality number are related to the dielectric properties as well as to the thermodynamic parameters which depend on the bleaching media of the pulp.     

A Comparative Study on a Vertical Stirred Mill Agitator Design for Fine Grinding

Comminution is an energy intensive process. A small change in efficiency can lead to substantial benefits in an overall economy of the process plant. This study focused on the comparison of vertical stirred mill agitator designs. A double helical screw agitator was designed for this purpose. A series of stirred mill experiments were performed with two types of agitator designs a standard pin type and CSIRO’s designed double helical screw stirrers. The effects of operating parameters such as grinding time, stirrer speed, and pulp density on grinding performance was investigated using a magnetite concentrate. Grinding performance was analyzed by considering the product fineness and the energy consumption. The test results show that the grinding time and stirrer speed played a significant role; however, the pulp density had little impact on grinding performance in both cases of agitator designs. The 80% passing target product size of 38 μm was obtained with double helical screw agitator in 20 min of grinding with an expend of 10.53 kWh/t specific energy, whereas, the target product size of 38 μm was achieved with the pin type stirrer at the rate of 21.73 kWh/t. It is evident that grinding in a vertical stirred mill with a double helical screw is more efficient than that using a pin type stirrer in terms of the product size distribution and the specific energy consumption. It is concluded that the double helical screw design provides better energy efficiency compared to the pin type stirrer design. The models were developed for the responses P₈₀ and E_cs. Both models show high regression coefficients thus ensuring a satisfactory of models with experimental data. The model equations developed were then optimized using a quadratic programming to minimize the P₈₀ size at minimum specific energy.     

Rheological properties of cotton pulp cellulose dissolved in 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium chloride solutions

Rheological properties of cotton pulp dissolved in 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium chloride ([Bmim]Cl) solutions were characterized using an advanced rheometer. The complex viscosity, dynamic modulus, and shear viscosity at different temperature were studied. In the steady shear measurements, all the solutions show a shear‐thinning behavior at high shear rates. The complex viscosity as a function of frequency was fitted by extended Carreau–Yasuda model. In all cotton pulp/[Bmim]Cl solutions, the complex dynamic viscosity (η*) and steady shear viscosity (η_a) followed the Cox–Merz rule only at lower frequency. The effects of tested temperature on viscosity and viscoelastic behavior of the solutions were also investigated. The value of activation energy for the dissolution of cotton pulp in ionic liquids was 65.28 kJ/mol at the concentration of 10 wt% and was comparable with the ones for the dissolution of cellulose in NMMO. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Bleach activation of thermomechanical pulp

Under mild alkaline condition the bleaching activator tetraacetyl ethylenediamine (TAED) forms peroxyacetic acid with sodium perborate and improves the brightness of thermomechanical pulp. The activator makes it possible to bleach the pulp efficiently even without addition of sodium hydroxide at any temperature in the range 40 to 70°C. A mathematical model has been proposed to allow estimation of the total peroxy acid consumption during activated bleaching process. Using this model it is possible to calculate the extent of peroxy acid decomposition by predetermining the rate constant and activation energy. The effect of bleach activation was found to be maximum at temperatures below 60°C. The influences of bleaching time, pH, consistency, temperature and TAED charge on the bleach activation has been evaluated. The activator is effective enough to improve the brightness of sodium perborate bleached pulp at an average charge of about 50 mass% of sodium perborate. Apparently, high consistency dispersive bleaching without free alkali is a technological and economic advantage of the process.     

S型卸料器的结构对塔底稀释区流场的影响

引 言 由于高浓漂白具有化学传质效率高、消耗蒸汽少等优点,已在造纸工业中被广泛采纳[1].然而高浓纸浆流动性差,通常在高浓漂白塔塔底需要功率较大的螺旋输送器进行输送,然后再增加稀释单元.因此,研究高浓纸浆降流漂白塔卸料器输送浆料的特征对于节约能源和节省空间以及对卸料器的设计和改进,都将具有很重要的意义.     

A modified method of nitric acid pulping of bagasse

Pulping of bagasse by a rapid and mild nitric acid process was successfully carried out to produce different grades of pulp. Nitric chemimechanical bagasse pulp was produced in a high yield of 91 % on pulping depithed bagasse with 4% HNO₃ for a period of 30 min at 80°C, followed by alkali pulping with 2% NaOH at 95°C for 30 min. The pulp had a satisfactory strength and high opacity. On increasing the strengths of nitric acid to 7% and alkali to 7% a nitric semichemical pulp of 65% yield was obtained. The pulp had a superior strength and high opacity. The pulp was easily bleached to 71% general electric brightness (GE) with the chlorination-alkali-extraction-hypochlorite (CEH) sequence. With 15% HNO₃ and 8% NaOH, nitric chemical bagasse pulp was produced. The pulp was easily bleached to a high brightness of 82% GE with one stage hypochlorite. The pulp had a higher strength than kraft bagasse pulp. A satisfactory newsprint paper was produced on an experimental paper machine with a furnish composed of 80% bleached nitric semichemical bagasse pulp, 10% bleached softwood pulp and 10% clay.     

Eucalyptus globulus kraft process modifications: Effect on pulping and bleaching performance and papermaking properties of bleached pulps

BACKGROUND: Increasing the yield of the wood pulping process allows the reduction of specific wood costs. Process modifications with a great impact on pulp yield are the profiling of chemical charges and addition of anthraquinone (AQ). The aim of the present work is to investigate the influence of effective alkali (EA) profiling and addition of anthraquinone on E. globulus kraft pulping performance. The impact of such process modifications on the ECF bleaching process and on the papermaking properties of the resulting bleached pulps is also evaluated. RESULTS: An EA profiling cook may lead to a pulp yield gain, which is more significant as the total EA charge used in the kraft cook increases. AQ addition to kraft pulping leads to a significant yield increase. The ClO₂ charge required to fully bleach the pulps is lower for EA profiling and higher for kraft + AQ unbleached pulps. Bleached AQ pulp presents a high beatability due to high pulp xylan retention. CONCLUSION: A low total EA charge is the key parameter for high polysaccharide retention on pulp. AQ addition constitutes a feasible strategy to increase pulp yield. Bleaching performance and papermaking properties of pulps produced with the three different methods may be affected by the kraft pulping modifications. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Rapid nitric acid cooking of rice straw

A rapid and mild nitric acid pulping of rice straw was developed and different grades of pulp were produced. A satisfactory nitric chemimechanical rice straw pulp was obtained in a yield of 80% by two stage pulping. In the first stage 5% HNO₃ was used at 80°C and a 6:1 liquor ratio for 30 min, followed by a second alkali stage, 3% NaOH at 95°C for 30 min. The pulp had a satisfactory strength and high opacity and it was bleached by an HP sequence to a 67% general electric brightness (GE). Semichemical pulp of 65% yield was produced by cooking with 10% HNO₃ and 10% NaOH at 20:1 liquor ratio. The pulp had superior strength and it was bleached to a 61% GE by a chlorination-alkali extraction hypochlorite (CEH) sequence. Nitric bleached chemical pulp of 48% and 82% GE was produced by cooking with 6% HNO₃ and 7% NaOH at 10:1 liquor ratio and bleached by a CEH sequence. The chemical pulp is of higher yield and strength than soda pulp. Newsprint that fulfils all the requirements was produced on an experimental paper machine from a furnish composed of 80% bleached nitric chemimechanical rice straw pulp, 10% bleached softwood pulp and 10% clay.     

Analytical Approach to estimate and Predict the CO2 Reforming of CH4 in a Dielectric Barrier Discharge

CO₂ reforming of CH₄ to syngas was investigated in a coaxial dielectric barrier discharge reactor immersed in an oil bath. An analytical model was suggested to estimate and predict the reaction phenomena. The model had input parameters as predictor variables (applied voltage, ratio of CH₄/CO₂, and total flow rate in the feed), output parameters as observed variables, the molar flow rates of reactants (CH₄, CO₂, CO, H₂, and by-products), and energy efficiencies. More than 70% of the output parameters variance could be explained by the input parameter. The model for the CO₂ reforming of CH₄ in a dielectric barrier discharge reactor would be useful to optimize the experiments. A comparison between input parameters suggests that the reaction should be performed under high total flow rate or low applied voltage to obtain greater energy efficiency; whereas at high applied voltage and total flow rate, the reaction obtains a greater absolute amount of reactant conversion and products, but lower energy efficiency.     

Computational modelling of industrial pulp stock chests

Agitated pulp stock chests are the most widely used mixers in pulp and paper manufacture. Stock chests are used for a number of purposes, including attenuation of high‐frequency disturbances in pulp properties (such as mixture composition, fibre mass concentration, and suspension freeness) and are designed using semi‐empirical rules based largely on previous experience. Tests made on both laboratory and industrial‐scale pulp chests indicate that they are subject to non‐ideal flows, including channelling and creation of dead zones. In the present work, a commercial computational fluid dynamic (CFD) software (Fluent) is used to model two industrial pulp stock chests. The first chest is rectangular, agitated using a single side‐entering impeller, and feeds a mixture of chemical pulps at 3.5% mass concentration (C_m) to a papermachine. The second chest has rectangular geometry, with a mid‐feather wall used to direct suspension flow through a U‐shaped trajectory past four side‐entering impellers. This chest is used to remove latency from a C_m = 3.5% thermomechanical pulp suspension ahead of stock screening. For CFD computations, pulp rheology was described using a modified Hershel–Buckley model. Steady‐state simulations were made corresponding to process conditions during mill tests. The calculated steady‐state flows were then used to determine the dynamic response of the virtual chests and then compared with experimental measurements and found to agree reasonably well. The computed flow fields provided insight into mixing processes occurring within the chests, showing cavern formation around the impellers (which reduced the agitated volume available for mixing). Mass‐less particle tracking, using the steady‐state flow field, gave insight into the stagnant regions and bypassing zones created in the vessels. This paper discusses difficulties encountered in characterising the mixing (both experimentally and computationally) and the limitations of the industrial data.     

Rheological characterization of concentrated cellulose solutions in 1‐allyl‐3‐methylimidazolium chloride

The rheological properties of high concentrated wood pulp cellulose 1‐allyl‐3‐methy‐limidazolium Chloride ([Amim]Cl) solutions were investigated by using steady shear and dynamic viscoelastic measurement in a large range of concentrations (10–25 wt %). The measurement reveals that cellulose may slightly degrade at 110°C in [Amim]Cl and the Cox–Merz rule is valid for 10 wt % cellulose solution. All of the cellulose solutions showed a shear thinning behavior over the shear rate at temperature from 80 to 120°C. The zero shear viscosity (η_o) was obtained by using the simplified Cross model to fit experimental data. The η_o values were used for detailed viscosity‐concentration and activation energy analysis. The exponent in the viscosity‐concentration power law was found to be 3.63 at 80°C, which is comparable with cellulose dissolved in other solvents, and to be 5.14 at 120°C. The activation energy of the cellulose solution dropped from 70.41 to 30.54 kJ/mol with an increase of concentration from 10 to 25 wt %. The effects of temperature and concentration on the storage modulus (G′), the loss modulus (G″) and the first normal stress difference (N₁) were also analyzed in this study. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Influence of Heat Treatment on the Optical Properties of Thermal Evaporated SnO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Thin Films

In this investigation, the optical properties of the thermally evaporated SnO₂ films and their dependence on the heat treatment were studied. The transmittance, T (λ), spectra were measured over the spectral range of 0.2 to 0.8 μm for SnO₂ films that were annealed at different temperatures (300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550 and 600 K) in vacuum for 1h. All films showed high transparency in the visible range and increased with increasing the wavelength. These films have become more transparent after annealing at different temperatures. The optical constants of annealed SnO₂ films were obtained by modeling the measured transmission spectra. The best fit modeling of transmission spectra was obtained by applying Drude and OJL models combined with the effective medium approximation Bruggeman model. Increasing the annealing temperatures decreased both the refractive index and the extinction coefficient of the films. While the optical band gap energy increased from 3.05 to 4.11 eV by increasing the annealing temperature from 300 to 600 K, respectively. Analyzing the refractive index dispersion by using the Wemple-DiDomenico model revealed that the oscillator resonance energy E_o decreased whereas the oscillator dispersion energy E_d increased with increasing the annealing temperature.     

杨木APMP与杨木化学浆配抄对纸张性能的影响

研究了典型的国产高得率浆杨木碱性过氧化氢机械浆(APMP)与杨木化学浆配抄对纸张有关性能的影响。结果表明,杨木APMP的比例在50%时,纸张松厚度和不透明度分别增加了39%和9%;同时,纸张平滑度和强度性能有所下降,但由于杨木APMP具有较高的细小纤维含量,因此在一定程度上抵消了其负面影响。     

Dynamic in-series resistance modeling and analysis of a submerged membrane bioreactor using a novel filtration mode

This study is focused on the physical filtration characteristics of a flatsheet membrane bioreactor (MBR) operated under a novel filtration mode. The objective of this research was to demonstrate the possibility of running an MBR with high MLSS concentration for prolonged periods without frequent blocking of the membranes. Current MBR designs, mostly dictated by the manufacturers, have restrictions on the level of MLSS due to fouling. It has been observed that this restraint can be eliminated by applying high shear rates for better removal of cake layer from membrane surface. A pilot scale MBR was setup at the inlet works of a domestic sewage treatment plant. The system was dynamically modeled and calibrated for flux, hydraulic permeability, transmembrane pressure using the in-series resistance model. Resistance components were experimentally determined and compared against the results of dynamic simulations. Intrinsic membrane resistance (R_m) and fouling resistance (R_f) were the major components contributing to total resistance with fractions of 69% (R_m/R_t) and 30% (R_f/R_t) respectively. It was found that cake resistance did not have major impact on the total resistance which was linked to the high aeration intensity. Proposed model was validated by experiments which indicated its potential use on other MBR systems.     

High discharged energy density of nanocomposites filled with double-layered core-shell nanoparticles by reducing space charge polarization

Polymer-based nanocomposite capacitors for energy storage with high discharged energy density and charge-discharge efficiency are of great importance to modern electronic devices and electrical systems. Herein, the energy storage properties are improved by applying double-layered core-shell nanoparticles as fillers. The dopamine was adopted as the outermost layer to improve the dispersibility and compatibility between the fillers and matrix. The high resistance of SiO₂ works as a barrier to limit the movement of space charge over the BaTiO₃ (BT) surface when a high electric field is applied, leading to an enhancement of breakdown strength as well as a decreased space charge polarization, so that an enhancement of discharged energy density and charge-discharge efficiency are achieved. The SiO₂@BT/P(VDF-CTFE) also shows weaker frequency dependence, indicating the reduction of space charge polarization. A possible mechanism of reduced space charge polarization was proposed to explain the effects of SiO₂. This work demonstrates that constructing a core-shell structure with high resistance is an effective way to improve the energy properties of nanocomposite capacitors.     

Determination of Charged Groups in Mechanical Pulp Fibres and Their Influence on Pulp Properties

The content of charged groups, i.e carboxylic and sulfonic acid groups in various kinds of mechanical pulp fibres has been investigated. Special emphasis has been given to the determination of the charged groups located at the fibre surfaces using a polyelectrolyte titration technique. The significance of these charged groups for some physical properties of the pulps has also been evaluated.

The results suggest that it is feasible to determine the surface charges of the various kinds of mechanical pulp fibres by applying the polyelectrolyte titration technique. This study also indicates that fibre surface charges can serve as one of the basic chemical parameters to characterise fibre Surface properties, and that both total charged groups and surface charged groups are important for the physical properties of the pulps.

     

Energy System Consequences When Installing an Advanced Delignification Process

In the pulp and paper industry, during major modernization projects the overall energy system consequences are often not estimated in detail, usually only local energy consequences are taken into account when evaluating possible projects. In this paper, the effects on the overall energy system when installing an advanced delignification process (i.e., a “state‐of‐the‐art” pulp digester and oxygen delignification process) will be presented. Also, the effect such an installation has on the potential for further energy integration is discussed. Furthermore, the CO₂ consequences for both installing such a system and integrating the mill further energy‐wise are presented.     

Optimization of low sulfur carob pulp liquor as carbon source for fossil fuels biodesulfurization

BACKGROUND: Biodesulfurization (BDS) is a complementary technology to hydrodesulfurization since it allows the removal of recalcitrant sulfur compounds present in fossil fuels. The cost of culture medium to produce the biocatalysts is still one limitation for BDS application. Carob pulp, as an alternative carbon source, can reduce this cost. However, the presence of sulfates is critical, since BDS is inhibited at very low concentrations. Thus, the goal of this work was to optimize the process of sulfur precipitation on carob pulp liquor. RESULT: The effect of BaCl₂ concentration (0–0.5%) and exposure time (6–36 h) on sulfate removal from carob pulp liquor was studied according to a statistical design following the Doehlert distribution for two factors. This experimental design determined that 0.5% BaCl₂ concentration for 21 h were adequate conditions for sulfate removal from carob pulp liquor using BDS. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that it is possible to use alternative carbon sources derived from agro‐industrial wastes for BDS, even those with high sulfur levels. For future industrial application, an inexpensive culture medium would have to be employed in a large‐scale process and carob pulp liquor could be the carbon source. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry