A/ Stock Preparation
- the interface between the pulp mill or pulp warehouse and the
paper machine
- in integrated mill begins with dilution of the heavy stock
at the discharge of the high-density pulp storage chests and ends with
the blended papermaking furnish in the machine chest
- in the independent paper mill begins by feeding pulp bales
into the repulping system
Objectives:
- to take the required fibrous raw materials (pulps) and non-fibrous
components (additives)
- treat and modify each furnish constituent as required
- combine all the ingredients continuously and uniformly into the papermaking
stock
Operations:
Repulping – baled pulp (or other fibrous material) is dispersed
into water to form a slush or
slurry. The operation can be either batch or continuous.
Refining (or beating) - the fibers are subjected to mechanical
action to develop their optimal papermaking properties with the respect
to the product being made. The
operation is usually continuous, but some non-wood and specialty pulps
are still treated batch-wise.
Utilization of Wet-End Additives – a wide variety of mineral
and chemical agents are added to the stock, either to impart specific properties
to the paper product or
to facilitate the papermaking process. Preparation is usually carried
out batch-wise.
Metering and Blending – the various fibrous and non-fibrous furnish components are continuously combined and blended to form the papermaking stock.
Additional Operations – pulp screening and cleaning, secondary
stock preparation system, white water and broke handling systems, etc.
Classification of wet-end chemical and mineral additives
Functional additives
- Fillers
(e.g., kaolin clays, talc, TiO2) – improve optical and surface and optical
and surface properties
- Sizing agents
(e.g., rosin) – control penetration of liquids, help to repel
water
- Dry-strength adhesives (e.g.,
starches, gums) – improve burst and tensile; add stiffness and pick resistance
- Wet-strength resins
add wet strength to such grades as towelling and wrapping
- Dyes
(dyes and pigments) – impart desired color
- Optical brightners
improve apparent brightness
- Control additives
- Retention aids
improve retention of fines and fillers, polymers bind to fines, overcome
surface charge
- Drainage aids
increase water removal (rate) on wire
- Acids and bases
control pH
- Alum
[ Al2(SO4)3
] control pH, fix additives onto fibers, improve retention
- Fiber flocculants
improve sheet formation
- Defoamers
improve drainage and sheet formation
- Pitch control chemicals prevent deposit/accumulation
of pitch
- Slimicides/biocides
control slime growth and other microorganisms
- Specialty chemicals
corrosion inhibitors, flame proofing and antitarnish, chemicals etc.
B/ Paper Machine (PM)
1803 – 1807 patents issued to Fourdrinier brothers
for improved continuous paper machine
1809 patent issued to John Dickinson for the cylinder paper machine
(England)
1817 first cylinder machine in America
1827 first Fourdrinier machine in America
Sections of PM:
1/ Forming
application of slurry to screen
2/ Draining
water removal by gravity or vacuum
3/ Pressing
squeezing water out
4/ Drying
removal of water by heated surface
5/ Post drying operations
surface processing
1/ Forming section
a) Flow spreader – takes the incoming pipeline stock flow and
distributes it evenly across the machine from back to front.
b) Head box – is a pressurized device that delivers a uniform
pulp slurry on the wire, through the slice, at approximately the same velocity
as that of the wire. Original headboxes were open, unpressurized,
and used hydrostatic head for the necessary pressure. A secondary headbox
may be used part of the way down the table to give a
top coat of high quality fiber relative to the rest of the sheet. This
is done, for example, to produce a white printing surface on linerboard
or to put secondary fiber in the middle layer of linerboard, where contaminants
such as polymers and wax are hidden. Paper machines operating above 2500
ft/min (800m/min) require a special, high pressure headbox known as a hydraulic
headbox.
2/ Draining section
c) Wire, forming fabric - endless, moving fourdrinier fabric
forms the fibers into a continuous matted web while the fourdrinier table
drains the water by suction forces. Continuous loop or belt of finely woven
screen made from wire or plastic; the mesh size varies from 40 to 100 mesh
(opening per inch). A coarse wire allows faster drainage but gives a coarser
paper; as in most aspects of pulp and paper, there is always a tradeoff
in goals. The forming media has three functions: 1. to
transport the fibers, 2. to permit draining the sheet, 3. to transmit
power.
d) Deckle board - are used to prevent the stock
from flowing off the two sides of the forming fabric when a thick
layer of stock is delivered to the fabric by a large slice opening.
e) Foils - stationary blades 5-10 cm wide.
With stock on the fabric, and the fabric in motion, the suction that develops
causes the fabric to drawn down towards the foil surface. Foils have two
functions apart from supporting the fabric: 1. to provide hydraulic shear,
2. to give uniform, controlled water removal.
f) Lovacs, Hivacs - suction boxes to drain the sheet
using low or high vacuum.
g) Dandy roll - hollow, light, wire covered roll
that rides on the top of the fourdrinier wire just ahead of the suction
boxes.
This roll has four purposes:
1. to impart a water mark to the sheet,
2. to improve the top surface for printing,
3. to improve formation by mechanical shear,
4. to increase the drainage capacity of the flat wire.
h) Couch roll - guide or turning roll for the fourdrinier
wire, where the paper web leaves the wire and the wire returns to the breast
roll.
It has two purposes:
1. to transmit power to the fabric,
2. to increase the dryness of the sheet applying the suction by the
vacuum.
i) Twin wire formers – machines that use a jet of stock imparted
on two converging wires to accelerate water removal and maintain better
web uniformity. Theses are particularly useful for the high speed machines,
where the fourdrinier wet end would tend to give two-side sheet, since
both sides are wire sides and the sheet is formed symetrically on the two
sides.
j) Cylinder machine – with a cylidrical forming wet end was
invented in 1809.the web is formed an a rotating cylindrical screen 36
to 60 in. in diameter and immediately picked off. Typically , 5 to 10 of
these operate in series to make a multi-layer sheet. Used to make heavy
weight board from secondary fiber, which is not de-inked, for folding boxboard,
chipboard and gypsum board. A high quality fiber surface may be added for
printing upon.
3/ Press section
the sheet is conveyed through a series of roll presses where additional water is removed and the web structure is consolidated (i.e., the fibers are forced into intimate contact). A press is a pair of squeeze or wringer rolls designed to remove water mechanically and smooth and compress the sheet.
4/ Drying section
most of the remaining water is evaporated and fiber-to-fiber
bonds are developed as the paper contacts a series of steam–heated cylinders.
Removing water from the web is accomplished by adding heat
to the web and circulating the air. Heat is applied by the pressurized,
steam filled circular steel or cast iron dryer drums. The rate of water
removal depends on many factors:
1. the temperature and amount of steam entering the dryer,
2. adequate removal of the steam condensate and air from the interior
of the dryer,
3. the amount of sheet-dryer surface contact, contact time, and
contact pressure,
4. cleanliness of the drum’s exterior and interior surface,
5. type of felt and condition of felt,
6. circulation of hot, dry air.
The initial drums cannot be too hot, otherwise large amounts of liberated
steam will cause the paper to cockle. The paper often stretches a few percent
in the machine direction while contracting in the cross direction through
the course of drying, causing the machine direction to be stiffer and to
have a higher tensile strength than the cross machine direction. Sophisticated
control of individual dryer motors controls the tension throughout the
dryer section and reduces web breaks.
Dryer hood - an enclosure around the dryer section and is used to improve drying efficiency by removing the moist air near the surface of the web. If this air is not removed, it quickly becomes saturated with water, preventing further water removal from the web.
Yankee dryer - is a large dryer drum (3.5 – 4.5 m in diameter) for drying tissue papers that are not strong enough to endure numerous felt transfers. The Yankee dryer is normally the only dryer used to dry tissue. The creping blade (doctor blade) is the thin metal blade that scrapes the dry tissue off the Yankee dryer.
Size press - is located between dryer sections and
consists of pair of squeeze rolls mounted horizontally, vertically, or
at a 45 o angle. It is used to apply surface size (usually a starch solution)
to paper.
5/ Post drying operations
k/ Calander - calander stack is a series of solid rolls, usually steel or cast iron, mounted horizontally and stacked vertically. Dry paper passes between the rolls under pressure, thereby improving the surface smoothness (for example, from imperfections caused by felt marks, cockles, lumps, fibrils, etc.) and gloss and making the caliper more uniform, if not decreasing the caliper and porosity. The bottom roll is called the king roll. The roll above the king roll is the queen roll.
l/ Supercalander - is similar to the calander but uses alternate hard and soft, heated rolls. Supercalandering may actually increase fiber bonding with an increase in strength, but the compact sheet has decreased opacity. It is usually done off-machine because of the relatively low speed required.
m/ Reel - is the last unit on the paper
machine that collect the paper. The paper is wound on a spool that rotates
against a drum. A new spool is started on a secondary arm before the filled
reel is discharged, for changing reels “on the fly”.
Moisture profile on PM:
0.3 – 0.6 % - dilute suspension of fibers is applied to an endless
wire screen or plastic fabric
18 – 23 % - consistency of the web leaving wet end.
Water is removed by gravity, or the vacuum developed by table rolls, foils
or suction equipment, and the drilled couch.
35 – 55 % - consistency of the web leaving the press
section
94 – 98 % - dryness of final paper leaving drying
section
4. Paper Machine:
The paper machine operation starts with stock preparation where wood
fiber and recovered wood fiber is mixed with water and mineral (commonly
clay or calcium carbonate and titanium dioxide). A mixture of 99+% water
and slightly less than 1% papermaking material is blended prior to use
on the paper machine. Water is drained
from the fiber slurry on modern machines in both upward and downward
directions to form a web of paper. The web of paper is approximately 20%
fiber and 80% water at the point it enters the press section. In the press
section, the paper is squeezed between rollers and a felt, reducing its
moisture content to 40-50%, at which point it enters the papermaking dryer
section. Here steam-heated dryers further reduce the moisture content of
the paper to a level of 2-6%. In our high quality machines, a size press
coater applies a light coating of starch and mineral (calcium carbonate
and clay), which enhances the surface strength and smoothness of the paper.
Since this coating is applied in a water suspension, the paper must be
dried in the after-dryer section. Finally, the paper is spooled into a
giant roll of
paper.
5. Blade Coater:
In our coated paper processes, a blade coater is used to apply coatings that provide high quality print characteristics for sheet offset, web offset, or rotogravure printing applications.
6. Supercalender:
The supercalendering machine is a series of rollers. Paper passes through rollers alternatively made of steel and cotton or a synthetic material. This calendering takes place under high pressure and temperature, and creates a glossy, smooth and attractive surface. After supercalendering, the paper is cut into roll sizes that will eventually be shipped to our web offset or rotogravure customers, or to our sheet converting operation for converting to sheets.
7. Sheet Converting:
In the sheet converting operation, rolls of paper are cut into sheet
dimensions that are used by our sheet offset customers or by our office
paper customers. The converting operation also packages our products and
prepares it for shipment to our customers.
*Two other pulping methods are used at Consolidated: Mechanical pulping
and TMP. The most common method of mechanical pulping is the groundwood
process where wood is pressed lengthwise against a grinding stone. This
causes the surface of the wood to abrade away. The fiber is then mixed
with water into a slurry. TMP, or thermomechanical pulping, is another
important process at Consolidated. In the TMP process, chips are subjected
to high temperatures and pressures between rotating disks, which shred
wood into fiber bundles or individual fibers. Both of these processes convert
95% or more of the dry wood into pulp.
FIBER LENGTH, PRINTING AND STRENGTH PROPERTIES
Effect of fiber length on paper properties:
Property Effect on paper as Fiber Length is
Increased
Decreased
Bursting Strength
increases
decreases
Folding Endurance
increases
decreases
Formation
becomes wilder becomes less wild
Print Quality
becomes poorer becomes better
Surface levelness
decreases increases
Surface Smoothness
decreases increases
Tearing resistance
increases decreases
Tensile strength
increases decreases
Effect of refining on paper properties:
Property Effect on Property as the Degree
of refining is
Increased Decreased
Apparent Density
Increases Decreases
Caliper
Decreases Increases
Compressibility
Decreases Increases
Dimensional stability
Decreases Increases
Formation
More uniform Less uniform, wilder
Ink holdout
Greater Becomes
less
Internal bond strength
Increases Decreases
Porosity
Decreases Increases
Smoothness
Increases Decreases
Filler’s Influence
Fillers- beneficial influence on optical properties related to
printability Tend make paper less sensitive to moisture change, improve
dimensional stability
Reduce bulk and stiffness, make paper softer
Reduce paper strength-burst, fold, tear, tensile, internal bond strength
Effect of fillers on paper properties
Increased Decreased
Property
Increased Decreased
Brightness
increased decreased
Bursting strength
decreased decreased
Caliper
decreases increases
Dimensional stability
increases decreases
Folding endurance
decreases increases
Ink absorbency for uncoated more uniform becomes less uniform
Opacity
increases decreases
Picking resistance
decreases increases
Rattle
decreases increases
Smoothness
tends to increase tends to decrease
Tensile, tear
decrease
increase