Abstract: A single roll wash press comprising a housing and a drum rotatably mounted within the housing. The drum includes a perforated outer wall and a longitudinally extending centerline axis and is rotatable about the axis. The press further comprises a means for receiving a flow of pulp having an initial consistency ranging from about 2% o.d. to about 6% o.d. such that the pulp flows in the direction of drum rotation, and a means for defining a divergent formation zone and for forming a mat of the pulp on the drum within the divergent formation zone. The means for defining and forming comprises a first arcuate portion of the housing with the formation zone being divergent between upstream and downstream ends thereof. The upstream end of the divergent formation zone communicates with the means for receiving the flow of the pulp. The press further includes a means for washing the pulp mat within a displacement zone disposed downstream of the extraction zone.

Abstract: An applicator head is positioned beneath a backing roll over which a substrate can be drawn. The applicator head has a housing which contains a pond of coating material between an up machine overflow lip and a down machine extraction plate or premetering plate. Coating material at a relatively low velocity flows into the pond adjacent to the overflow lip. The premetering plate extends radially from the coating inlet to a position proximate to and converging with the backing roll, where it premeters the amount of coating applied to the substrate. The premetering plate preferably has a plurality of holes through which coating and air are drawn. A metering element is spaced downstream of the premetering plate, and a low pressure area is constructed therebetween. Air and coating are drawn from the low pressure area through a valve, and the pressure thereby controlled.

Abstract: A multiplicity of teeth are mounted to a beam in a comb structure, with the space between the teeth defining slots. The edges of the slots are lined with upstanding flanges which are sharpened to form cutting edges. The comb structure is arranged to be substantially parallel to an array of bag breaking bars. The bars interdigitate with the teeth and thus pass through the narrow openings between the teeth where the knife edges scrape the bars, thereby cutting free any material adhering to or impaled upon the bag breaking bars. Alternatively, an apparatus for cleaning a bag breaker has a pivotally mounted are having a fork which is aligned to receive a bar between the tines of the fork. The fork engages the base of the bar and then proceeds to slide up the bar as the forward motion of the bar causes the arm to pivot. In this way, material impaled upon a bar is slid or scraped upwardly towards the top of the bar.

Abstract: The Extended Nip press apparatus of this invention has an endless loop nip blanket which is clamped at each end head by a circular array of twelve clamp segments which are positioned radially by the hydraulic actuation of an axially positionable circumferential clamp ring. The blanket is separately sealed by an air tube seal which extends between the clamp ring and the interior of the blanket. Because the clamping arrangement is independent of the seal, inadvertent loss of air pressure will not cause the blanket to become unclamped.

Abstract: A method for reprocessing an ozone-containing gas present in a pulp bleaching plant comprising the steps of supplying the ozone-containing gas to a scrubber and reducing the ozone concentration of the gas as the gas flows through the scrubber. The step of reducing comprises the steps of supplying an alkaline medium to the scrubber and flowing the ozone-containing gas in countercurrent relationship with the alkaline medium within the scrubber so as to provide intimate contact between the ozone-containing gas and the alkaline medium, thereby converting the ozone-containing gas into a substantially ozone-free gas. The alkaline medium may comprise one of the following: a sodium hydroxide solution; white liquor; post oxygen stage filtrate; weak black liquor; or filtrate from an Eo stage of the pulp bleaching plant. The method further comprises the step of separately discharging the ozone-containing gas and the alkaline medium from the scrubber.

Abstract: An apparatus for filtering suspensions is provided with rotatable annular vertical disks (4) covered with filter material and partly submerged in the suspension to be filtered. Each disc is provided with a number of cells (22) for receiving filtrate from the suspension as the disc is rotated. The cells of each disc communicate with a central filtrate chamber (7) via respective accumulation chambers (30) formed by wall means (31) in the filtrate chamber. Each accumulation chamber of each disc extends axially past the disc and has an outlet (32) which also extends axially past the disc. The advantage is that a more concentrated coarse fraction of the suspension can be achieved.

Abstract: A refiner plate has bars integrally formed with the refiner plate base member which have discrete regions of selected physical properties. A material possessing the physical property is deposited in a reservoir in the bar, such as a groove. The reservoir may be positioned in the top of the bar and may be of various shapes. Alternatively, the reservoir with material is positioned on the bar leading or trailing edge. Alternatively, an abrasive surface extends over the entire upper surface of the bar including the leading and trailing edges. The bar may be formed of a white iron alloy which is heat-treated to form a soft matrix with embedded carbide grains. By protecting regions of desired smoothness with a wear-resistant protective coating flow is preserved in selected areas.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for cooling wood pulp, coming from a high temperature bleaching stage at a consistency of approximately 10%, prior to introducing the wood pulp to a low temperature bleaching stage, including the steps of exposing the pulp to a thickening press in order to extract sufficient liquor from the pulp to increase the consistency to more than 25%; fluffing the pulp and depositing it on a moving bed cooler having a provision for blowing air through the pulp; and blowing cooling air through the pulp by using an air pump device with appropriate ducting. By first thickening the pulp, the mass of pulp to be cooled is significantly reduced and energy savings proportionate to the mass reduction are realized.

Abstract: Air entrained within the pond of a coating applicator is influenced toward a designated region for removal. The region is formed by a recessed air collector which sets up a high-recirculation, low-pressure zone within the pond. Entrained air bubbles migrate to the collector. The collected air and excess coating is drawn out of the collector cavity by a plurality of perforations which discharge to a collection cavity at a lower pressure or partial vacuum. The collector structure may be employed in various coater/size press configurations.

Abstract: A rotary drum filter valve is provided with a valve having a valve segment with a first part which partially restricts the flow of filtrate from a head section and a second part which blocks from the head section.

Abstract: An expandable mandrel including a threaded spindle with a drive for rotating the spindle, wedge pieces supported on the spindle with core chuck lugs facing outwardly for engaging the inner surface of a core, the wedge pieces having outwardly facing inclined cam surfaces, matching cam surfaces on the core chuck lugs to expand the core chuck lugs when the wedge pieces are moved relatively axially by the spindle, the wedge pieces and core chuck lugs being free to rotate with the spindle until locked by an annular gear and a stopping rack so that the wedge pieces and core chuck lugs are held against rotation to allow the spindle to rotate relatively thereby moving the wedge pieces axially and the core chuck lugs outwardly.

Abstract: When an ultrasonic transducer for detecting flaws in metal plates or the wall of a metal cylinder is directed at a surface to be inspected at a particular angle, about ten percent of the signal will appear as Harris waves which propagate into the test plate at ninety degrees to the surface. This signal which propagates vertically is polarized, with the result that the signal has a greatly improved signal to noise ratio. For an incident medium of water and employing shear wave refracting in the medium of cast iron the specific angle is approximately 33 degrees from the vertical for best signal to noise ratio. For steel the specific angle is approximately 31 degrees and is about 50 degrees for brass. Shear or longitudinal waves can be employed to affect the detection of subsurface defects with the particular angle changing depending on the relation of the velocity of the sound waves in the refracting medium to the velocity of sound waves in the incident medium.

Abstract: A new dryer section or an existing dryer section of the two tier double-felted type has air caps disposed over the upper dryer rolls to simultaneously dry both sides of the web to increase drying rates. The heated pressurized air is blown through multiple air impingement holes in the air cap nozzle plates to impinge the web at a temperature of 500-900 degrees Fahrenheit and air speeds of 20,000-40,000 feet per minute. The dryer fabric employed is foraminous with a permeability of between 400-1,200 cubic feet per minute per square foot and is designed to withstand peak temperatures of up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit and average temperatures of between 500-600 degrees Fahrenheit. The design of the air caps utilizes recirculation of the blowing air to control drying rates.

Abstract: A dryer system has a combustion chamber, a dryer and a separator. The combustion chamber supplies heated gas to the dryer. Wet material is mixed with the heated gas in the dryer. The dried material is then separated from the gas in the separator. A method is used to increase the safety of the system. The method includes sensing the temperature of the dryer system. Further, if the temperature reaches a predetermined value, the combustion chamber is extinguished. Additionally, upon the temperature reaching the predetermined value, steam is introduced into the dryer system.

Abstract: A reel apparatus for reeling a traveling web produced on a papermaking machine comprises a rotatable support drum which is fixedly mounted in a frame. A pair of parallel, horizontally disposed rails are mounted to the frame with the tops of the rails above the apex of the support drum. New reel spools are brought into supporting engagement on the rails at a location downstream of the apex of the support drum and intermediate the apex of the support drum and a jumbo-sized wound web roll which is being wound while being powered by a centerwind assist drive, as well as nipping engagement with the support drum. Each reel spool is supported in a pair of carriages which are mounted to travel over the rails.

Abstract: A drum having a longitudinal axis, and an outer periphery, has a multiplicity of longitudinal, drainage grooves formed therein, and a cylindrical sheath encloses the drum, the sheath having a multiplicity of holes formed therein. The drum is imperforate. A pair of the drums is employed in a twin-roll press as press rolls, and one thereof is used in a single roll press with a compaction baffle. In one embodiment, the press roll has its grooves formed in a herringbone pattern, the same pointed in the direction of rotation, to enhance drainage. In another embodiment, the longitudinal drainage grooves have increasing depth, toward a mid-length of the press roll where they open into inner-drum drainage conduits which discharge the filtrate adjacent the rotary axis of the press roll.

Abstract: A uniform film of coating is delivered onto a substrate at high speed by a film applicator, such as a coater apparatus for a papermaking machine, which has a static converging wedge, an adjustable converging wedge, and an extraction channel located between the two wedges. As a unit, the film applicator minimizes the hydrodynamic flow instabilities, as well as reduces flow variations associated with a nonuniform feed and a dynamic contact line. The film applicator also removes entrained air and excess coating from the application zone in order to improve the flow stability and machine runnability.

Abstract: A drive shaft is moved in a machine direction and a cross-machine direction to engage a spool on a winder. The drive shaft has an inner drive shaft which is elastically linked to an outer cylindrical shell, thereby allowing misalignment between the inner shaft and the outer shell and allows angular as well as horizontal and vertical displacement when the drive head engages the spool to provide centerwind assist to a roll of paper being formed thereon. The location of the drive shaft axis is determined at all times from geometric considerations and this data is used to position the drive shaft on the axis of the winding spool.

Abstract: An extended nip press has a shoe driven by two pistons to engage a blanket-supported web against a crown controlled roll. Each ENP shoe piston is offset from the line of force application of the crown control piston by a moment arm distance. A balancing of the hydraulic pressures in the ENP shoe cylinders and the crown control cylinder is achieved by two equalizer valves. Each valve has a slidable spool with faces of a selected cross-sectional area to respond to hydraulic fluid from the various cylinders to retain the correct proportion between the forces applied by the ENP shoe pistons and the crown control piston.

Abstract: An Extended Nip-type press has a blanket which passes over a shoe which is urged against a backing roll to form a press nip. A hydraulic system and controller provides for automatic continuous oscillation of the blanket in the cross machine direction. The oscillation results in a region of high fatigue continuously moving over the blanket surface so that the amount of time any particular region sees wear is minimized. Positioning of the heads to which the blanket ends are mounted is controlled by hydraulic pistons mounted between a support beam and the heads. A controller operates a valve to reverse the direction of motion of the blanket when sensors indicate one end of the blanket has reached a stop. A throttle valve controls the rate at which hydraulic fluid is supplied to the cylinders which urge the head away from the shoe.