Patents by Inventor Vidar Snekkenes

Vidar Snekkenes has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20090288793
    Abstract: The continuous digester system has an inlet defined therein for the feed of a chips suspension and an outlet for the output of a cooked suspension of pulp. The suspension of chips is fed in to the inlet through a line at the beginning of the cook, where the chips suspension has a volume of starting cooking fluid that establishes a fluid/wood ratio that is greater than 3.5. A final cooking fluid is present during the cook for the major part of the cook and is withdrawn through a withdrawal strainer only during the final 15 minutes of the cook. The final cooking fluid ensures a fluid/wood ratio that is greater than 3.5 in association with the withdrawal. The withdrawn final cooking fluid during the final 15 minutes of the cook consists of spent black liquor that maintains a residual alkali level that lies under 15 g/l.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2009
    Publication date: November 26, 2009
    Inventors: Vidar Snekkenes, Mikael Lindstrom
  • Patent number: 7615134
    Abstract: The method and an arrangement are for improved impregnation of chips in association with the manufacture of chemical cellulose pulp. Un-steamed chips are fed into an impregnation vessel (30) in which a fluid level (LIQ_LEV) is established under the highest level (CH_LEV) of the chips. An improved impregnation arrangement for the chips is obtained by the addition of impregnation fluids (BL1/BL2/BL3) with increasing temperatures at different heights (P1, P2, P3), and by the establishment of a counter-flow zone (Z1) in the uppermost part of the impregnation vessel. The requirement for steaming may in this way be dramatically reduced while at the same time the amount of expelled waste gases may be minimized. A major part of the volatile compounds present in the wood are bound to the impregnation fluid (REC) that is withdrawn.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2009
    Assignee: Metso Fiber Karlstad AB
    Inventors: Vidar Snekkenes, Lennart Gustavsson
  • Patent number: 7566380
    Abstract: The arrangement concerns an improved design for at least one of the cooling, dilution and washing at the bottom of a continuous digester for the production of cellulose pulp. By arranging at least one extra strainer section above the lowermost strainer section, with the addition of washing fluid or dilution fluid between the extra strainer section and the lowermost strainer section, more washing fluid can be added at the bottom of the digester without counteracting the flow of the column of chips. This provides space for the increase of production, for improvement of the flow of the column of chips, or for combinations of these effects while retaining good cooling, washing and dilution at the bottom of the digester.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2009
    Inventors: Vidar Snekkenes, Anders Samuelsson
  • Patent number: 7547374
    Abstract: A method for impregnating chips in a continuous digestion system with an impregnation vessel and a digester. The digestion system has a heat exchanger arranged between a first return line and a black liquor line. The heat exchanger allows a transfer of heat between the two lines. A principal part of the fluid contents of the impregnation vessel is constituted by chips moisture, steam condensate, added white liquor, and the fluid withdrawn from the top separator at the first return line, whereby the impregnation fluid in the impregnation vessel does not contain any substantial amount of black liquor from the digester. An impregnation vessel is established that is hydraulically isolated, in which the flow of fluid and the establishment of its alkali content take place without any influence from the fluid flow in the digester process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: Metso Fiber Karlstadt AB
    Inventor: Vidar Snekkenes
  • Patent number: 7540937
    Abstract: A procedure for the continuous cooking of chemical pulp, comprising an impregnation vessel 101 and a digester 102. The chips are impregnated in the impregnation vessel 101and are fed after impregnation together with circulation fluid through a transfer line 103 to a top separator 105 on the digester 102 in order to be cooked. A fraction of the circulation fluid is withdrawn at a top separator 105 and returned to the bottom of the impregnation vessel 101 via a return line 106. Black liquor is withdrawn from the digester via a black liquor line 108 to the impregnation vessel 101. The invention is characterized in that a heat exchanger 107is arranged between the return line 106 and the black liquor line 108. The heat exchanger 107 allows the exchange of heat between the two lines, but does not allow the exchange of fluid. The temperature of the black liquor in the black liquor line 108 after passing through the heat exchanger 107 has been cooled by 10-15 ° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: Metso Fiber Karlstad AB
    Inventors: Vidar Snekkenes, Lennart Gustavsson, Jonas Saetherasen
  • Publication number: 20090107642
    Abstract: The method is for the improved oxygen delignification of cellulose pulp with a medium consistency of 8-16%. The fraction of dissolved oxygen can be maintained at a high level throughout the process by the use of high pressure, greater than 15.0 bar, and by repeated agitative mixing while maintaining the high pressure, such that as large a fraction as just over 20% of the total oxygen added is dissolved in the fluid phase, and such that the amount of oxygen in the fluid phase is maintained at a high level throughout the complete high pressure section. By the establishment of retention times between the remixing operations with successively increasing retention times, while retaining a high pressure, an optimal adaptation of the remixing is obtained at the time at which a certain fraction of the oxygen dissolved in the fluid phase has been consumed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2005
    Publication date: April 30, 2009
    Inventors: Vidar Snekkenes, Jonas Saetherasen, Lennart Gustavsson, Martin Ragnar
  • Publication number: 20090071615
    Abstract: The arrangement concerns an improved design for at least one of the cooling, dilution and washing at the bottom of a continuous digester for the production of cellulose pulp. By arranging at least one extra strainer section above the lowermost strainer section, with the addition of washing fluid or dilution fluid between the extra strainer section and the lowermost strainer section, more washing fluid can be added at the bottom of the digester without counteracting the flow of the column of chips. This provides space for the increase of production, for improvement of the flow of the column of chips, or for combinations of these effects while retaining good cooling, washing and dilution at the bottom of the digester.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2008
    Publication date: March 19, 2009
    Inventors: Vidar Snekkenes, Anders Samuelsson
  • Patent number: 7501043
    Abstract: The method is for the pre-treatment of chips that are fed to a sulphate cooking process. Through the addition of an acidic fluid to the steam treatment step, a very high ionic concentration of hydrogen ions is achieved. When the chips are subsequently formed into a slurry with a preferably sulphide-rich alkali cooking fluid, H2S is formed locally in the chips, which gives a yield-increasing effect for the subsequent cooking step of l-3%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2009
    Assignee: Metso Fiber Karlstad AB
    Inventors: Vidar Snekkenes, Krister Olsson
  • Patent number: 7497927
    Abstract: The arrangement concerns an improved design for at least one of the cooling, dilution and washing at the bottom of a continuous digester for the production of cellulose pulp. By arranging at least one extra strainer section above the lowermost strainer section, with the addition of washing fluid or dilution fluid between the extra strainer section and the lowermost strainer section, more washing fluid can be added at the bottom of the digester without counteracting the flow of the column of chips. This provides space for the increase of production, for improvement of the flow of the column of chips, or for combinations of these effects while retaining good cooling, washing and dilution at the bottom of the digester.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Assignee: Metso Fiber Karlstad AB
    Inventors: Vidar Snekkenes, Anders Samuelsson
  • Patent number: 7459058
    Abstract: Chips are sluiced from a low-pressure section to a high-pressure section with a sluice feeder. The fluid that is used to expel the chips from the sluice feeder principally includes pressurized fluid withdrawn from the treatment vessel. This pressurized fluid is normally withdrawn from the treatment vessel for recovery (REC). By using this pressurized fluid instead for expelling the chips from the sluice feeder and subsequently sending the previously pressurized fluid to the recovery system (REC), the requirement for high pressure pumps that consume large quantities of electrical energy can be considerably reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2008
    Assignee: Metso Fiber Karlstad AB
    Inventor: Vidar Snekkenes
  • Publication number: 20080277081
    Abstract: A method and an arrangement for the impregnation of untreated chips during the manufacture of chemical pulp. The untreated chips are fed without preceding steam treatment into an impregnation vessel (10) that comprises an upper part (11) with a first area and a lower part (13) with a second area A2 that is larger than the first area A1 by a factor of at least r2. The chips establish in the upper part (11) a level (14) of chips that is located at a level (h) above a level (18) of fluid consisting of liquor. The chips after passage of the upper part (11) pass through a transitional part (12), where an increase in area from the first area (A1) to and it is here that the angle of repose of the chips is reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2005
    Publication date: November 13, 2008
    Inventors: Lennart Gustavsson, Jonas Saetherasen, Vidar Snekkenes
  • Publication number: 20080271861
    Abstract: The method is for the improved oxygen delignification of cellulose pulp with a medium consistency of 8-16%. The fraction of dissolved oxygen can be maintained at a high level throughout the process by the use of high pressure, greater than 15.0 bar, and by repeated agitative mixing while maintaining the high pressure. A fraction just over 20% of the total oxygen added is dissolved in the fluid phase such that the amount of oxygen in the fluid phase is maintained at a high level throughout the complete high-pressure section. This means that the amount of oxygen that is dissolved in the fluid phase and that penetrates the cellulose fibers can be maintained at an optimal high level throughout the process for improved delignification of the cellulose.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2005
    Publication date: November 6, 2008
    Inventors: Vidar Snekkenes, Jonas Saetherasen, Lennart Gustavsson, Martin Ragnar
  • Patent number: 7445691
    Abstract: The method is for pre-treatment of chips that are fed to a sulphate cooking process. Through acidification of the chips in an acidic treatment fluid with a subsequent draining of free treatment fluid before subsequent steaming or wet-steaming, a high concentration of free hydrogen ions is established within the chip pieces. When the chips are subsequently formed into slurry with preferably a sulphide-rich alkali cooking fluid, H2S is formed locally in the chip pieces which gives a yield-increasing effect in the subsequent cooking step of 1-3%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: Metso Fiber Karlstad AB
    Inventors: Vidar Snekkenes, Krister Olsson
  • Patent number: 7422657
    Abstract: The method is for feeding a chips-slurry from a low-pressure to a high-pressure system during the continuous cooking of chemical cellulose pulp. The feed takes place through a sluice feeder 53? between these systems. The sluice feeder is provided with a rotor with through-pockets 1, 2 that are alternately connected with the low-or the high-pressure system. A recirculation line 54?, that has a high-pressure pump 57?, extends from the first outlet 53b? of the sluice feeder to the second inlet 53c? of the sluice feeder for transporting the fluid that has been expelled from the pockets of the sluice feeder when these are located in their first position. The fluid expels the chips mixture from the pockets of the sluice feeder in their second position and is essentially exclusively constituted by the fluid that has been expelled from the pockets in their first position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2008
    Assignee: Metso Fiber Karlstad AB
    Inventors: Lennart Gustavsson, Vidar Snekkenes
  • Publication number: 20080210392
    Abstract: The method is for producing cellulose pulp in a continuous digestion system in an energy-efficient manner. Cellulose chips are fed continuously with a transfer liquid in a transfer line to a top separator arranged at the top of a digester, for the separation of free liquid from the cellulose chips. The top separator has a withdrawal space in which free liquid collects. At least a fraction of the free liquid that has separated, with a temperature Tout, is led in a return line from the withdrawal space of the top separator to a position to be used as transfer liquid. At least one pressurised withdrawal of black liquor is carried out in the digester essentially at the cooking temperature of at least 135° C. An additive liquid with a temperature Tin is added at the withdrawal space of the top separator, where the temperature Tin is greater than the temperature Tout.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2007
    Publication date: September 4, 2008
    Inventor: Vidar Snekkenes
  • Publication number: 20080202712
    Abstract: The continuous digester system has an inlet defined therein for the feed of a chips suspension and an outlet for the output of a cooked suspension of pulp. The suspension or chips is fed in to the inlet through a line at the beginning of the cook, where the chips suspension has a volume of starting cooking fluid that establishes a fluid/wood ratio that is greater than 3.5. A final cooking fluid is present during the cook for the major part of the cook and is withdrawn through a withdrawal strainer only during the final 15 minutes of the cook. The final cooking fluid ensures a fluid/wood ratio that is greater than 3.5 in association with the withdrawal The withdrawn final cooking fluid during the final 15 minutes of the cook consists of spent black liquor that maintains a residual alkali level that lies under 15 g/l.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2006
    Publication date: August 28, 2008
    Inventors: Vidar Snekkenes, Mikael Lindstrom
  • Publication number: 20080202717
    Abstract: The method and arrangement is for the feed of a chips suspension from one vessel to a subsequent digester in a continuous cooking process for the production of chemical cellulose pulp. The vessel has an inlet defined therein for the input of chips and an outlet defined therein for the output of a chips suspension. The chips suspension in the vessel has a first fluid/wood ratio established above a second fluid/wood ratio that is established at the bottom of the vessel. The second fluid/wood ratio is at least as great as, preferably greater than, the first fluid/wood ratio. After the output of the chips suspension from the vessel and before the chips suspension is placed under pressure for onwards transport to a subsequent digester, a fraction of fluid is withdrawn from the chips suspension, whereby a third fluid/wood ratio is established in the chips suspension.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2006
    Publication date: August 28, 2008
    Inventors: Jonas Saetherasen, Vidar Snekkenes, Bo Wilke, Lennart Gustavsson
  • Patent number: 7381302
    Abstract: The method and an arrangement are for improved impregnation of chips in association with the manufacture of chemical cellulose pulp. Un-steamed chips are fed into an impregnation vessel (30) in which a fluid level (LIQ_LEV) is established under the highest level (CH_LEV) of the chips. An improved impregnation arrangement for the chips is obtained by the addition of impregnation fluids (BL1/BL2/BL3) with increasing temperatures at different heights (P1, P2, P3), and by the establishment of a counter-flow zone (Z1) in the uppermost part of the impregnation vessel. The requirement for steaming may in this way be dramatically reduced while at the same time the amount of expelled waste gases may be minimized. A major part of the volatile compounds present in the wood are bound to the impregnation fluid (REC) that is withdrawn.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignee: Metso Fiber Karlstad AB
    Inventors: Vidar Snekkenes, Lennart Gustavsson
  • Patent number: 7374637
    Abstract: The method is for bleaching cellulose pulp in a bleach line that has at least two bleaching steps. The filtrate distribution is led up through the bleaching line counter-currently to the flow of cellulose pulp established in the bleaching line. A single joint main conduit is used for the bleaching steps. Wash filtrates obtained from the wash steps, used after or before the bleaching step, are led in conduits to branch locations on the main conduit that are positioned downstream of the branch location for drawing off of wash and/or dilution liquor for the wash step in question. All branch points in the joint main conduit are in fluid communication with one another along the main conduit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2008
    Assignee: GL&V Management Hungary kft
    Inventors: Vidar Snekkenes, Lennart Gustavsson
  • Publication number: 20080093041
    Abstract: The method is for the impregnation of chips during the manufacture of chemical pulp. The chips are continuously fed without preceding steam treatment to the top of an impregnation vessel that maintains atmospheric pressure. Impregnation fluid (BL) is added to the impregnation vessel and establishes a fluid level (LIQ_LEV). The chips that have been added establish a chips level (CH_LEV) that lies at least 3-5 meters over the fluid level. The temperature at the top of the vessel essentially corresponds to ambient temperature. Impregnation fluid BL is fed in to the impregnation vessel in such an amount and at such a temperature that the temperature that is established at the fluid level (LIQ_LEV) is established within the interval 90-115° C., preferably within the interval 95-105° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2005
    Publication date: April 24, 2008
    Inventors: Vidar Snekkenes, Lennart Gustavsson, Daniel Trolin, Mats Nasman