HNC Technology and Management of Paper and Boardmaking.

Scheme of work for the pressing of Paper and Board. The pressing of paper and board module will increase the individuals technical knowledge of the water removal and sheet consolidation. All aspects of the press section will be covered with respect to theory and operation.

AIMS. 1. To develop technical knowledge with regard to water removal by Wahlstroms theory. 2. To enhance knowledge of press section and press felt design. 3. To explain press section developments. 4. To explain press section runability. LEARNING OUTCOMES. On completion of the module the students should be able to:1. Understand the theory of water removal at the press nip 2. Explain the parameters connected with water removal at the press section. 3. Explain press section design criteria. 4. Understand developments in press section design. 5. To understand press felt design criteria. 6. To understand the conditioning methods used to maintain press felt efficiency. 7. To explain press section runability- problems. This Pressing module will cover half the lecturing time allotted to Paper Technology in block two of the second year. Assessment will be by an exam at the end of the block.

HNC Technology and Management of Paper and Boardmaking. The pressing of paper and board module will increase the individuals technical knowledge of the water removal and sheet consolidation. All aspects of the press section will be covered with respect to theory and operation.

AIMS. 1. To develop technical knowledge with regard to water removal by Wahlstroms theory. 2. To enhance knowledge of press section and press felt design. 3. To explain press section developments. 4. To explain press section runability. LEARNING OUTCOMES. On completion of the module the students should be able to:1. Understand the theory of water removal at the press nip 2. Explain the parameters connected with water removal at the press section. 3. Explain press section design criteria. 4. Understand developments in press section design. 5. To understand press felt design criteria. 6. To understand the conditioning methods used to maintain press felt efficiency. 7. To explain press section runability problems.

HIGHER NATIONAL CERTIFICATE TECHNOLOGY and MANAGEMENT of PAPER and BOARDMAKING PRESSING OF PAPER AND BOARD
in

INTRODUCTION.
The Press Section is a very important part of the Paper or Board Machine. It is therefore essential that the student has an understanding of the theory of water removal and the parameters surrounding the efficient operation of the section so that he can be aware of the implications involved due to its inefficiencies.

THE PRESS SECTION.

A press is a pair of squeeze or wringer rolls designed to remove water mechanically from the web and to compress the sheet. The sketch below is a typical press.

Top Bowl

Felt

Return Rolls

Bottom Bowl

Guide Roll Tension Roll

The primary objectives of pressing are to remove water and consolidate the sheet. Other objectives are, to provide surface smoothness, reduce bulk and to provide as high a wet web strength as possible. These latter objectives will of course depend on the product requirements. The pressing operation is in effect a continuation of the water removal process that started on the wire. It is far more economical to remove water by mechanical means than it is by suction (on the wire) and evaporation (in the dryers), so the methods of making the press section more efficient should always of the utmost priority.

Water removal should be uniform across the width of the sheet so that the pressed sheet has a level moisture profile entering the dryer section. Sheet consolidation is also a crucial part of the pressing operation because it is here that the fibres are forced into intimate contact so that the wet web strength is substantially increased and that good fibre to fibre bonding develops during drying. Web moisture values during pressing are usually expressed as a consistency or as % dryness. However it should be noted that changes in % dryness are not a good indication of absolute differences in moisture content. A better indicator is the water- to-fibre ratio. For example, a change in sheet dryness from 40 to 41% leaving the presses might be calculated as a 2.5% increase in dryness. In fact, the water-to-fibre at 40% dryness is (60/40) 1.5 and at 41% is (59/41) 1.44, so the real difference is 0.06 or 4.0%. This value is far higher than 2.5% and indicates the true importance of a 1.0% dryness change during pressing. WAHLSTROMS THEORY. The present understanding of what actually happens in the press nip and what factors limit water removal has been summarised by Wahlstrom based in part on the previous work by Nilsson and Larsson. Wahlstrom considered the pressing operation as a four-phase operation as illustrated below.
Top Bowl 1 Paper Felt 2 3 4

Nip curve Fibre structure pressure curve Hydraulic pressure curve

Bottom Bowl Pressure distribution curves

Length of time in nip

In phase 1, compression begins and air is forced out of the sheet and felt until the sheet is saturated. No pressure is built up

In phase 2, the sheet is saturated and the build up of hydraulic pressure causes water to move from the paper to the felt. When the felt also reaches saturation point the water starts to move out of the felt. Where this water goes will depend on what kind or type of press is in operation. Phase 2 continues up to the mid-nip position, but the pressure reaches a maximum just before mid point. In phase 3, the nip expands until the fluid pressure in the paper is zero this corresponds to the point of maximum dryness in the nip. In phase 4, both the paper and the felt expand and the paper becomes unsaturated. Although negative a hydraulic pressure is developed in both structures the lowest is in the paper causing the water to flow from the felt to the paper, re-wetting. This analysis leads to insights regarding important factors in pressing. For example, the felt must have enough permeability when compressed to allow for the passage of water that has been squeezed out of the paper. As the felt becomes saturated, some receptacles are needed to receive the water that will be squeezed out of the felt. The felt manufacturers who have designed felts have addressed these concerns by manufacturing felts that retain their permeability at high nip loadings. Machinery manufacturers have provided receptacles of various types in the press rolls. The re-absorption of water from the felt in phase 4 is recognised as a serious limitation to idealised water removal. Various theories have been put forward, including capillary absorption, mechanical absorption and film splitting. Parameters connected with water removal There are two distinct limitations to pressing, one relates to how rapidly water can be removed from the sheet, the flow limited situation, and the other relates to the possible sheet compression, the pressure limited situation. Generally the freer the stock the more readily the sheet loses its water the more pressure can be applied to the web. Excessive pressure applied in a flow limited situation gives rise to a condition known as sheet crushing, which in its most severe condition is the disintegration of the sheet. More generally it is localised to a re-alignment of the fibres, and washing out of the fibres into the felt. If pressing is carried out by a series of nips, then the first nip is usually flow limited and the last nip pressure limited. The sheet and felt are pressed between two rolls one of which is mechanically loaded to create the desired pressure in the nip. The lineal nip pressure is the sum of the mechanical loading plus the weight of the top bowl -if applicable- divided by the length of the contacting face at the press nip. The actual pressure developed follows a curve as illustrated below. The maximum value depends on several factors, such as linear pressure, roll diameter, roll hardness, and felt characteristics.

Press Loading. The first attempt to load presses was by a system of weights and levers. These weights and levers have now been replaced by pneumatic and / or hydraulic cylinders and pistons, but the method of calculating the load is basically the same.
Piston

D2

D1

To calculate the load applied in the above system then the air pressure in the piston and the area of the piston need to be known. Consider the air pressure in the cylinder to be 40 psi; and the area to be 50.27 sq. in.(4in dia.) Then the weight at A is 40 X 50.27 = 2010 lb. Now if the length of D1 is twice the length of D2 then the load on the top bowl is 2010 X 2 = 4020 lb. At one side so total weight on the top bowl will 4020 X 2 = 8040 plus the weight of the top bowl It will be noticed from the graph page 6 that depending on the softness of the rolls the width of the nip increases or decreases. This variation in nip width also has a significant effect on water removal, and the wider it gets the longer the sheet of paper remains in the nip the longer time there is for the water to move into the felt. So now another factor is brought into bear time and this creates what is now called nip impulse. (See ENP) Just as an increase in the temperature of the stock increases the water removal in the forming area so an increase in temperature of the sheet prior to pressing or during pressing, by heating the press rolls, will have a significant effect on the removal of water during pressing. (See press drying) Sheet Properties

The pressure applied in pressing is opposed the slight resistance of the fibres to deformation and resistance of water to flow through the fine capillaries of the wet mat. So depending on the characteristics of the original fibre and the amount of specific energy applied during the preparation so will determine the sheet properties and these will influence the dewatering in the press Flow Resistance in the Felt. As the web and felt enter the press the compressive loading causes the wet mat to become saturated and pass water into the felt. As the web / felt continues into the nip the apparent density increases, this changing density affects flow which in turn affects the flow induced loading. There is then a complex inter-relationship between compression and flow, so when at a point when the felt becomes saturated it will offer an increased resistance to flow, which in turn will further complicate the inter-relationship. So the felt must have a very low resistance to flow in the first place. CAMBER When a load is applied to a press bowl, because it can only be applied to the ends (the bearings) it will bend. Now if the bowl were parallel (as in sketch below) then the bending of the roll would produce a hollow in the middle and give an uneven moisture profile. NO CAMBER

To combat this hollow a camber is applied. Camber is the curvature given to a press bowl and can be defined as the difference in diameter at the centre compared with ends CAMBER APPLIED

Now when the load is applied the roll still bends but because of the curvature applied (the camber) a parallel nip is produced, and an even pressure applied across the nip

mating bowl

Camber is critical and needs to be calculated. To calculate camber certain factors need to be taken into consideration 1. Width of the press roll. 2. Load to be applied 3. Material and method of construction 4. Speed of machine Once calculated with these factors theory says that none of these factors can be altered. This theory is not really practical on paper and board machines that make a variety of grades, because of necessity the load needs to be changed and the speed of the machine altered. So to ensure even pressing at these variable press loadings and speeds variable camber rolls are used.

VARIABLE CAMBER ROLLS. These are rolls which the curvature or camber can be adjusted to compensate for different press loadings. The basic theory behind the operation is: -

The roll itself consists of a hollow shell, through which is passing a shaft. The shell actually revolves on bearings on the shaft and the ends are sealed.

End view

During the operation the hollow shaft is filled with hydraulic fluid and pressurised. This deflects the roll shell and induces camber.

mating bowel

10

Now when the load is applied the shell is deflected to present a parallel nip to the mating bowl and the hydraulic fluid exerts the pressure on the shaft, which bends to compensate.

The original presses were of the plain roll type as illustrated below.

TYPES OF PRESSES

solid top bowel

paper

felt

water

solid bottom bowl

These were severely flow limited because the water could only leave on the entering side of the nip by lateral movement.
THE SUCTION PRESS

Although not recognised as such originally the suction press developed in the early 1900s was the first approach towards transverse-flow pressing. The holes in the perforated roll (below) provide an easier escape rout for the water

11

Paper Felt

Top Roll

Suction roll

Water held in the holes by a stationary vacuum box inside the roll is released on the outgoing side of the nip and thrown clear by centrifugal force. Some water is able to flow directly to the holes, but most water also must travel laterally as well. The hollow shell construction with perforations limits the amount of pressure that can be applied; and stress fatigue failure of rolls has been a continuing problem over the years.

12

THE GROOVED ROLL PRESS This is a more recent innovation in the transverse press design (introduced by Beloit in 1963) and now part of virtually all-modern press installations (below)

The grooves in the roll cover provide easy accessible receptacles for expelled water. The helically cut grooves are typically 0.1 inch in depth, 0.02 inch wide on0.125 inch centres (i.e. 8 grooves per inch). The maximum lateral distance for water to ravel in the groove press is only 0.05 inches as compared to typical figures of 0.2 and 0.75 inches respectively for the suction press and plain press. Since the grooved roll is solid, higher pressures can be applied. The water caught in the grooves is thrown off by centrifugal force and the roll is cleaned by the action of sprays and doctor.

BLIND DRILLED Another innovation in press design is the blind drilled. Since only the covers of these rolls are drilled they can be easily distinguished from suction rolls. The holes are smaller and more closely spaced, thus reducing the distance for lateral travel. In comparison to the grooved roll the drilled roll provides greater void volume and open surface area. The wells are said to be self cleaning by the normal action of centrifugal force.

13

DOUBLE FELTED Probably the most effective press available in the first press position (for flow limited presses) is the double felted and double-vented nip(below)

Not only has the distance for lateral travel been reduced, but the de-watering can take place in both directions, thus reducing the distance for vertical travel. SHOE PRESSES Shoe pressing is a common technique for production of packaging papers, but there were concerns that the technological requirements (surface properties) could not be met with shoe press concepts on printing and writing papers, in addition the high operating speeds was a major barrier. However shoe presses are now running on high speed newsprint machines and all the apprehensions have been taken away.

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Crown controlled roll

Load Shoe

Blanket

Closed Shoe Press

EXTENDED NIP PRESS (ENP) An extended nip press is essentially a controlled deflector roll with a very flexible shell and a concave-loading shoe. The flexible shell is a thin polyurethane membrane called a blanket or a belt. This belt forms a circular loop, much like a roll cover, until it passes through the nip. Here it is forces to bend in the opposite direction between the loading shoe and the mating roll.

15

The inside of the belt is lubricated with oil, which creates a hydrodynamic film as it passes over the shoe. Because of this ever present oil film the shoe never comes into contact with the belt, this means there is no wear on the surface of the shoe or the belt. The load shoe is typically 250 mm(10inches) in length, it has a concave surface and produces a nip width 4 to 10 times that of a conventional roll press. With such a nip width, nip loads up to 1500 kN/m (850 pli) are possible without damage to the sheet or the press felts carrying the sheet.

Open shoe press

ROLL PRESS v SHOE PRESS High dry contents can be reached, given a long drainage time and a high press nip pressure. The main limitation with roll presses is the nip width or what is called the nip dwell time. Conventional roll presses have a nip width of 20-40 mm (see below)

16

This means that the nip dwell time of roll presses is quite low on high-speed machines. The objective is to extend nip width on high-speed machines up to 150-300 mm which increases the nip dwell time about seven times. Another important point is the mean nip pressure. To-day maximum mean nip pressures are about 60 Bar with both roll and shoe presses.(see graph below)

1000 500 200

nip dwell time

nip

100 50 20 10 5 2 1 0.5 0.2 8.8

wid th( mm )

300 shoe 150 40 roll 20

1.2
1700

20

50

100

200

500

1000 2000

operating speed (m/min)

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1000 press impulse (kPa x s) mean nip pressure 60 44 (bar) 32

100

10

nip impulse = nip pressure x nip dwell time

roll 1.2 1

shoe nip dwell time (ms)

8.8 100

The main limitation is in press felt design. First results with commercial installations showed that lower nip pressures are quite sufficient when running a shoe press on printings and writings. The lower pressure helps maximise press felt and sleeve life and sheet marking is reduced to a minimum. By multiplying mean nip pressure with nip dwell time, the press impulse value can be calculated. This value can be calculated very simply from the line force divided by the machine speed. Press impulse is a very important factor, since high press impulse leads to high dry content. A heavily loaded roll press running with a high line force of 150 KN/m and 1700 m/min. will achieve a nip impulse of 5.2 kPa/s., with a shoe press the press impulse will be about 5 times higher giving a better dry content.

IMPULSE DRYING
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This is a process in which water is removed a moist paper web as it passes through a press nip with one intensely heated roll. The operational range for impulse drying varies but commonly the pressure lies between 3-6 Mpa and a temperature between 150-500 oC and a nip dwell time between15 and 150 ms It has been reported that water pressed out from fibres mechanically and the steam pulse effect of impulse drying provide the mechanism to transport more water out of the web than it possible in conventional pressing. C. H. SPRAGUE in his discussions of the mechanisms of impulse drying split the nip into four time intervals based on different kinds of de-watering and heat transfer mechanisms.

impulse drying begins with a process like conventional wet pressing. The next step involves the rapid heat transfer by nucleate pool boiling mechanism. In

IMPULSE DRYING
NEWSPRINT 50gsm

Tempeature Dependence 70

68 Percent solids out

66

64

nip pressure 3000kPa nip dwell time 0,020 secs ingoing solids 44%

62

60

58 150 200 250 300 350 Hot surface temperature 400

19

75

70
use of heat jK/m2

65

60

55

50 150

200

250

300

350

400

Hot surface temperature (C)

this phase most of the energy is transferred and a growing layer of pressurised vapour displaces liquid. At the end of the nip, the decrease in external pressure allows flash evaporation of water from the fibres in the dry zone. The heat transfer to the sheet occurs by conduction and vapour conduction mechanism. In the last phase the pressure drops to zero allowing continuing flash evaporation. Internal pressure may cause delamination in this phase. PRESS DRYING In this process the paper web dries at a temperature of 100 oC or above under the external pressure. Pressure range is from 100kPa 1000kPa. Benefits of Press Drying are: An increase in the density, the strength and the surface finish. Dewatering rates are 20 times higher than conventional steam heated dryers. Generally the conditions are mild compared with Impulse Drying.

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Impulse drying and Press drying offer advantages over conventional technology, particularly in influencing paper properties. Impulse drying has the additional advantage of high dewatering rates, small equipment size, ease of implementation, specific energy consumption, property control, density profiling. Press Drying will use lower grade energy and because of a much longer exposure time, may promote lignin flow. HOT PRESSING In this water is removed by volume reduction as in conventional pressing. Heat is used to reduce the viscosity and surface tension of water. The elastic modulus of the web is also reduced by the temperature thus allowing higher compression.

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PRESS FELT DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION.

Modern press felts consist of two components: a woven base fabric onto which a non-woven fibrous batt component is needled. Originally papermakers felts were what we now refer to as traditional felts, in which woven cloths of wool content yarns were milled and raised to form a fibrous structure. This type of structure gave short lives, mainly because of poor compaction resistance and contamination. Batt-on Base felts superseded these conventional felts. The batt-on-base felts were a wool base with a fibre web needled into them. These base cloths were woven with spun yarns, either multi filament or combination spun yarns (wool and/or synthetic blends). The batt fibre used was a mixture of wool and synthetic fibre. A progression made with batt-on-base felts was to use core spun yarns for less extensibility and hence increased stability. Only with the introduction of monofilament synthetic yarns were great improvements made in stability, wear resistance and retained permeability. These types of felts were known as Batt-on Mesh, where firstly crossmachine monofilament yarns with core spun machine direction yarns were used, and then as finer monofilament yarns became available these were incorporated into the machine direction; initially as piled yarns with single monofilament cross machine yarns. Batt-on-mesh felts have been developed into current product ranges incorporating a variety of weave structures for the base cloth which offer great possibilities for design differentiation. A major development occurred in the mid 1980s when seamless felts were introduced which allowed the use of heavy duty single monofilaments in both the machine and cross directions. The majority of these base cloths were woven endless, i.e. in the form of a tube, although long felts, such as boardmaking felts, may be woven flat and the base cloth spliced to form and endless cloth. Most base weaves are now made from monofilament or multifilament polyamide yarns, and thus the base yarns are generally intact at the end of the felt life, i.e. the base yarns no longer limit life. The different weave structures which are available for use in press felts are selected depending on the following principal factors: Void volume requirement(water capacity) Compression resistance Surface criteria (mark resistance and sheet smoothness needed)

Depending on the quantity of water to be handled, the specific load in the press nip and the type of press, different void volume levels can be created by choosing the yarn diameters and weave pattern used, and by using multibase options. Base cloth structures are classified in the following way: -

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Single layer weave structures, with one layer of machine direction yarns, interlaced with cross direction yarns. The simplest weave structure is plain weave (see below)

This is a relatively knuckly structure, and the trend has been to make flatter structures. This is achieved in a single layer structure by floating the cross machine yarn over two or more machine direction yarns, producing a flatter surface on the paper side of the felt giving a more even pressure distribution in the press nip.(see below).

The next type of weave structure is known as a machine double layer cloth, which has two layers of machine direction yarns. The first of these designs has single monofilament cross direction yarns, with resultant high compression resistance and good void volume retention (see below)

The second type of the machine-direction double-layer design has a plied monofilament yarn in both machine direction and cross direction, with a flatter weave structure. Which is capable of giving high levels of smoothness, and flexibility, fast running in times and exceptional dewatering particularly on modern high load, high speed presses (see below)

Triplex base weaves with three layers of machine-direction yarns were the progression from double layer weaves, to give increased void volume, compaction resistance and water carrying capacity (see below)

The inherently knuckly triplex designs have now been superseded in most applications. In order to give high void volumes, with smooth surfaces for even pressure distribution and high contact area/de-watering, multibase (laminated)

23

designs were developed. In these, two separate base cloths are needled together to give the required properties, a bottom base giving the compaction resistance and void volume with atop cloth masking any mark effect from the bottom cloth and giving the necessary smoothness. The top base is typically a long flat single layer cloth with the bottom base being either another single layer cloth (see below)

Or for greater void volume, a machine direction double layer type cloth (see below)

Seam felts are made by weaving loops into the base cloth to form a cross machine seam. (see below)

Following the addition of batt layer in the needling process the batt is cut forming a flap and butt end. These two components can then be joined in situ on the paper machine using a joining, or pintle wire. This makes installation very easy, but also allows the use of stiff, heavy structures that would be difficult, if not impossible to fit otherwise. Additional benefits include safer installation (no felt or press rolls require lifting or removal), cleaner, flatter felts at start up, less man power and crane requirements releasing them for other work, and less of damage during installation. The papermaking performance of seamed felts, in addition to the above has seen their range application expand, with more critical applications such as fine paper and high load shoe presses successfully running seamed felts today.

The second component of modern press felts is the batt webs, made from polyamide fibres ranging from 3 to 70 decitex (decitex being the measure of the coarseness of the fibre). These fibres are prepared in the form of a web by drawing the fibres out in on a carding machine and then consolidating the web by a small amount of needling. The grammage and thickness of the web is

24

monitored with a Beta gauge, before being rolled up and transferred to the needle loom, where different webs of fibre are needled together on the base cloth. The batt webs can vary in fibre material and weight, with fibre coarseness varying in different layers. Also extensive use of different fibre orientations are used, either cross-machine laid (COF) or length orientated batt fibre (LOF) layers. Typically for good sheet contact and de-watering the finer LOF surface is used, whilst for extended life, increased compression and contamination resistance coarser COF substructure and batt layers are used. Having created the felt, various finishing processes are carried out on a stretcher. The felt will be heat set for stability, and is then washed to remove process lubricants, dried and may be chemically treated. Chemical treatments are designed and used to enhance specific properties of the felt such as long term compaction resistance, with inbuilt resilience (thickness recovery after the nip) or alternatively contamination resistance. The felt surface is singed to eliminate hairiness and felts may be precompacted to reduce start up times. Once finished the felt is inspected prior to packing and despatch. Future developments can be expected to include the wider use and application of non-woven materials, of which benefits can be summarised as follows: Maximum contact area Improved product consistency Flat even pressure profile Unsurpassed caliper retention Engineered permeability Non marking Minimum vibration Extended life

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PRESS FELT CLEANING AND CONDITIONING

paper felt Detergent shower

High pressure shower

Floodingshower

Lubricating shower

Conditioning box (suction box)

There are two basic methods of cleaning felts, Mechanical and Chemical both of which may be used to advantage in maintaining optimum felt condition throughout a normal working life. Mechanical cleaning involves the use of showers and suction boxes to loosen and extract contaminates, whereas chemical cleaning requires the use of chemical reagents to dislodge materials for subsequent removal by suction boxes.

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VOID VOLUME Loss of calliper and air permeability during the life of a felt reduce its ability to provide a means of escape for the water in the press nip. The void volume within a felt is a measure of its water carrying capacity and is equal to the volume of reduced by the volume occupied by the fibres. Since the thickness of a felt is changed by the pressure applied to it while the fibre component remains constant, assuming no fibre loss during use, the void volume also changes with pressure. The entire void volume is not available for absorbing water in the nip since the felt has certain residual water content after conditioning and with the design and age of the felt. The felt volume reduced by the water volume gives the active volume which may be expressed by the following equation: v = t (f/d + m) Where v = active void volume t = felt volume f = dry weight of felt d = density of material m = felt moisture The density of the material is dependent on specific gravity of the fibre used to make up the felt. The following are examples of the more common materials used in felt manufacture: Polyamide 1.14 Polyester 1.30 Polypropylene 0.90 Most all-synthetic press felts consist mainly of polyamide. A reduction of void volume is inevitable as the felt is subject to multiple compressions in the press nip, but correct choice of base fabric and base fabric components will alleviate the problem. A further complication arises due to water flow being impeded by paper fines, filling materials and residue from waste furnishes, all of which contribute to the reduction in void volume. Felt cleaning by one form or another plays an important role in helping to maintain void volume, thereby extending the useful life of the felt.

Felt deposits.

27

Felt deposits fall into two categories, Organic and Inorganic Organic substances often include components from secondary fibre such as pitch, inks, adhesives and plastics. Rosin and fatty acids are frequently present where sulphite and mechanical pulps are being processed. Additive chemicals such as rosin size, defoamers, wet strength resin, retention aids and pitch control agents may also be found in varying proportions. Inorganic deposits include additives such as clay, talc, calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide, insoluble oxides and hydroxides plus various phosphates, silicates and sulphates. Some of these may originate in the water supply whilst others are added to the furnish or may be formed as a bi-product in the felt. Heavily loaded or coated papers used as broke or forming part of the secondary fibre add to the level of inorganic substances in the furnished, ultimately, in the felt. Paper fines are difficult to remove by chemical means, as they cannot be dissolved without destroying the structure of the felt. They are frequently held in by pitch or rosin size. Contaminates may be either on the surface of the felt or trapped within the structure. Experience has shown that the bulk of internal deposits accumulate in the batt component so felts with a low batt/base ratio are less susceptible to clogging. The following operational problems are attributed to dirty felts: Poor sheet quality due to uneven moisture profiles caused by streaky felt or marks/pin holes caused by surface deposits Crushing caused by loss of felt porosity and void volume. Loss of vacuum, on suction rolls or Uhle boxes due to clogging. Increased sheet breaks. Reduced machine speed, therefore lower production. Higher steam usage due to less de-watering in the press

Greater felt wear and therefore reduced life if high pressure showering or air flows have to be increased to compensate for the lower porosity or may be nip pressures have to be raised to improve sheet dryness. Some form of on machine cleaning is absolutely necessary if the efficiency of a felt is to be maintained throughout its operating life. MECHANICAL CLEANING

28

Before the introduction of modern cleaning methods, devices such as wringer presses, whippers and Vickery shoes were commonly used to clean the old style woollen felts these contributed to felt wear and were not very effective on stiffer, all synthetic batt-on-mesh felts. As a result, the development of highpressure showers and improved vacuum systems proved to be the turning point in mechanical cleaning. HIGH PRESSURE SHOWERS Location. Ideally, this should be just before a Uhle box so that contaminates loosened by the showering may be extracted soon afterwards. A lubrication shower immediately before the box acts as a flushing medium for the loosened dirt particles as well as reducing friction over the box top. Position, Inside or Outside. When all-synthetic felts were first introduced, base fabric weights were relatively low in comparison to total felt weights, in other words felts predominance of batt. The batt component is the major filtering element for deposits so felts tended to clog very quickly if they were not cleaned properly. Needle showers were therefore used at relatively high pressures, 2.5 5.0 MPa. (300-800 psi) and because of this they had to be directed towards the inside of the felt in order to prevent surface damage. As base fabric weights increased relative to felt weights and greater quantities of monofilament yarns came into use, it became more difficult to penetrate the felt from the inside due to a breakdown of kinetic energy as water jets strike the base weave. Showers were therefore moved to the outside and operated at lower pressures, 0.5-2.0 MPa (70-300 psi). This now applies to most paper categories, even fine papers, as it is found that outside showering not only cleans the surface of a felt effectively but also helps it to retain bulk and void volume. Direction of shower Benefits have been gained by directing the shower against the run of the felt at an angle of 15-30 degrees to the perpendicular This tends to have a doctoring action on the surface of the felts, not only helping it to keep clean but also preventing surface compaction.

Oscillation

29

An efficient oscillating mechanism is essential if the felt damage is to be avoided. Pneumatic oscillators are generally found to be more reliable, providing more uniform traversing and a low failure rate. An automatic cut-off is required to prevent damage in the event of the press stopping. The stroke length should be twice the nozzle spacing so that two will spray the same part of the felt simultaneously. Thus, if one nozzle becomes blocked, a certain amount of cleaning will still be obtained. Also, the oscillating movement should take place at constant speed throughout the entire length of stroke. Time The showering time depends on the water pressure available, the machine speed, the felt length, the type of felt and the degree to which it is soiled. Continuos high-pressure is used to advantage in some mills by preventing the build up of contaminates rather than periodically attempting to clean a dirty felt. Shower pressures in this case must be maintained at a relatively lower level. Intermittent showering varies according to mill requirements and times can only be determined by experimental trials. Single jet operation Slow oscillating, single jet high-pressure showers are gaining in popularity.

CHEMICAL CLEANING
Sometimes mechanical cleaning alone is insufficient when dealing with difficult contaminates in these cases chemicals have to be employed to supplement the mechanical cleaning. Felt deposits fall into four main categories :1. Solvent extractable 2. Acid extractable 3. Alkaline extractable 4. Ash

The diagram below shows how the deposits are distributed among these categories.

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SOLVENT EXTACTABLE

Amide, Asphelt, Grease, Latex, Plolythene, Oil, Wax. Rosin size, Abietic acid Fatty acid Fatty ester Alkaline size Dry strength starch Wet strength resins Biological slime Lignin Glue Wet strength (acid) Fatty acid salt Abietic acid salt Aluminiumhydroxide

ALAKALINE EXTRACTABLE

ACID EXTRACTABLE

Calcium carbonate

Talc, Clay, Hysil, Cellulose, Titanium hydroxide

ASH

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PRESSING FAULTS
Crushing As discussed earlier there are two distinct limitations to pressing: Flow limited Pressure limited.

Generally, the more readily the sheet loses its water the greater the pressure can be applied. Excessive pressure applied in a flow limited situation gives rise to a condition known as crushing. In its most severe form it is the disintegration of the sheet, but more usually it is the washing out of the fines and fillers into the felt and the realignment of the fibres. CURE Reduce the pressure on the press Make the stock more free.

Creasing This is where there is an uneven tension between two presses or between the couch and the first press. It can be caused by: Poor profile, Grammage, Calliper, and Moisture where the web is tending to be longer at that part of high moisture. This could be due to: Incorrect slice lip adjustment Poor formation Uneven press loading Worn press bowls Worn or dirty press felts It could also be caused by: Incorrect feeding Press section rolls out of alignment.

Therefore to ensure no creasing occurs, it is essential that: Blow Marks. A perfect level is obtained from the flow box Formation is good Presses are uniformly loaded Press bowls are in good condition Felt conditioning is operable and regularly inspected Feeding of machine is correctly done Bearings of press rolls and lead in rolls are properly maintained.

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This fault is distinguished by two parallel lines on the sheet in the machine direction usually accompanied by fine creases. It is caused by air being trapped between the felt and the web as it enters the press nip. When this happens the air cannot escape and balloons the web stretching it giving rise to uneven pressing and water removal. It can be caused by: Cure. Reduce moisture content going into the press Insert a blow roll before nip. The sheet being too wet entering the press The sheet contacting the press felt too soon prior to entering the nip Dirty press felt

Blow roll Ensure press felts are clean by proper conditioning. Delamination (Multiply Products) When paper or board has been made up of several plies, a fault could occur, known as delamination. This is where the plies are not bonded together and split apart during or after manufacture. This could be caused by: The plies having too high moisture content before being brought together. The freeness level of the plies is too great. Air being trapped between the plies so that contact between the plies is restricted and bonding does not take place.

Pressing faults. Too much pressure applied

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Flow resistance to fluid transfer in one or more plies or felt. Therefore when making multi-ply papers or boards the freeness and moisture levels should be kept as close as possible and air entrapment avoided when the plies are being brought together, and particular care should be taken with press loadings. To assist ply adhesion on twin wire Fourdrinier machines a starch solution can be sprayed between the plies as they are brought together. Shadow Marking. The water removed from the sheet by a suction press is held in the holes and thrown out into the saveall pan after the suction breaks. The size of holes is important since the larger the holes the greater the water removed, but smaller holes closer together are preferable because a greater pressure can be applied without crushing and less marking is obtained. The marking is due to difference in water removal between the drilled areas and the land areas resulting in uneven fines distribution and is called shadow marking. There are several ways shadow marking can be minimised. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Reduce vacuum Use finer bulkier felts Use softer press rolls Increase number of holes in press roll Use a plain press after suction press.

Two sidedness This is usually associated with the structure of paper i.e. distribution of fibres, fines and fillers as determined by the initial drainage on the wire, however during pressing, depending on the type of presses involved, then different finishes could be imparted to the sides of the web. For example: From the surface of the bowl smooth From the felt surface matt This will manifest itself in the finished sheet as a Two Sided paper.

To considerably reduce this effect then one or several of the following could be employed: Use of double felted press Use of a reverse press

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Use of an inverse press Use of different roll covers Calendering (intermediate or conventional) Felt and Surface Marking. The selection of a felt for a press position must be considered very carefully taking into account: Permeability Finish Strength All three are interrelated Felt marking is the transmission of weave impression from the felt or of an imperfection on the surface of the paper - an embossing effect - Where felts of high permeability are being used the transfer of the weave pattern can be very pronounced. To reduce this marking: Reduce nip pressure Use a less permeable felt Use a reverse press or an inverse press after the offending press.

Damaged or dirty felts will often cause surface marking. This is where the surface of the felt has been scuffed or otherwise damaged, and the area is being transmitted to the surface of the paper or where the felt is dirty or plugged and its full dewatering potential is not being used at that point. In this case a slight crushing effect could be obtained. If the felt is damaged there is only cure is to change it, if its dirty increase conditioning.

*Note.
As a purely temporary measure relieving the nip pressure can reduce both these marks, but it must be emphasised that this is considered bad practice.

Doctor Streaks During the pressing operation it is essential that both press rolls are kept absolutely clean. The doctors should do this.
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Because of the method of operation of these doctors they are very vulnerable to wear, and at some point will loose their efficiency. This means that dirt that should be taken off by the doctors still adheres to the press roll, builds up and causes a line or series of lines on the sheet. These are called streaks. This wear will obviously vary depending on the furnish. Secondary fibres Chemical additives (fillers/loadings) Pitch from wood pulps.

To minimise localised wear on doctors oscillating mechanisms can be employed. Once streaking occurs it is obvious that the doctor is not operating efficiently worn and should be changed. Picking. This is the separation of any portion of a papers surface during pressing. It could be the result of a dirty press roll caused by: Incorrect size application Other chemical additives in the furnish (ionic trash) Pitch Stickies

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