Abstract
An increasing demand on wood fiber based products requires an increasing efficiency of wood fiber resources. This can be achieved by a selective treatment and usage of two different fiber length classes, which are separated by a novel high performance fractionator. Hydrodynamic fractionation in a mini-channel (miniFrac) exploits network formation of fibers when flowing through a narrow channel: while longer fibers are linked to the network, shorter fibers can be extracted by a suction slot. Since an increase of slot suction rate would decrease fractionation performance, total suction rate is increased by connecting several suction slots in series. We present a scale-up strategy to a pilot scale plant by parallel connection of 16 fractionation channels (i.e., equaling-up). Therefore, a novel bifurcation distributor for fiber suspensions is developed. A comparison of the miniFrac pilot plant to a state of the art fractionation device, i.e., a pressure screen, shows that miniFrac can be operated with higher fractionation performance. Moreover, miniFrac is shown to be significantly more energy efficient than typical pressure screens.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
More From: Chemical Engineering and Processing - Process Intensification
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.