ELECTRODE ARRANGEMENT

Abstract: An electrode arrangement for cathodic protection of the metallic body part (3) of a rotating perforated roll, said arrangement comprising an anode (4) and an electrolyte in contact with the metallic body part of the roll that is to be protected and with the anode, the body part of the roll, which is to be protected, being connected to the cathode (6), wherein on the inside of the hole (2) in the perforated roll (1) has been placed an insulator (7) and an electrode constituting the anode (4), insulated against the body part by an insulator.

Description: ELECTRODE ARRANGEMENT The present invention concerns an electrode arrangement for cathodic protection of the metallic body part of a rotating perforated roll, said arrange¬ ment comprising an anode and an electrolyte which is in contact with the metallic body part of the roll that is to be protected and with the anode, the body part of the roll which is to be protected being connected to the cathode. Electrochemical protection of the recesses, narrow slits, small diameter and/or deep holes, grooves, pipes, corners and equivalent of perforated rolls against corrosion, e.g. cathodic protection, is cumber- some, expensive and frequently technically impossible by methods in present use, because usually the protective electric current cannot be directed on those points of the structure which are critical in view of corrosion or soiling. The objects which are particularly embar- rassing from the viewpoint of corrosion control or soil¬ ing are rotating perforated rolls, e.g. the shell, or body part, of a paper machine suction roll, or a drum in a bleaching filter in a pulp mill. In the thick-walled shell of a suction roll a great number of small diameter, long holes have been drilled. Unsatisfactory durability of the shell which is perforated and serves in chemically corrosive condi¬ tions, and which is physically subjected to heavy load, so-called pinpoint corrosion, stress/fatigue corrosion fractures and soiling have since decades been among the worst problems faced by paper machine manufacturers and papermakers. Although there has been development of the shell materials in recent years, the conditions giving rise to suction roll corrosion have become worse, and soiling has increased, in the first place owing to higher degree of closed water circulation. The heavy, fatiguing load has also increased as the machines have increased in width and the running speeds have gone up. New shell metals which present greater durability than before, for instance two-phase steels, evoke problems because they often carry residual stresses from the manufacturing process, because their drilling is dif¬ ficult and because they command a high price. Fractures of this new roll type have in fact occurred after unex¬ pectedly short service periods. Electrochemical anticorrosive protection, by presently employed methods, of perforated rolls in pulp mills, that is, of filter drums, is not fully satisfac¬ tory because the electric current cannot be directed on the inner surfaces of the perforated shell, on recesses inside the drum, etc. when stationary electrodes outside the drum are used. Existing procedures also fail to afford satisfactory protection of those parts of the outer drum surface which at any given time are posi¬ tioned outside and/or above the filtrate in the basin, that is, of the electrolyte, and are in contact with the corrosive pulp slurry; in corrosion trials under laboratory conditions, for instance, electrochemical protection is 100% effective and in plant conditions, 60 to 80% effective, depending on the steel. A suction roll operates in that water is being drawn from the side of the outer shell periphery, from the paper web, through the holes in the shell and into a suction box on the side of the inner shell periphery. In modern fast paper machines little, if any, water passes through the holes into the suction box, owing to high peripheral velocity: the holes are rather filled when opposite the suction box, and after passing the suction box the water flies out from the holes, by centrifugal effect, to the ambience outside the shell. The region which is problematic regarding corrosion and soiling lies within the holes. Existing technology is unable to protect the surface inside the holes by elect¬ rochemical means against corrosion or soiling because electric current cannot be induced to flow in the criti¬ cal region inside the holes at any high enough current density. In systems conforming to existing technology, the stationary current electrodes, e.g. anodes, have to be disposed outside the rotating shell, where they are susceptible to damage and where they may cause damage when they get loose and end up in the press nip. Furthermore, the density of protective current supplied from outside the shell is not sufficient with a view to cathodic protection. It is a further fact that since in fast paper machines in practice no water at all passes through the holes in the suction roll, supplying electric current from inside the suction roll shell to the shell with the aid of the water drained from the paper web is an impossibility. One might contemplate the supplying of water, i.e., of electrolyte, on the inner surface, but because of the high peripheral velocity of the shell and the large aggregate hole area the quantity of such water would be excessive, inhibiting the normal oper¬ ation of the roll. Attempts to supply water from the outer periphery side of the shell are often impeded by the roll coating. The object of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks mentioned and to further develop the electrochemical protection of suction rolls or equivalent rolls or drums against corrosion and soiling. The object of the invention is, in particular, to further develop the cathodic protection of the etal- lie body part of a perforated roll in such manner that the protection will be more efficient than before and the corrosion of the perforated roll will be less than before. It is a further object of the invention to provide a new kind of electrode connected to a web, wire, felt or roll which is not subject to wear as much as before; which causes no abrasion or damage of the web, wire, felt or the roll which is being protected; which can be placed on the press nip without adding to the risk of damage to rolls or to the paper machine; which requires no lubricating water, i.e., electrolyte, for its operation; and which provides good electrical contact between the electrode and the electrolyte. Regarding the features characterizing the invention, reference is made to the Claims section. It is possible with the aid of the invention to counteract efficiently hidden corrosion, pinpoint corrosion and/or stress/fatigue corrosion on the inter¬ ior surfaces of the holes in a rotating perforated roll, by utilizing the water, that is, electrolyte, entering the holes from the paper web. Soiling and plugging of the holes not only increases the corrosion attack but also impairs the operation of the suction roll and has a detrimental effect on the paper quality. In this disclosure, a perforated roll is under- stood to be a mainly cylindrical roll or drum having on its cylinder surface, i.e. on the shell surface, holes or apertures; particularly perforated rolls which are used in the paper, cardboard, pulp and/or groundwood industry, for instance suction rolls, suction cylinders, filter drums, etc. The invention is based on the fundamental idea that on the interior surface of the hole in the per¬ forated roll has been placed an anode, insulated from the roll body. The insulator placed in the hole is, for instance, tubular and it has been disposed advantageous¬ ly to protect the inner surface of the hole. The elect¬ rode may be tubular as well, but it may also for in¬ stance be shaped like a ribbon, a helix, or on the whole any arbitrary shape. The invention further concerns a separate electrode roll which may belong to the system, having on its surface a conductor and connected to the positive terminal of a d.c. source. The electrode roll may be connected to the anode of the perforated roll e.g. with the aid of an electrolyte and a continuous, web-like medium, such as a wire, felt, pulp web or equivalent. The surface of the electrode roll may consist of a conductor, e.g. a metal electrode, or electrodes, circling the surface of the roll, of a metal electrode having another shape, e.g. helical, disposed on said surface, of an electrically conductive ceramic material constituting the roll surface, of an electrically con¬ ductive plastic polymer, or of another equivalent con¬ ductor. Thanks to the invention, the perforated roll is cleaned better than before, which promotes the escape of water e.g. from a paper machine suction roll, thereby further improving the paper quality; similar improvement of the operating conditions is also observable when the perforated roll constitutes a filter drum-in a bleaching process, for instance. When a particular electrode roll is used, e.g. as anode or cathode, or as reference electrode, the wear of the roll will be extremely minimal; when the electrode roll is made to rotate at a speed consistent with the propagation of the web, the wear of the roll will be substantially nil. It is furthermore possible to connect the electrode roll integrally with the web for better con¬ duction of electricity. Furthermore, the electrode roll requires no water lubrication. Furthermore, when an electrode roll is used the electric contact between the web, wire or felt and the electrode roll will be excellent: the contact may be enhanced by applying pressure, e.g. by conducting the web through a press nip defined by the electrode roll. The roll which is to be protected may be pressed against the electrode roll in order to obtain good contact between them. Furthermore, when an electrode roll is used the voltage drop across the web, wire or felt and the electrode roll will be low. Furthermore, the electrode roll may constitute -the surface of the roll to be protected, in which case there is no web, wire or felt between the roll to be protected and the electrode roll. The invention is described in detail in the following, with the aid of embodiment examples and referring to the attached drawings, wherein:- Fig. 1 presents in elevational view, and sectioned, the shell of a perforated roll according to the invention, Fig. 2 presents an electrode arrangement according to the invention, applied on a perforated roll, and in schematical presentation. Fig. 3 presents another electrode arrangement according to the invention, in conjunction with a suction roll, in elevational view, and Fig. 4 presents a third electrode arrangement according to the invention, comprising a separate electrode roll. In Fig. 1 is seen the shell surface of a perforated roll 1 according to the invention, sectioned and in elevational view. The body part 3 of the perforated roll 1, i.e., the shell surface, consists of metal, , e.g. of steel. In the body part 3, holes 2 have been drilled. On the inner surface 5 of the hole 2 has been disposed an insulator 7, which protects the outermost portion of the hole, e.g. 10-90% of the length of the hole, as seen from the outside. In the hole 2 has further been placed an electrode 8, constituting an anode 4, which is insulated against the body part 3 by the insulator 7. In the embodiment here depicted, the insulator as well as the anode are tubular, and they have been set tight against the hole, the insulator on the outside and the electrode on the inside, likewise tight against the insulator. The body part 3 of the perforated roll 1 has been connected to a negative current source, and the electrodes placed in the holes 2 are connected to a positive current source. When electrolyte enters the hole 2, electric current is enabled to pass from the anode to the cathode at the unprotected portion 8 of the hole, thereby providing efficient cathodic protec¬ tion of the perforated roll and, especially, of the holes. In the embodiment depicted in Fig. 1, the insulator 7 forms in the body part 3 of the perforated roll a coating which covers and protects the shell surface. The electrode 4, that is the anode, consists of metal and forms a coating encircling the body part of the perforated roll, applied upon the insulating material 7. The perforated roll is in addition coated with a polyurethane layer 10, through which the holes 2 penetrate. In Fig. 2 is seen a perforated roll which is, in principle, of the type of the roll in Fig. 1, in elevational view and schematically presented. The sur¬ face of the perforated roll is perforated, the holes 2 have been partly coated with insulating material, elect¬ rodes have been placed in the holes, and the roll has been coated similarly as shown in Fig. 1. The electrodes placed in the holes 2 have been connected by the aid of a brush means 12, to the positive terminal 13 of a current source. The body part 3, made of steel, of the perforated roll 1 has been connected with the aid of a brush means 14, with the negative terminal. Hereby, the metallic surface of the holes 2 in the body part, that is the shell, will be negatively polarized for cathodic protection of the body part of the roll. The figure also shows a reference electrode 16, which has been connected with the aid of a brush means 17, for purposes of measurement. In Fig. 3 is presented .an embodiment wherein the suction roll 1 at the wet end of a paper machine has been provided with an electrode arrangement accord¬ ing to xz e invention, for cathodic protection of the metallic body part of the roll. In the figure, the web- like medium IB has been conducted through the nip 19 defined by the suction roll 1 and an electrode roll 9. The surface of the electrode roll constitutes the anode, and it has been connected to the positive electrode 13 of a d.c. source. The surface structure of the suction roll 1 is similar to that shown in Fig. 1, that is, the surface of the roll is perforated and in the holes have been placed electrodes, i.e., anodes, insulated against the body part of the roll by insulating material. The nip 19 is defined opposite a vacuum chamber 20 disposed inside the roll, and the water, i.e., salt solution, entering from the web and from the felt supporting same " constitutes the electrolyte. The body part of the per¬ forated roll 1 has been connected to the cathode 13. From the electrode roll , the electric current is then conducted through the electrolyte into the holes in the perforated roll, further to the anodes placed in said holes, and further to the uninsulated parts of the holes, constituted by the body part of the roll, thereby establishing cathodic protection. In the embodiment depicted in Fig. 4 is seen a perforated roll 1, that is, a screen drum in the bleach¬ ing plant of a paper mill, and a particular electrode roll 9, placed at a distance therefrom. A metal elect¬ rode running helically around the surface has been placed on the surface of the electrode roll 9. The wet web 11 is conducted over the electrode roll and per¬ forated roll, e.g. supported by a wire 18. The water in the web constitutes the electrolyte. The electrode roll 9 is connected to the positive electrode 13 of a d.c. source, and the body part of the screen drum is simi¬ larly connected to the negative electrode 15. The elect¬ rode roll 9 and screen drum 1 constitute in combination with wire and web, an electrode arrangement serving cathodic protection of the body part of the screen drum. The electrode roll shown in Figs 3 and 4, with the electrode formed on its surface, is also applicable, as it is, in conjunction with various electrode arrange¬ ments, for polarizing a perforated roll in direct con¬ tact e.g. with a wet wire, felt and/or web, or with an electrode roll. The electrode roll may equally be used as it is, without perforated roll as shown e.g. in Fig. 1, for instance to achieve cathodic protection of a roll in contact with any web, i.e., to conduct electric current to the web or wire and further to the roll that is being protected. The embodiment examples are only meant to illustrate the invention, without confining it in any way whatsoever.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. An electrode arrangement for cathodic protection of the metallic body part (3) of a rotating perforated roll, said arrangement comprising an anode (4) and an electrolyte in contact with the metallic body part of the roll that is to be protected and with the anode, the body part of the roll, which is to be protected, being connected to the cathode (6), c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that on the inside of the hole (2) in the perforated roll (1) has been placed an insulator (7) and an electrode constituting the anode (4) , insulated against the body part by an insulato . 2. Electrode arrangement according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the insulator (7) placed in the hole (2) in the perforated roll (1) is tubular and protects the inner surface (8) of the hole. 3. Electrode arrangement according to claim 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the electrode (4) placed in the hole (2) constitutes an anode. 4. Electrode arrangement according to any one of claims 1-3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the electrode (4) placed in the hole (2) is tubular. 5. Electrode arrangement according to any one of claims 1-4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the electrode arrangement comprises a separate electrode roll (9) having a conductor on its surface and connected to the positive terminal (13) of a current source. 6. Electrode arrangement according to claim 6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that- the electrode roll (9) has been connected to the electrode connected to the anode (4) of the perforated roll by mediation of an electrolyte and a continuous web-like medium (11,18) . 7. Electrode arrangement- according to claim 5 or 6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the electrode roll 9 has been connected to a web-like medium by con¬ ducting said medium through a press nip defined by the electrode roll. 8. Electrode arrangement according to any one of claims 5-7, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the web-like medium (11,18) has been selected from the group: a fibre web, a wire, and a felt. 9. Electrode arrangement according to any one of claims 5-8, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the surface of the electrode roll (9) consists of a conduc¬ tor selected from the group: a metal electrode, an electrically conductive ceramic, and an electrically conductive plastic polymer.

Inventors: TOIVANEN TAPIO, TOIVANEN, TAPIO
Applicants: TOIVANEN TAPIO, TOIVANEN, TAPIO
Application year: 1988
Main classification: C23F13
IPC codes: C23F13