APPARATUS FOR DIVIDING A FLOW OF FIBROUS MATERIAL INTO AT LEAST TWO EQUALLY METERED FLOWS

Abstract: Apparatus for dividing a flow of fibrous material into at least two equally metered flows includes a substantially horizontal pulp feeder press with a plug pipe outlet connected to an upper portion of a substantially vertical housing and at least two metering screws arranged in a metering housing at the bottom of the vertical housing. The vertical housing comprises at least one rapid rotating spreader screw and a spreader disc mounted at the lower end of each spreader screw for conveying compressed fibrous material from the pulp feeder press while at the same time providing shearing action to disintegrate the compressed material and for distribution of the disintegrated material into the metering housing.

Description: APPARATUS FOR DIVIDING A FLOW OF FIBROUS MATERIAL INTO AT LEAST TWO EQUALLY METERED FLOWS. FIELD OF INVENTION The present invention relates to the field of precisely dividing a flow of fiberous material into two or more equally measured flows. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In many industrial applications it is necessary to divide flow of materials into equal smaller flows. This normally is accomplished by volumetric metering screws. However, this method becomes useless when material for reasons of process requirement first is processed and dewatered through a screw press or a plug feeder. Material running through this equipment will drastically alter its density. That will result in uneven density, which no volumetric metering screw can properly handle. Such operation is nowhere more important than in the refining of woodchips or other cellulostic material in a twin flow refiner, i.e. a refiner having one rotating rotor element between two stationary elements, thereby forming two grinding zones. A twin flow refiner relies entirely on the mat of fiberous material being fed to each side of the rotating rotor element, where the grinding zones are contained. It is imperative to maintain the gaps of the two grinding zones within one half thousandth of an inch, otherwise an inferior fiber quality will be produced. Although each stationary side of the gap of the grinding zones is individually controlled by a servo mechanism, the rotating rotor position is entirely dependent on the fiberous mat maintained continuously in the two grinding zones. Uneven flow of each zone will result in disastrous fibre quality problems. The present invention concerns a device that will restore the homogenius density of the wood chips and fiberous material after being processed and dewatered through the screw press or plug feeder and at the same time spread the material evenly into two or more metering screws. It has been found that this device provides improvement in fibre quality with superior paper tensile strength. OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is the object of the present invention to provide a disintegrating zone to obtain an even density of the incoming material flow and spread the material evenly into the metering screws. In accordance with the aspect of the present invention, there is provided a spreader screw, breaking up or disintegrating an incoming continuously formed plug of material into individual chips or defibrated fibers. At the end of the screw an impeller type disc is provided for distribution of the material evenly around the inside wall of an expanded cylindrical chamber. The material falls by gravity evenly into the metering screws. Although the total gap of the two grinding zones in a twin flow refiner can be controlled, the individual gap is entirely controlled by the thickness of the fibrous material being fed into the zones from each side. In order to maintain constant the gap in each zone, it is necessary to feed both sides of the rotor with an equal flow of material. Otherwise the rotor will float back and forth and disturb the pulp makers criteria of "Constant Gap Control", which is very important in making mechanical pulp in refiners. Otherwise the quality cannot be controlled. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows a cross sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 illustrates a cross sectional view of a spreader screw and disc together with a volumetric divider screw in a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a top cross sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the spreader disc along line A-A. Figure 4 is a cross sectional view of a spreader screw of another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The drawings show a plug feeder press 7 including an inlet section 4, a throat section 5, a plug pipe outlet 8 and a screw 6. The plug pipe outlet 8 is directly connected to a vertical spreader screw housing 10 with a vertical cantilevered spreader screw 11. The bottom of the housing 10 is in direct communication with an inlet housing 13 of a twin metering screw 21, said inlet housing 13 being generally cylindric and preferably of larger diameter than the spreader screw housing 10. In the lower end of the spreader screw 11 a spreader disc 14 is mounted. The spreader disc 14 is provided with at least two radial vanes 15. Preferably each vane 15 is a direct extension of each screw thread and the spreader screw 11 preferably comprises two threads. As an alternative the vanes may be separated from the screw threads and there may be more than two vanes. The spreader screw 11 with its spreader disc 14 should preferably extend into the inlet housing 13. The spreader screw housing 10 may be pressurized, non-pressurized or under vacuum. According to the preferred embodiment the spreader screw housing 10 is arranged so that it is substantially perpendicular to the plug pipe outlet 8. Thereby the incoming flow of compressed material in the form of a continuous plug feed is disintegrated by the threads of the speader screw 11 which is rotating at high speed, 200-1800 RPM. These threads could be provided with teeth on their flanks in order to further improve the disintegrating action. The fibrous material which is disintegrated by means of the speader screw 11 will obtain a very uniform density. The material is conveyed downward by the rapid rotating spreader screw 11. At the lower end of the screw 11 the material hits the spreader disc 14 and its vanes 15. Thereby the material is thrown outward to the inside wall of the inlet housing 13 of the twin metering screw 21 and then the material falls by gravity evenly, into the twin metering screw 21. In the shown embodiment each metering screw meters the material into a transfer housing 30 with a transfer screw 31. These screws 31 convey the material into refiner feed screws 42 by means of which the material enters the grinding zones of a twin flow refiner. These zones are defined by the gaps 52 between a rotating grinding disc 51 and two stationary grinding discs 53, one at each side of the rotating disc 51. In each grinding zone the material forms a fibrous mat, the thickness of which corresponds to each grinding gap 52. The grinding discs 51, 52 are surrounded by a refiner housing 50 so that the refined material, which leaves the grinding zones, enters the refiner housing 50. Finally the refined material is blown out of the housing 50 through a blow valve 61. In the alternative design shown in figure 4 there are two vertical spreader screws 73. This design makes it possible to install a back blow control system which will prevent steam from flowing back through the plug pipe 8 when the screw spreader housing 10 is pressurized. The back blow control system comprises a disc means 71 mounted on a shaft 74 which is movable by means of a cylinder 72. As shown in figure 4 the shaft 74 extends between the two spreader screws 73 and the disc means 71 cooperates with the plug pipe outlet 8. However, in most cases the material plug in the plug pipe 8 is so compressed that it will prevent steam from flowing backward through the plug pipe. Therefore, the embodiment of figure 1 can be used in connection with a pressurized spreader housing.

Claims: Claims 1. Apparatus for dividing a flow of fibrous material into at least two equally metered flows, including a substantially horizontal pulp feeder press with a plug pipe outlet connected to a upper portion of a substantially vertical housing and at least two metering screws arranged in a metering housing at th bottom of said vertical housing, wherein the vertical housing comprises at least one rapid rotating spreader screw and a spreader disc mounted at the lower end of each spreader screw for conveying compressed fibrous material from the pulp feeder press while at the same time providing shearing action to disintegrate the compressed material and for distribution of the disintegrated material into the metering housing. 2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein merely one spreader screw is arranged in the vertical housing. 3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the spreader screw comprises at least two threads. 4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein the spreader disc is provided with vanes which are direct extensions of the threads of the spreader screw. 5. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the spreader screw comprises at least one thread provided with teeth on its flank. 6. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein two spreader screws are arranged in the vertical housing. 7. Apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein a back blow control system is arranged to prevent steam from flowing back through the plug pipe outlet, said system comprising a disc means cooperating with said plug pipe outlet. 8. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the spreader screw is cantilevered and extending into an expanded portion of the vertical housing.

Inventors: AHLEN ARNE, JOHANSEN THOR, MOKVIST ANDERS, AHLEN, ARNE, JOHANSEN, THOR, MOKVIST, ANDERS
Applicants: SUNDS DEFIBRATOR IND AB, SUNDS DEFIBRATOR INDUSTRIES AKTIEBOLAG
Application year: 1992
Main classification: D21D1
IPC codes: D21B1, D21D1