PM1

Wet End Study report

and
Proposal for Fourdrinier
Optimization

January 27, 2010

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Table of Contents
1  Proposal Information ........................................................................................ 4 
2  Survey Background ........................................................................................... 5 
2.1  Mill Objectives .........................................................................................................................5 
2.2  Table design..............................................................................................................................5 
3  Table drainage and Activity ............................................................................. 6 
3.1  Drainage ...................................................................................................................................6 
3.2  Activity .....................................................................................................................................7 
3.3  Sheet Split .................................................................................................................................8 
4  Table Elements ................................................................................................... 8 
4.1  Headbox ....................................................................................................................................8 
4.2  Forming Board and Jet geometry .............................................................................................9 
4.3  Hydrofoil section ......................................................................................................................9 
4.4  PDM section ...........................................................................................................................10 
4.5  Low Vacuum section ..............................................................................................................11 
4.6  High Vacuum section .............................................................................................................11 
5  Auxiliary Systems ............................................................................................ 12 
5.1  Vacuum system ......................................................................................................................12 
5.2  Drive .......................................................................................................................................14 
5.3  Stock preparation / Wet end chemistry ..................................................................................14 
6  Other observations .......................................................................................... 15 
7  Expected benefits ............................................................................................. 16 
7.1  Fiber reduction........................................................................................................................16 
7.2  Drying / Speed ........................................................................................................................16 
7.3  Dryness to couch ....................................................................................................................16 
8  Project Scope and Implementation ................................................................ 16 
9  Enclosures......................................................................................................... 17 
9.1  Layout drawings .....................................................................................................................17 
9.2  Calculation results ..................................................................................................................18 

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2-- SURVEY BACKGROUND

2.1 Mill Objectives

The main objective is to improve the strength properties to reduce fiber usage and energy
consumption to manufacture the corrugating medium grade ranging from 18 to 42#/1000 ft2.
Concora is the strength test that needs to be improved the most, especially on the lighter basis
weights.

The production capacity of the mill is limited by the stock preparation supply capability, so on
heavier basis weights (30# and higher) speed increases will be possible but the major gains will
come from a reduction in the drying energy and refining requirements.

2.2 Table design

To maximize the Concora test, the following parameters and principles were used to design the
table.

Headbox consistency: Set at 1.0% to make sure enough drainage capacity is available from the
table gravity section.

Jet geometry:
 Landing Angle: 2.5 degrees
 Forming pressure at 15.0 in H2O
 Impingement: 1”

Jet to wire speed ratio: Set at 0.96 to promote MD fiber orientation. Headbox jet drag is one of
the single most important factors in developing MD fiber alignment necessary for good Concora
values. On the other hand Ring Crush values will be lowered by dragging the jet, but with better
table activity the overall strength of the corrugating medium will improve.
Note: Ring Crush is being replaced in the industry by the STFI test method which gives more
consistent results for light weights.

Drainage: The drainage has to rapid enough to take full advantage of the jet drag and maintain
the fiber orientation but gradual enough to avoid sheet sealing.

Activity: Micro activity is promoted by the new drainage elements and new foil blades design.
The fiber suspension on the forming fabric is agitated at high frequency and high intensity as

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long as the fibers are mobile in the suspension. Micro activity minimizes fiber aggregation
improving the fiber distribution to improve quality.

Dewatering element adjustability: The adjustability of the blades on the elements in the gravity
and PDM (Pulsative Drainage Mechanism) sections of the table allows the table to maintain high
level of micro activity throughout the basis weight range. The adjustability of the elements
combined with properly designed activity blades is the key to balance drainage and activity
properly.

Grade: The 23# grade drainage data was used as the basis for the current table performance. The
23# drainage survey data is used as the basis for the calculations since it is the most representative.
The other basis weights (30# and 38#) data was used to validate the design under different
conditions.

3-- TABLE DRAINAGE AND ACTIVITY

3.1 Drainage
Gravity section (E1 to E3): The forming board and the first hydrofoil box water removal efficiencies
are low. The second hydro foil box water removal efficiency (E3) cannot be measured because of the
lack of separation between the boxes. The exiting consistency of the gravity section is estimated at
1.3%.

PDM section: The first PDM efficiency is estimated at 15.1%. The efficiency of the last two
elements of the PDM section (E5 and E6) is higher than desired possibly sealing the sheet. The
exiting consistency is 2.58%.

Low vacuum section: The low vacuum section (E7 to E10) of the table is not efficient enough with
an exiting consistency of 7.42%. The first high vacuum element (E11) is needed to bring the sheet
dryness at 10% and establish the dry line before the quad vac.

High vacuum section: The dual flat box 2C-HV (E11) is used to set the dry line. The Quadvac (E12)
is not efficient enough and the vacuum levels on the chambers are low. The exiting consistency is
15.5%.

On 23#, the wet line ends on the last PDM (E6). The wet line is not well defined with streaks running
from the headbox down the table. The activity level varies significantly in the cross direction. The
dry line starts on LV1 (E7) and ends on 2CHV (E11). The dry line is also streaky. This can be

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explained by localized sheet sealing, a lack of uniform activity in the cross direction and foils blade
wear.

On 38#, the lack of drainage capacity becomes a bigger problem as the dry line is established on
the Quadvac box (E12).

3.2 Activity
Table activity is estimated with the use Scale (mm)

of a strobe light. The convention being

used in the evaluation of activity
estimates scale and intensity in Intensity (mm)
millimeters. Optimum activity is
characterized by small scale and intensity
just short of spouting. This type of Activity - Scale (mm) / Intensity (mm)

activity should be maintained as long as

the fibers are mobile.

The activity on 23# is uneven in the cross direction (Picture 1). The scale varies from 5 to 10
mm. The intensity ranges from 2 to 7 mm. The variability in the cross direction is very
noticeable. As the basis weight increases the activity level decreases (Picture 2). The activity on
the table is non-existent on the heavier basis weights (36# and heavier).

Picture 1: Activity on 23# Picture 2: Activity on 38#

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3.3 Sheet Split
The 23# sheet was delaminated into five different layers. The layers are numbered from 1
(wire/bottom side) to 5 (felt/top side). This analysis provides details on the structure of the sheet
and indicates the influence of the headbox and fourdrinier table on creating the sheet structure.
The key variable reviewed in this analysis is the formation or fiber flock size in each layer of the
sheet. The flock size is determined visually.

There are some faint headbox vortices patterns observed in the bottom layer (Layer 1) of the
sheet.

The formation improved in Layers 2 through 4. The fibers are distributed evenly and the fiber
flocks are 3 to 5 mm in size.

The worst formation occurs on the top layer. This layer shows large fiber flocks of 20mm
indicating a lack of activity especially in the PDM section.

The sheet split on the 38# shows similar characteristics but the flocks are larger, this is caused by
higher headbox consistency and a lack of activity.

4-- TABLE ELEMENTS

4.1 Headbox
The headbox flows for the basis weights observed (23, 30 and 38#) are within Voith design
limits (16403 gpm maximum). The difference between the calculated slice flow based on slice
geometry and drainage data is not significant at 5.5%, indicating good LVDT calibration of the
lip position. At the lower headbox consistency of 1% and reel speed of 2500 fpm used for the
machine model the flow is still within limits. The headbox is capable to deliver 1.1% consistency
at reel speed of 1956 fpm (16404 gpm).

On the lower basis weights the headbox consistency is in range to promote good nozzle turbulence.
This is a key factor for producing good formation and allows fiber orientation to be optimized on the
table. Operating within these design parameters insures that streaks produced by the vortices exiting
the headbox are kept at a minimal level. On higher basis weights the drainage capacity of the table
needs to be increased to be able to reduce the consistency from 1.46% to 1.1%.

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4.2 Forming Board and Jet geometry

4.2.1 Current

The difference between the actual and calculated jet impingement is not significant which
indicates proper settings and measurements. The lead blade on the adjustable forming board was
measured at 7” from the apron. The impingement cut-through of the jet is at 1” which is within
the right operating range.

The jet cut through front to back is approximately ¼” different front to back (1” front / ¾” back)
so the forming board should be squared with the apron. The level of the forming board should
also be checked since it is lower by approximately 0.065” on the drive side and the forming
fabric does not contact the forming board when the machine is stock off.

The forming pressure is a function of the angle and jet velocity. The jet angle is 5 degrees and
the forming pressure of the jet is 24.5” H2O (pressure forming).

Currently the drainage efficiency of the forming board is 8.7%. Typically the water removal
efficiency of a forming board ranges from 16 to 22%. The open area is the normal range at 23%. A
low efficiency along the forming board will also lead to a very high efficiency on the next drainage
unit. The low efficiency can be explained by the forming board not being leveled and the jet
geometry.

4.2.2 Proposed

Realign and level the forming board to the apron. Reposition the forming board to get an angle 3.0
degrees and a forming pressure of 15” H2O. The structural integrity of the forming board should be
checked.

We recommend replacing the existing trailing blades with MTR activity blades to maintain the
headbox turbulence and promote activity as early as possible on the table.

4.3 Hydrofoil section

4.3.1 Current (E2 – E3)

The current gravity section consists of two 7-foil hydrofoil element with 2 ½” wide aluminum
oxide foils mounted on 8” centered t-bars. The foil blade angles are ranging from 0.5 to 0.75

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degree on the first element. According to the drainage study, the drainage efficiency of HF1 (E2)
is 6.5%. The drainage efficiency of HF2 (E3) is estimated at 9.5%. The foil angles are ranging
from 0.75 to 2.0 degrees on HF2. The pulse frequency is 60 Hz at 2380 fpm fabric speed. The
efficiency of both of these elements is low because of the low number of foil blades and the low
angle of theses blades.

Not draining enough in the gravity section leads to running at higher dewatering efficiency in the
next section of the table. Excessive drainage rates lead to sheet sealing that makes the sheet difficult
to drain along the rest of the machine. This results in poor profiles and a jagged dry line.

4.3.2 Proposed (E2-E4)

We recommend using three new elements with alternating 0 to 3 degrees angle adjustable foil
blades and 0 to 5 mm height adjustable foils to control both the drainage and activity. Three new
HydrolineTM Plus would replace the two current boxes. The blade spacing will be 4.5”. The angle
adjustable t-bars will be equipped with standard gravity blade. The height adjustable t-bars will
be equipped with MTR activity foil blades.

The first gravity element will be relocated farther away from the forming board (14 inches
spacing) to allow enough room to direct the water into the pan without back splash from the lead
blade of the gravity element.

Replacing the current hydrofoil elements to adjustable units will control activity for the different
basis weights and provide flexible drainage efficiency to reach the correct consistency before the
PDM section.

4.4 PDM section

4.4.1 Current (E4 to E6)

Currently the overall element efficiencies for the PDM1, PDM2 and PDM3 are 15.1%
(estimated), 27.6 and 28.9% respectively. Target values for PDM low vacuum units are around
20 to 25%, so the efficiency of PDM2 and PDM3 are high. The pulse frequency is 134 Hz at
2380 fpm fabric speed.

4.4.2 Proposed (E5-E8)

We recommend replacing these three elements with four new VariolineTM Plus with adjustable
height control blades. As with the HydrolineTM, this adjustability allows to control dewatering
and activity for a wide range of basis weights. They are designed with a blade pitch generating a

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211 Hz pulse frequency to maintain the micro-activity generated by the gravity section. When
properly adjusted the VariolineTM element will promote the Z-direction fiber orientation which
increases the Concora test results.

4.5 Low Vacuum section

4.5.1 Current (E7 to E10)

The LV1 (E7) drop legs are too short to get the amount of vacuum that would be required and
the efficiency if the box is low at 14.5%. The LV2 (E8) has a good efficiency at 37.4%. The 2C-
LV1 (E9) and 2C-LV2 (E10) boxes have limitations because of high air over water velocities.
Their combined efficiency (can’t be measured individually) is low at 37%. The overall efficiency
of this section does not allow enough dewatering before the high vacuum section of the table.

4.5.2 Proposed (E9 to E12)

To keep the cost of the project reasonable, we recommend keeping the boxes of this section, but
with the following changes. First, remove LV1because of its low vacuum capacity. Second, use
the current first high vacuum element 2C-HV (E11) as a dewatering element to make sure the
dry line is set before reaching the final high vacuum element on all basis weights. This is an
acceptable solution especially since a speed increase is not part of the objectives. A 2C-HV
element is not designed to remove high volumes of water so it will have to be controlled
accordingly to prevent the element from flooding.

The line diameter from the box LV2 should be increased from 10 to 14”.

With the new table layout, it will be possible to move the elements in this section in order to be
able to measure the sheet consistency after each element, so we recommend moving the elements
to create enough space between them.

4.6 High Vacuum section

4.6.1 Current (E11 – E12)

Currently the 2C-HV (E11) has a damaged cover. The efficiency is low especially since the
vacuum on the first chamber is kept low because of cover damage. The connections from the
chambers of the 2C-HV to the separators are undersized creating high air over water velocity
which leads to box flooding when the vacuum is raised to a standard operating level.

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Currently the connections from the chambers of the Quadvac element (E12) to the separators are
undersized. The air over water velocity is very high for all chambers. This problem was
confirmed during the 23# survey. We observed that the third chamber was flooding as indicated
by a wide variation in vacuum readings on the front side of the chamber. The efficiency of the
Quadvac element is low at 29.4%. The low vacuum level on all the chambers is the main
contributing factor to this low efficiency. But running higher vacuum levels is not possible
without flooding the chambers.

4.6.2 Proposed (E13)

We recommend changing the cover of the 2C-HV with doctoring edge blades on both chambers
to better handle dewatering since the dry line will be established on this element. If the cover is
thermally shocked, a more resistant and durable material like silicon nitride can be used.

We recommend replacing the Quadvac with a new Trivac that minimizes drag load and designed
to run at a vacuum level up to 20” Hg of vacuum on the last chamber. The cover material should
be made of silicon nitride make the cover more resistant and durable at higher vacuum settings.
With proper vacuum settings (17” Hg on the last chamber) the sheet dryness will go from the
current 15.5% to 16.85%. A lubrication shower should also be installed ahead of the element to
reduce friction with the forming fabric.

5-- AUXILIARY SYSTEMS

5.1 Vacuum system

Vacuum control is very important for the success of any element and is especially important for
low vacuum elements. Considering that the stock suspension on the fabric essentially seals the
element resulting in very low air flow.

Drainage is directly proportional to vacuum level and for controlled drainage, low vacuum
element control valves need to be reliable and control vacuum within ± 0.5” H2O. Unlike high
vacuum elements where only vacuum supply is needed, drop leg vacuum also enters in the
control scheme of low vacuum elements. Drop leg vacuum generated can easily be greater than
the desired vacuum level so the control valve needs to “bleed” to the atmosphere to maintain the
vacuum level set point.

Air volume requirements are calculated in both TAPPI and estimated values. The estimated
values are based on the conversion of empirical TAPPI values to orifice coefficients. Normally,
these estimated values closer reflect actual flows found in low vacuum elements. All values are

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temperature and altitude corrected. The vacuum calculations are shown in section 9.2. In the
existing vacuum table, the values in red indicate that corrections are required. The proposed
vacuum table shows the corrections made to bring the operation of the system within acceptable
limits.

5.1.1 Low Vacuum System (Header #1 supplying E4 to E10)

Separators: All separators are sized properly, no changes recommended. After the header a common
separator protects the turbine from possible carry over from the elements.

Piping to header: The diameter of the lines for the elements 9.1 and 10.2 are marginal.

Controls: The control valves are all properly sized. To insure precise control before the dry line we
recommend replacing the Fisher control valves on the 2C-LV2 (E10) with IBS EVA valves. The
calibration of the vacuum sensors needs to be done on elements E4 to E9. No control variability for
the elements of the header was observed. The air line on valve EVAC6 (E9.1) is kinked and the hand
valves are 80% closed. This should be corrected to the valve back in operation.

Header: The header diameter is adequate.

Turbine capacity: The current air flow supplied from the turbine is adequate as indicated by the
opening on the vacuum control valves ranging from 0 to 45%. The blower capacity found in the
documentation states that it is capable of producing 6490 cfm at 6”Hg. The turbine will be
capable of supplying the additional 690 cfm required to support the changes made to the table
operation.

5.1.2 High Vacuum System (Header #2 supplying E11 and E12)

Separators: All separators are sized properly, no changes recommended.

Piping to header: The diameter of all the lines for the elements 2C-HV (E11) and the Quad vac (E12)
need to be increased as indicated in section 9.2.

Control: The control valves are properly sized for all the elements, but to insure precise control of the
dry line on the 2C-HV (E11), we recommend replacing the Fisher control valves with IBS EVA
valves. The calibration of vacuum transmitter on the last chamber of the Quad vac needs to be done.
No control instabilities were observed. 

Header: The header diameter is adequate.

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Liquid ring vacuum pump capacity: The air flow from the vacuum pump is adequate as indicated
by the opening on the vacuum control valves ranging from 0 to 60%. The proposed increase in
the vacuum level in the chambers of the high vacuum section will require an additional 2400
cfm. The current vacuum pump has enough capacity to support this change if the rpm of the
pump is increased and the motor HP is increased.

In order to be able to reach 17” Hg of vacuum a seal tank will need to be installed to increase the
drop leg. The existing drop leg is 184.5” H2O (13.5” Hg). This enough vacuum for all the
chambers except the last chamber of the new Trivac. Adding a seal tank with at a lower elevation
in the basement for the last chamber will allow for 248.5” H2O (18.2” Hg). The leg from the last
chamber will go to this new tank. A level control and a pump capable of pumping 150 gpm will
have to be installed to pump this water back into the process.

5.1.3 Seal Tank

The flow of water going to the seal tank in the basement exceeds the pumping capacity. This
leads to sewer losses estimated to approximately 70 gpm or 1.5 TPD in fiber. The heat loss is
evaluated to 50 MBtu/day ($300/day) when the machine is running on heavy weights. We
recommend installing a higher capacity evacuation pump to eliminate these losses.

5.2 Drive
Currently the power requirement is 585 HP on 23# at a wire speed of 2380 fpm. An increase in
power requirements to 875 HP comes from the speed and vacuum level increase in the
simulation model. The drive installed capacity of 1800 HP is sufficient to support this increase is
power requirement. The benefit is an increase in sheet dryness to the couch of 2.8%.

5.3 Stock preparation / Wet end chemistry

At a capacity of 21000 usgpm, the fan pump capacity is adequate to meet the flow requirement
of 13793 usgpm at 1% headbox consistency at 2500 fpm reel speed on 23# and 16185 usgpm on
38#.

The first pas retention is 73%, this is low and will improve as the jet geometry is improved and
the drainage is adjusted. No chemical are used which put the emphasis on improving the process
with properly designed and operated equipment. A lot of foam was observed in the thin stock.

Refining is at 2.35 HPDT which is good.

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6-- OTHER OBSERVATIONS
Ceramic wear: The forming board blades are in good condition. The ceramic blades on the
hydrofoil elements (E2-E3) show signs of wear, the flat section width of the angled blades ranges
from 0.5 to 0.7” wide. New blades have a contact area width of .39”. The blade should not be run
when the flat section width is wider than 0.625”. Blade wear reduces the efficiency of the blades
and increases forming fabric wear because the lead edge of the blade is sharp. Sharp edges are
thin and become susceptible to “chipping”. The lead blades on the PDM elements (E4 to E6) are
sharp. On the other elements the blade wear is not significant.

Steam shower: The steam shower should be relocated on top of the last high vacuum element to
maximize heat transfer. To prevent build ups and contamination, the dry line has to be under
control at all times before relocating the shower.

Breast roll shower: You should install a breast roll shower to keep the underside of the headbox
lip clean.

Headbox pulsation: When observing the jet out of the headbox a pulsation is observed. The stock
preparation system (especially the screens) should be investigated to find the root cause of the
problem.

Edge control deckles: No edge deckles

are used out of the headbox. The CD
profiles on the edges are relatively well
controlled, but as seen on the following
picture the front edge shows a wave
that could be better controlled. If
baggy/hard edges on the end rolls are a
problem, the installation of a good
edge control device would improve
this situation.

Picture 3: Edge wave

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7-- EXPECTED BENEFITS

7.1 Fiber reduction

A reduction of basis weight of 1# on the light weights (18# - 31#) and 0.5 # is expected on heavy
weights without any loss in strength.

7.2 Drying / Speed

On drive limited basis weights, the speed will increase to reach the current drive maximum speed
of 2560 fpm. Since this speed will not compensate for the loss in tonnage because of the
reduction in basis weight, the drying requirements will be lowered.

On non-drive limited basis weights, the speed will be increased by 50 to 100 fpm for every
pound of reduction in basis weight.

7.3 Dryness to couch

If all the recommendations are followed, the dryness to the couch will increase from 15.5% to
18.3 %. The gain in sheet dryness before the couch will reduce steam usage in the dryer section
as long as this increase in dryness is not lost when the sheet goes over the couch and through the
press section.

8-- PROJECT SCOPE AND IMPLEMENTATION

The scope of the project is determined by the short and long term goals of the mill. The benefits
of the iTableTM can only be achieved by doing the gravity and PDM sections of the table and the
recommended changes to the vacuum system. The changes proposed to the high vacuum section
will result in a better operation and higher sheet dryness to the couch.

The installation of all the proposed equipment can all be done during a one week extended
shutdown.

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9-- ENCLOSURES

9.1 Layout drawings

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