EP1264043B1 - Capteur de force pour raffineur - Google Patents

Capteur de force pour raffineur Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1264043B1
EP1264043B1 EP01914879A EP01914879A EP1264043B1 EP 1264043 B1 EP1264043 B1 EP 1264043B1 EP 01914879 A EP01914879 A EP 01914879A EP 01914879 A EP01914879 A EP 01914879A EP 1264043 B1 EP1264043 B1 EP 1264043B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
sensor
refiner
force
elements
sensor body
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP01914879A
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German (de)
English (en)
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EP1264043A1 (fr
Inventor
Alan Henry Bankes
Peter Martin Wild
Daniel Ouellet
Matthew Allan Olmstead
Behrouz Shiari
Seyed Mohammad Ali Siadat
John Jaa Senger
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Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada
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Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada
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Publication date
Priority claimed from CA002300737A external-priority patent/CA2300737C/fr
Application filed by Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada filed Critical Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada
Publication of EP1264043A1 publication Critical patent/EP1264043A1/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP1264043B1 publication Critical patent/EP1264043B1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
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    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D21—PAPER-MAKING; PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE
    • D21D—TREATMENT OF THE MATERIALS BEFORE PASSING TO THE PAPER-MAKING MACHINE
    • D21D1/00—Methods of beating or refining; Beaters of the Hollander type
    • D21D1/002—Control devices
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D21—PAPER-MAKING; PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE
    • D21D—TREATMENT OF THE MATERIALS BEFORE PASSING TO THE PAPER-MAKING MACHINE
    • D21D1/00—Methods of beating or refining; Beaters of the Hollander type
    • D21D1/20—Methods of refining
    • D21D1/30—Disc mills
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D21—PAPER-MAKING; PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE
    • D21D—TREATMENT OF THE MATERIALS BEFORE PASSING TO THE PAPER-MAKING MACHINE
    • D21D1/00—Methods of beating or refining; Beaters of the Hollander type
    • D21D1/20—Methods of refining
    • D21D1/30—Disc mills
    • D21D1/306—Discs

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a refiner force sensor for refiners used in the pulp and paper industry, to a refining apparatus, and to a method of measuring forces acting on a refiner bar in a refiner.
  • Refiners are used to produce pulp from wood chips or to modify the mechanical properties of wood fibres by repeatedly applying forces to the material processed by means of bars mounted on two opposing surfaces that move relative to one another.
  • Refiners are commonly used in the pulp and paper industry to repeatedly subject wood fibres or wood chips to stresses and strains.
  • the purpose is usually to separate wood fibres from one another to produce pulp that can later be used to manufacture paper or composite wood products such as hardboard.
  • This process is generally conducted at high temperature and pressure in a steam environment, because a large amount of steam is produced in the refiner from the heat dissipated while processing the material.
  • Coarse pulps produced in such a way can also be further processed in a similar way to improve some of the properties of fibres. Examples of this are the commonly used practice of subjecting pulp to a second stage of refining, or to screening followed by reject refining.
  • Low-consistency or flow-through refiners are also used to process pulp slurries at consistencies up to approximately 5%. In this case, the aim is generally to stress and strain wood fibres in order to improve some of their properties.
  • Refiner discs are fitted with plates having alternating patterns of bars and grooves. The bars of opposing plates are separated by a small gap that can be adjusted, and at least one of the discs rotates. Pulp travels through a refiner in the form of fibre agglomerates that are repeatedly compressed and sheared between the bars of opposing plates as these travel past each other. Hence, all refiners expend energy on fibres through a repeated application of compression and shear forces acting on fibre agglomerates.
  • the pressure measured in the way prescribed by the above method is not due directly to mechanical forces imposed on pulp in the refining zone. It is rather due to the presence of steam produced as a result of the large amount of mechanical energy expended in the refiner that is dissipated as heat. While the steam pressure depends on the amount of energy dissipated locally in the refining zone, it is also strongly dependent on the ease with which steam can escape the refiner along the radial direction.
  • U.S. Patent No. 5,747,707 of Johansson and Kjellqvist proposed the use of one or more sensor bars in a refiner.
  • the sensor bars are equipped with strain gauges to measure the load at a number of points along their length. By mounting several strain gauges at each point, the authors suggest that the stresses on a bar can be divided into load components acting in different directions.
  • the apparatus can also include temperature gauges that can be used to compensate the measured stresses for thermal expansion of the bar.
  • the apparatus includes means for controlling refining in response to the load determined by the sensors.
  • a sensor bar with a design similar to the one described in the above U.S. patent was used by Gradin et al. (Gradin, P.A., Johansson, O., Berg, J.-E., and Nystrom, S., "Measurement of the power distribution in a single-disc refiner", J. Pulp Paper Sci., 25(11):384-387, 1999) to measure the distribution of the expended power in the refining zone of a single-disc refiner.
  • a force sensor for measuring force acting on a refiner bar of a refiner, and a method of measuring such forces, as defined in the accompanying claims.
  • a refining apparatus including such a force sensor.
  • a force sensor for measuring force acting on a refiner bar of a refiner for producing or processing wood pulp
  • said force sensor comprising: a sensor body having a sensor head; and at least two sensor elements in force transmission contact with and supporting the sensor body, wherein said sensor elements produce a signals indicative of the magnitude of force acting on a refiner bar of a refiner for producing or processing wood pulp.
  • the refiner bar is on a refiner plate.
  • the refiner plate comprises a refining surface having refiner bars, and a non-refining surface opposed to the refining surface.
  • the invention is also applicable to refiners wherein refiner bars are not on a refiner plate.
  • the sensor head replaces a portion of the refiner bar. In other embodiments, the sensor head replaces, all of the refiner bar. In such embodiments, the sensor body is of the same material as the refiner bar, and the sensor head has a profile matching that of the refiner bar.
  • the sensor body may be attached to the refining surface of the refiner plate. In some embodiments the sensor body is adapted to fit into a recess in the refining surface of the refiner plate. In other embodiments, the sensor body may be attached to the non-refining surface of the refining plate. In yet other embodiments, the sensor body may be adapted to fit into a recess in the non-refining surface of the refining plate.
  • the sensor body floats on the sensor elements. In some embodiments the sensor body floats on the sensor elements such that the only link between the sensor body and the refiner plate is through the sensor elements. In yet other embodiments, the force sensor further comprises a holder, and the sensor body floats on the sensor elements such that the only link between the sensor body and at least one of the refiner plate and the holder is through the sensor elements.
  • the sensor elements are piezo electric, or piezo-ceramic.
  • a method of measuring forces acting on a refiner bar of a refiner for producing or processing wood pulp comprising: providing a sensor body having a sensor head such that the sensor head replaces all or a portion of the refiner bar disposing at least two sensor elements in force transmission contact with and supporting sensor body; refining wood particles or wood pulp in said refiner to produce wood pulp or refined wood pulp, such that force is applied to the sensor head and a signal indicative of the force is developed at said sensor elements; and evaluating the signal as a measure of the force applied to the sensor body.
  • the refiner bar is on a refiner plate, the refiner plate comprising a refining surface having refiner bars, and a non-refining surface opposed to the refining surface.
  • the sensor body may be attached to the refining surface of the refiner plate, while in other embodiments, the sensor body may be attached to the non-refining surface of the refiner plate.
  • the sensor body floats on the sensor elements, In other embodiments, the sensor the sensor body floats on the sensor elements such that the only link between the sensor body and the refiner plate is through the sensor elements.
  • the method further comprises providing a holder for the sensor body and sensor elements, wherein the sensor body floats on the sensor elements such that the only link between the sensor body and at least one of the refiner plate and the holder is through the sensor elements .
  • the sensor elements are piezo electric, or piezo-ceramic.
  • said measured force is at least one force selected from shear force and normal force.
  • shear force and normal force are measured, said measured forces being used to regulate the operation of a refiner by manipulating one or more variables selected from material feed rate, pulp consistency, refiner-motor load, inlet pressure, outlet pressure, plate gap, and rotational speed, such that the ratio of the measured normal and shear forces are maintained constant or within a predetermined range.
  • said measured force is used to detect contact between opposing discs in a refiner. Contact between opposing discs is corrected by retracting an axially moveable plate of said refiner.
  • a single force sensor or an array of force sensors can be employed.
  • a refining apparatus for wood pulp having a sensing means to determine a parameter
  • the sensing means comprises a force sensor comprising at least two piezo-electric sensor elements, suitably the piezo-electric sensor elements are a piezo ceramic sensor element.
  • a refining apparatus comprising at least one refining disc, refining bars on said refining disc and at least one sensor member in at least one of said refining bars, the at least one sensor member being in force transmission contact with and supported by at least two piezo-electric sensor elements, in a specific embodiment the sensor member is of the same material as the refining bar in which it is mounted, and the at least two sensor elements are a piezo ceramic sensor elements.
  • the sensor member has a sensor body and a sensor head, and the sensor head may have a profile matching the profile of the at least one refining bar, such at least one refining bar having an elongate length interrupted by the sensor head.
  • the refining bars project from a first refining face of the refining disc, and the refining disc has a second, non-refining face opposed to the refining face, the refining disc having a cavity extending inwardly of the second face, and the sensor body being mounted within the cavity.
  • a method of measuring forces on the surface of refiner bars in a refiner for producing or processing wood pulp comprises: providing at least one sensor member in at least one refining bar of the refiner, the at least one sensor member being in force transmission contact with and supported by at least two piezo-electric sensor elements, refining wood particles or wood pulp in the refiner to produce wood pulp or refined wood pulp, such that forces are applied to the sensor member and a reaction force is developed at the piezo-electric sensor elements which develops an electric charge proportional to the reaction force, and evaluating the electric charge as a measure of said forces applied to the at least one sensor member, suitably the sensor elements are piezo ceramic sensor elements, and the sensor member has a sensor body and a sensor head, the sensor head may have, a profile matching the profile of the at least one refining bar, and the at least one refining bar has an elongate length interrupted by the sensor head.
  • the present invention relates to a force sensor for measuring forces acting on a refiner bar in an operating refiner.
  • a refiner force sensor according to the present invention can be used in any type of mechanical refiner used to apply force to wood pulp or wood chips. Examples of such refiners are chip refiners and low-consistency pulp refiners. These can be, for example, single disc, double disc, or conical disc refiners.
  • a single force sensor, or an array of force sensors, can be used for various applications, examples of which are described herein, to control or monitor different aspects of the refining process.
  • the design of the present invention includes several improvements over the prior devices and methods.
  • a piezo electric sensor element e.g., a piezo-ceramic sensor element
  • the design proposed in U.S. Patent No. 5,747,707 is impractical for several reasons. For instance, there must be sufficient deformation of the refiner bar associated with the sensor element to obtain a reliable signal from the sensor element.
  • the refiner bar associated with the sensor element must have very similar mechanical properties to other refiner bars on the refiner plate.
  • Such deformation is achieved through use of appropriate material and design of the refiner bar. If the refiner bar is too rigid, the deformations involved are too small to be measured reliably when strain gauges are used as sensor elements.
  • An analysis conducted by certain of the present inventors has shown that a sensor design based on strain gauges and using steel as refiner bar material is indeed impractical from this standpoint.
  • the refiner bar can be made more compliant by using a material with a lower elastic modulus, as was done by Gradin et al. (above), or by modifying the shape or dimensions of some components of the refiner bar.
  • deformation at the tip of the refiner bar must remain small relative to the distance between the bars on the opposing refiner plate, otherwise the forces measured at the sensor bar will not be representative of the true forces between refiner bars.
  • the use of different material for the refiner bar introduces errors because such different material has different physical properties (e.g., hardness, wear resistance, thermal expansion coefficient) relative to the material used for other refiner bars on the refiner plates.
  • a force sensor for measuring forces on a refiner bar of a refiner, such as a refiner used for producing and/or processing wood pulp.
  • a force sensor according to the invention comprises a sensor body having a sensor head, and two or more sensor elements in force transmission contact with the sensor body. As described in detail below, the sensor body and one or more sensor elements are attached to a refiner plate, such that the sensor head replaces all or a portion of a refiner bar on the refining surface of a refiner plate.
  • force transmission contact is intended to mean contact between the sensor body and sensor elements that facilitates transmission of any force received by the sensor body to the sensor elements.
  • force transmission contact provides transmission of forces to the sensor elements without any attenuation or distortion of the properties of the forces (e.g., amplitude, frequency, and phase). However, in most cases some attenuation or distortion is unavoidable.
  • the term "sensor element” is intended to mean any, transducer that can produce a signal (e.g., an electrical charge or an electrical signal such as voltage or current) in response to loading (e.g., compression).
  • a sensor element is a piezo electric element, such as a piezo-ceramic element While the invention is described below primarily with respect to piezo electric elements, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Suitable piezo electric elements are available from BM Hi-Tech/Sensor Technology Ltd., Collingwood, Ontario.
  • the poling direction is normal to the long axis and one of the short axes.
  • the electrodes are located on opposed surfaces normal to the poling direction.
  • a thin wire is attached (e.g ., soldered) to each of the two electrodes of the piezo electric elements, and these wires are connected to a charge amplifier, as discussed below.
  • An alternative source of piezo electric elements is Piezo Kinetics Incorporated, Bellefonte, PA.
  • Piezo electric elements made of PKI#502 which has a Curie temperature of 350°C, are suitable. Use of at least two sensor elements will permit both shear and normal forces to be resolved.
  • the sensor elements are installed in the refiner force sensor such that forces to be measured are applied across two opposed surfaces of the elements.
  • an insulating layer i.e., a dielectric material such as mica, cellophane tape, Mylar (trade-mark for a polyester film), paper
  • the sensor body and holder and/or refiner plate surfaces can be coated with a thin insulating layer such as vapour-deposited alumina.
  • Piezo electric elements are preferably installed in the force sensor such that forces are applied normal to the poling direction of the sensor elements.
  • the poling direction of piezo electric elements in the embodiments described herein is normal to the two opposed surfaces that contact the force sensor components. However, use alternative orientation of poling direction and electrodes with respect to surfaces that contact the sensor body and holder and/or refiner plate are contemplated.
  • the sensor body is attached to a refiner plate such that the sensor head replaces all or a portion of a refiner bar. Accordingly, the sensor head has a shape or profile that corresponds substantially to that of a refiner bar. Further, the sensor head and/or body is made of the same or similar material as that of a refiner bar, to ensure consistency of mechanical properties (e.g., hardness, wear resistance, thermal expansion coefficient, etc.) across the refiner bars and sensor bead.
  • mechanical properties e.g., hardness, wear resistance, thermal expansion coefficient, etc.
  • the sensor assembly comprises the sensor body and two or more sensor elements.
  • the sensor assembly is clamped to a refiner plate with any suitable fastener such as screws.
  • the sensor elements are clamped between the sensor body and the refiner plate. Such clamping can be achieved, for example, with a screw that directly penetrates the sensor body.
  • the sensor assembly comprises the sensor body, two or more sensor elements, and a holder.
  • the sensor assembly is attached to a refiner plate via the holder using any suitable fastener. Clamping of the sensor body in force transmission contact with the sensor elements is achieved, for example, by screwing the sensor body to the holder such that the sensor elements are clamped between the sensor body and the holder.
  • the sensor body is clamped to the holder without directly screwing the sensor body to the holder.
  • the holder can comprise two or more portions between which the sensor body and sensor elements are clamped, the holder portions being clamped together with fasteners such as screws.
  • the only physical/mechanical link between the sensor body and the refiner plate and/or the holder is through the sensor elements, such that the sensor body "floats" an the sensor elements (see, for example, the embodiments shown in Figs. 2,4,11,14,15, and 16, below).
  • Clamping of the sensor elements between the sensor body and refiner plate and/or holder compresses the sensor elements, advantageously providing a preload to the sensor elements.
  • the preload helps to ensure a stable signal (e.g., reduces noise) from the sensor elements during operation of the force sensor. Further, clamping gives the sensor assembly structural integrity and ensures that a change (e.g., an increase or decrease) in loading does not result in loss of contact between the sensor body and sensor element(s).
  • the force sensor assembly i.e., the assembly comprising the sensor body, sensor elements, holder, if present, and hardware such as screws
  • the force sensor assembly should have a vibrational behaviour (frequency response) such that it has a first resonant frequency which is much higher than the bar-passing frequency of the bars in the refiner (that is, the frequency with which bars on one of the refiner plates pass by the bars on the other plate).
  • the term "optimal operation” is intended to mean operation that produces force data which can be used to resolve the forces produced at a refiner bar during each bar passing.
  • the bar passing frequency in a typical commercial refiner varies between about 20 kHz and about 50 kHz.
  • the first resonant frequency of the force sensor assembly should be as high as possible, relative to the bar passing frequency, physical constraints limit how high the first resonant frequency can be.
  • a first resonant frequency that is about ten times (10X) the bar-passing frequency is expected to be the upper limit for most force sensor designs, and such first resonant frequency is expected to perform fully satisfactorily.
  • a first resonant frequency that is about 1.5 times (1.5X) the bar-passing frequency will produce usable data, but will also produce some noise due to vibration of the sensor body.
  • Theoretical procedures such as finite element analysis can be used to determine the resonant frequency of force sensor assemblies.
  • the theoretical values can be measured and confirmed experimentally.
  • Refiner plate 10 comprising a force sensor assembly 14.
  • Refiner plate 10 has a refining face 16, a non-refining face 18 opposed to face 16 and a cavity or recess 20 extending inwardly of face 18.
  • Refiner face 16 has a plurality of refiner bars 22.
  • Sensor assembly 14 comprises a sensor body 30 and four piezo electric sensor elements 26 disposed in a sensor holder 28. Sensor assembly 14 is disposed in recess 20.
  • Sensor body 30 has a sensor head 32; sensor head 32 has a profile which matches the profile of the portion of the refiner bar into which it is inserted. That is, the top and side faces of sensor head 32 are substantially flush with the adjacent top and side faces of the refiner bar into which it is inserted.
  • the sensor head 32 thus replaces a short length (e.g., 5 mm) of the refiner bar in which it is inserted and is preferably made of the same material, so that it has the same mechanical properties.
  • An adhesive filler 52 (e.g., a silicone adhesive) occupies the gap between sensor body 30, refiner plate 10, and sensor holder 28, to prevent contamination of the sensor elements 26 by water, steam, and/or pulp.
  • the piezo electric sensor elements 26 are disposed between sensor body 30 and sensor holder 28. To facilitate assembly the piezo electric sensors can be bonded to the sensor body, using an adhesive such as, for example, epoxy, however; bonding of the sensors to the sensor body is otherwise unnecessary as clamping the sensor assembly together holds the sensor elements in place.
  • an adhesive such as, for example, epoxy, however; bonding of the sensors to the sensor body is otherwise unnecessary as clamping the sensor assembly together holds the sensor elements in place.
  • Four piezoelectric elements 26 are used in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, but designs incorporating two or more sensor elements 26 are understood to be part of the present invention.
  • the sensor holder 28 is made of two parts 28a,28b held together by fasteners 65. By tightening the fasteners, a preload is applied to the piezo electric sensor elements 26 to ensure that, during operation, the piezo electric elements 26 are always in compression. In addition, this ensures that the sensor elements 26 are in force transmission contact in the holder 28.
  • the sensor holder 28 is fastened within the recess 20 in the non-refining surface 18 of the refining plate 10. with screws 60.
  • the first natural frequency of the embodiment shown in Fig. 2 was found to be 30kHz.
  • Figs. 3A and 3B are exploded views of a force sensor assembly such as the embodiment shown in Figure 2.
  • thin layers of insulating material 72 such as, for example, mica, are disposed between each of the two opposed surfaces of the piezo electric elements 26, and the surfaces of the holder 28a,28b with which they are in contact. If necessary, the insulating layers can be bonded to the piezo electric elements 26 and/or the surfaces of the sensor body 30 and/or holder 28a,28b using a suitable adhesive.
  • the insulating layers 72 prevent electrical contact between electrodes on the surfaces of the piezo electric elements 26 and the sensor body 30 and holder 28.
  • the sensor body 30 and piezo electric elements 26 are clamped between the two parts 28a, 28b of the holder 28 with screws 65. Wires (not shown) from each of the piezo electric elements 26 pass through an orifice 76 in the holder 28a.
  • the force sensor assembly is secured in a recess 20 in the non-refining surface 18 of the refiner plate 10 using screws 60.
  • the recess 20 in the refiner plate 10 if prepared after heat treatment of the refiner plate, can be prepared using any suitable process, such as electro-discharge machining (EDM).
  • EDM electro-discharge machining
  • Non-heat treated inserts 78 can be pressed into holes prepared by EDM and these inserts can then be tapped to receive the screws 60.
  • an opening 80 in a refiner bar 22a receives the sensor head 32 such that the sensor head 32 replaces a portion of refiner bar 22a, and the exposed faces of sensor head 32 are flush with the adjacent faces of the refiner bar 22a.
  • the sensor body 30 is T-shaped, as in the embodiments of Figs. 1 to. 3B. Unlike those embodiments, however, the sensor holder 28 no longer encompasses a portion of the sensor body 30, and instead has been reduced to a simple plate. As discussed above, only two piezo electric elements are required to resolve the shear and normal forces applied to the sensor head 32. Thus, in this and the previous embodiments, two of the four sensor elements can optionally be replaced with inactive elements (i.e., elements of the same or different material as the sensor elements, having an effective compliance about the same as that of the sensor elements). For example, in the present embodiment, the two elements 46 are such inactive elements.
  • a preload is applied to the piezo electric elements 26 by screws 64 which also secure the sensor holder 28 in the recess 20 of the refiner plate 10.
  • the inactive elements 46 have sufficient compliance that, when the sensor head 32 is subjected to normal and shear forces, these forces are borne principally by the piezo elements 26.
  • the simplification of the sensor holder 28 facilitates reduced length and mass of the sensor body 30, and thus the distance from the piezo elements 26 to the center of mass of the sensor body 30.
  • Fig. 5 The embodiment shown in Fig. 5 is similar to that of Fig. 4 except that the inactive components 46 are eliminated, and the sensor body 30 is captured by a screw 62, through which a preload is applied to the piezo sensor elements 26.
  • the screw is located on the longitudinal axis of the sensor body 30 (i.e., aligned with the long axis of the refiner bars 22). Screws 60 attach the force sensor assembly in the recess 20 of the refiner plate 10, but do not apply any preload to the sensor elements 26. Some of the shear and normal forces that are received by the sensor head 32 will be transmitted to the sensor holder 28 via the screw 62 rather than via the piezo electric elements 26. It is, therefore, essential that the screw 62 be substantially more compliant (i.e., less stiff) than the piezo elements 26 so that sufficient load is transmitted through the piezo electric elements 26 to ensure that measurable signals are generated.
  • the embodiment shown in Fig. 6 is similar to that shown in Fig. 5 except that the shoulder 34 of the sensor body 30 is flush with the surface of the refiner plate at the base 24 of the grooves between refiner bars 22. This further reduces the length and mass of the sensor body 30 which, in turn, reduces the distance from the piezo elements 26 to the center of mass of the sensor body 30, resulting in a higher first resonant frequency.
  • this embodiment has the disadvantage that failure of the screw 62 will cause the sensor body 30 to fall into the refining zone between refiner plates, with substantial damage to the refiner.
  • the sensor body 30 is captured in the refiner plate 10 to prevent movement of the sensor body 30 into the refining zone in the event of failure.
  • this embodiment can be modified by eliminating the holder 28 and the recess 20 in the non-refining surface 18 of the refiner plate 10. Instead, a small recess is provided in the refining surface 16 to accept the sensor body 30 and piezo elements 26. An orifice through refiner plate 10 is provided to accept a screw 62 for securing refiner body 30 in the recess in the refining surface 16. In such modified embodiment, the sensor body 30 is held in position in the refining surface 16 of the refiner plate 10, without the need for a holder 28.
  • such embodiment has the same disadvantage as that mentioned above in respect of the embodiment of Fig. 6.
  • Fig. 7 shows an embodiment of sensor body 30, with piezo elements 26, suitable for use in a force sensor similar to that shown any of the previous embodiments.
  • the sensor body 30 has been modified to accommodate the sensor elements 26 at an angle relative to the surface of refiner plate 10. Corresponding modification of the holder 28 and/or refiner plate 10 of the previous embodiments would therefore be required to accommodate the present sensor body.
  • piezo electric elements are more sensitive to loading which occurs normal to their poling direction.
  • the angled orientation of the piezo electric elements 27 of this embodiment provides superior resolution of a shear force applied to the sensor head 32.
  • the mass of the sensor body 30 has been reduced, relative to that of the previous embodiments.
  • the sensor body 30 is mounted on two piezo electric elements 26 which are positioned at an angle with respect to the surface of the refiner plate 10. As in the previous embodiment, this orientation of the piezo electric elements 26 ensures superior resolution of a shear force applied to the sensor head 32.
  • the sensor body 30 is captured, and preload is applied to the piezo elements 26, with a screw 62 located centrally in the sensor body 30 and holder 28.
  • the sensor body 30 also incorporates tabs 40 which extend under the refining surface of the refiner plate 10. The tabs 40 prevent the sensor body 30 from falling into the refining zone in the event of failure of the screw 62.
  • the mass of the sensor body 30 has been further reduced, with respect to the previous embodiment, by providing a holder 28 that replaces a portion of a refiner bar.
  • the sensor body 30 is mounted on two piezo electric elements 26 which, unlike previous embodiments, are located above the base of the grooves between refiner bars 22 in the refiner plate 10.
  • the sensor body 30 is captured, and preload is applied to the piezo electric elements 26, by a screw 62 located centrally in sensor body 30.
  • the sensor body 30 also incorporates tabs 40 which extend under the upper surface of the refiner plate 10. The tabs 40 prevent the sensor body 30 from falling into the refining zone in the event of failure of the screw 62.
  • the sensor body 30 is supported laterally on four piezo electric elements 26 and supported vertically on one piezo electric element 29.
  • the holder 28 comprises a vertical extension 54 and a retaining plate 56.
  • the sensor body 30 and piezo electric elements 26 are clamped between the vertical extension 54 and retaining plate 56 with one or more screws 65, which also applies a preload to the sensor elements.
  • Fig. 11 The embodiment of Fig. 11 is similar to that shown in Fig. 10 except that the sensor body 30 is supported laterally on two, rather than four piezo electric elements 26.
  • Fig. 12 The embodiment of Fig. 12 is similar to that shown in Fig. 10 except that the four piezo elements 26 for are positioned at an angle with respect to the central axis of the sensor body 30, and the piezo electric element 29 at the base of the sensor body 30 has been eliminated.
  • the vertical extension 54 of the sensor holder 28 and the retaining plate 56 have opposed wedge-like profiles. Screws 65 clamp the sensor body 30 between the vertical extension 54 and the retaining plate 56, and apply preload to the sensor elements 26. Also, when the clamping screws 65 are tightened, the wedge profiles ensure that the sensor body 30 and piezo elements 26 are properly located in both the vertical and horizontal directions.
  • Fig. 13 is similar to that shown in Fig.. 12, except that two of the piezo electric elements 26 have been eliminated and the central span of the sensor body 30 has been reduced to a thin web.
  • the sensor holder comprises two portions 28a, 28b. Upon clamping the sensor body 30 and piezo electric elements 26 between the holder portions 28a, 28b, this web transfers preload to the upper portion of the sensor body 30, and hence to the sensor elements 26, while being sufficiently flexible that forces applied to the sensor head 32 are transmitted to the piezo electric elements 26.
  • the sensor body 30 is triangular at its base.
  • the sensor body 30 is supported on three piezo electric elements 26.
  • the sensor body 30 and piezo electric elements 26 are captured in a triangular recess in the holder 28, which exists between the vertical extension 54 of the holder 28 and the retaining plate 56. Preload is applied to the sensor elements 26 laterally by one or more screws 65.
  • the sensor body 30 has a triangular base portion similar to that shown in Fig. 14.
  • Sensor holder 28 has a corresponding slotted recess for accepting sensor body 28 and three piezo elements 26.
  • the sensor holder 30 of this embodiment does not comprise a vertical extension 54 or retaining plate 56.
  • set screw 70 and plate 58 are used to clamp the sensor body 30 into the sensor holder 28, and to apply preload to sensor elements 26. That is, tightening set screw 70 forces plate 58 towards the sensor elements 26 and sensor body 30. Plate 58 is tabbed to prevent it from rotating when set screw 70 is turned.
  • the holder 28 is fastened into the recess 20 in the refiner plate 10 with screws 64.
  • the piezo electric element 26 below the base of the sensor body 30 can be replaced with an inactive element, as discussed above.
  • the inactive component should have sufficient compliance that, when the sensor head 32 is subjected to normal and shear forces, these forces are borne principally by the remaining two piezo electric elements 26.
  • the only physical/mechanical link between the sensor body and the refiner plate and/or the holder is through the sensor elements, such that the sensor body "floats" on the sensor elements. It is noted that in the embodiments of Figs. 10 and 12, such floating of the sensor body 30 can be achieved if the screw(s) 65. do not contact the sensor body 30. That is, to achieve floating of the sensor body 30, the orifice in sensor body 30 should be of sufficient diameter that screw 65 does not contact sensor body 30.
  • reaction forces are developed at each of the piezo sensor element locations.
  • An electric charge proportional to the magnitude of the reaction force, is developed by each piezo sensor element 26.
  • the applied normal and shear forces can be determined by measuring and processing the electric signals from each of the piezo sensor elements 26 using appropriate signal conditioning equipment and data analysis.
  • a force sensor according to the embodiment of Fig. 2 was installed in a laboratory refiner.
  • the refiner had a diameter of 30 cm and operated at atmospheric pressure.
  • the refiner was fed with chemi-thermomechanical pulp at a consistency of approximately 20%.
  • Figs. 17A and B show the normal and shear forces calculated using the signals from two of the piezo-ceramic element sensors 26.
  • the refiner was running at 1260 rpm, corresponding to a period of approximately 270 ⁇ s between bar passings (a bar-passing frequency of about 3:70 kHz).
  • Fig. 17A the refiner was running at 1260 rpm, corresponding to a period of approximately 270 ⁇ s between bar passings (a bar-passing frequency of about 3:70 kHz).
  • piezo electric elements used in the initial testing above were found to have poor dimensional control.
  • piezo electric elements having superior dimensional control piezo Kinetics Incorporated, Bellefonte, PA; PKI#502, Curie temperature 350°C
  • the charge amplifiers used in initial testing, above, which were developed in-house, were replaced with industrial quality charge amplifiers (Kistler Type 5010). These two factors improved the quality of signal obtained from the sensor, as indicated in Figures 18A and B.
  • Fig. 18A the refiner was running at 700 rpm, corresponding to a bar-passing frequency of about 2.06 kHz.
  • Fig. 18B the refiner was running at a higher speed of 2600 rpm, corresponding to a bar-passing frequency of about 7.64 kHz. From these results, it can be seen that optimization of the force sensor provides excellent resolution of normal and shear forces related to individual bar crossings.
  • a refining system 200 comprises a single disc refiner 202, charge amplifiers 204, a data acquisition unit 206 and a computer or controller 208.
  • Single disc refiner 202 has a rotary disc 210 comprising refiner plates and a stationary disc 212 comprising refiner plates and force sensors 214, according to the present invention, such as the embodiments shown in Figs. 1 to 15.
  • Each force sensor 214 comprises one or more piezo electric sensor elements as illustrated in the above embodiments .
  • Refiner 202 has a shaft 216 for rotating disc 210 and a feed inlet 218 for wood chips or wood pulp.
  • Fig. 19 thus shows the various components of a system used to measure forces within a refiner.
  • the refiner illustrated in Fig. 19 is a single-rotating disc refiner, commonly referred to as a single-disc refiner.
  • Four force sensors are illustrated in Fig. 19, but any number can be used depending on the application.
  • Each piezo electric element of each force sensor is connected to a charge amplifier.
  • the charge amplifiers are connected to the data acquisition unit.
  • the latter can be a digital oscilloscope, analogue to digital converter, or any other means of sampling and digitizing the signals from the charge amplifiers.
  • analogue techniques can also be employed to process the force sensor signal(s).
  • the data acquisition unit is connected to the computer via a digital interface, so that the measured data can be transferred for processing to determine the magnitude of the forces on refiner bars of the stationary disc.
  • Fig. 20 shows a refining system 300 comprising a refiner 302 having a pair of rotating discs 310 and 312, charge amplifiers 304, a data acquisition unit 306 and a computer or controller 308.
  • Refiner disc 312 comprises refiner plates and a plurality of sensors 314 such as illustrated in the above embodiments.
  • Refiner 302 comprises a shaft 316 for rotating discs 310 and 312, and a feed inlet 318 for wood chips or wood pulp.
  • a slip ring unit 319 provides connection between the sensors 314 and the charge amplifiers 304.
  • Fig. 20 illustrates an arrangement for a case where the forces on refiner bars are measured on a rotating disc, such as would be the case in a refiner where both discs are rotating (e.g., a double-disc refiner).
  • wires from the force sensors are brought through the shaft of the refiner to a slip-ring unit.
  • This unit allows the transfer of electrical signals from a rotating part to a non-rotating part, or vice-versa.
  • the rest of the measurement system is similar to the one described in Fig. 19.
  • the charge amplifiers are mounted on the rotating shaft of the refiner, and the amplified signals are fed to the data acquisition unit through the slip-ring unit.
  • the slip-ring unit can also be eliminated by transferring the amplified signals using a non-contact transmitter-receiver system.

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  • Paper (AREA)
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  • Crushing And Grinding (AREA)
  • Force Measurement Appropriate To Specific Purposes (AREA)

Claims (41)

  1. Capteur de force (14) pour mesurer une force agissant sur une barre de raffineur (22) d'un raffineur pour produire ou traiter de la pulpe de bois, ledit capteur de force (14) comprenant :
    un corps de capteur (30) comportant une tête de capteur (32) ; et
    au moins deux éléments de capteur (26) en contact de transmission de force avec le corps de capteur (30) et qui supportent celui-ci,
    dans lequel lesdits éléments de capteur au nombre d'au moins deux (26) produisent des signaux indicatifs de l'ampleur de force agissant sur une barre de raffineur (22) d'un raffineur pour produire ou pour traiter de la pulpe bois.
  2. Capteur de force (14) selon la revendication 1, dans lequel la barre de raffineur (22) se trouve sur une plaque de raffineur (10).
  3. Capteur de force (14) selon la revendication 2, dans lequel la plaque de raffineur (10) comprend une surface de triturage (16) comportant des barres de raffineur (22) et une surface de non-triturage (18) opposée à la surface de triturage (16).
  4. Capteur de force (14) selon la revendication 1, 2 ou 3, dans lequel la tête de capteur (32) est adaptée pour remplacer une partie de la barre de raffineur (22).
  5. Capteur de force (14) selon la revendication 1, 2 ou 3, dans lequel la tête de capteur est adaptée pour remplacer la totalité de la barre de raffineur (22).
  6. Capteur de force (14) selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans lequel le corps de capteur (30) est constitué du même matériau que la barre de raffineur (22).
  7. Capteur de force (14) selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans lequel la tête de capteur (32) a un profil correspondant à celui de la barre de raffineur (22).
  8. Capteur de force (14) selon la revendication 3, dans lequel le corps de capteur (30) est fixé à la surface de triturage (16) de la plaque de raffineur (10).
  9. Capteur de force (14) selon la revendication 3, dans lequel le corps de capteur (30) est adapté pour être disposé dans une cavité sur la surface de triturage (16) de la plaque de raffineur (10).
  10. Capteur de force (14) selon la revendication 3, dans lequel le corps de capteur (30) est fixé à la surface de non-triturage (16) de la plaque de raffinage (10).
  11. Capteur de force (14) selon la revendication 3, dans lequel le corps de capteur (30) est adapté de façon à être disposé dans une cavité (20) dans la surface de non-raffinage (18) de la plaque de raffineur (10).
  12. Capteur de force (14) selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans lequel le corps de capteur (30) flotte sur les éléments de capteur (26).
  13. Capteur de force (14) selon la revendication 12, dans lequel le corps de capteur (30) flotte sur les éléments de capteur (26) de telle sorte que la seule liaison entre les corps de capteur (30) et une plaque de raffineur (10) se fasse par l'intermédiaire des éléments de capteur (26).
  14. Capteur de force (14) selon la revendication 12, comprenant de plus un support (28), et dans lequel le corps de capteur (30) flotte sur les éléments de capteur (26) de telle sorte que la seule liaison entre le corps de capteur (26) et au moins l'un parmi la plaque de raffineur (10) et le support (28) se fasse par l'intermédiaire des éléments de capteur (26).
  15. Capteur de force (14) selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 11, comprenant de plus un élément de fixation (65, 64, 60, 62) pour fixer le corps de capteur (30) au raffineur.
  16. Capteur de force (14) selon la revendication 15, dans lequel l'élément de fixation (62) applique une pré-sollicitation aux éléments de capteur (26).
  17. Capteur de force (14) selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans lequel les éléments de capteur (26) sont serrés entre les corps de capteur (30) et une monture pour les éléments de capteur (26) de façon à pré-solliciter les éléments de capteur (26).
  18. Capteur de force (14) selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans lequel le corps de capteur (30) et les éléments de capteur (26) sont agencés de telle sorte que les éléments de capteur (26) présentent un certain angle par rapport à une surface de triturage (16) du raffineur.
  19. Capteur de force (14) selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans lequel lesdits éléments de capteur (26) sont piézo-électriques.
  20. Capteur de force (14) selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 18, dans lequel les éléments de capteur (26) sont piézo-céramiques.
  21. Capteur de force (14) selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 20, dans lequel ladite force mesurée est au moins une force sélectionnée parmi une force de cisaillement et une force normale.
  22. Capteur de force (14) selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 17, dans lequel lesdits éléments de capteur (26) sont adaptés pour la connexion à un équipement de traitement du signal.
  23. Capteur de force (14) selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 22, dans lequel le capteur de force (14) a une première fréquence de résonance qui est d'au moins environ 1,5 fois la fréquence de passage de barre du raffineur.
  24. Procédé pour mesurer une force agissant sur une barre de raffineur (22) d'un raffineur pour produire ou traiter de la pulpe de bois, le procédé comprenant les étapes consistant à :
    disposer un corps de capteur (30) comportant une tête de capteur (32), la tête de capteur (32) étant adaptée pour remplacer tout ou partie de la barre de raffineur (22) ;
    disposer au moins deux éléments de capteur (26) en contact de transmission de force avec le corps de capteur (30) et supportant celui-ci ;
    triturer des particules de bois ou de la pulpe de bois dans ledit raffineur pour produire de la pulpe de bois ou de la pulpe de bois triturée, de telle sorte qu'une force soit appliquée à la tête de capteur (32) et qu'un signal indicatif de la force soit développé sur lesdits éléments de capteur au nombre d'au moins deux (26) ; et
    évaluer le signal comme étant une mesure de la force appliquée au corps de capteur (30).
  25. Procédé selon la revendication 24, dans lequel la barre de raffineur (22) se trouve sur une plaque de raffineur (10), la plaque de raffineur (10) comprenant une surface de triturage (16) comportant des barres de raffineur (22) et une surface de non-triturage (18) opposée à la surface de triturage (16).
  26. Procédé selon la revendication 25, dans lequel le corps de capteur (30) est fixé à la surface de triturage (16) de la plaque de raffineur (10).
  27. Procédé selon la revendication 25, dans lequel le corps de capteur (30) est fixé à la surface de non-triturage (18) de la plaque de raffineur (10).
  28. Procédé selon l'une quelconque des revendications 24 à 27, dans lequel le corps de capteur (30) flotte sur les éléments de capteur (26).
  29. Procédé selon la revendication 28, dans lequel le corps de capteur (30) flotte sur les éléments de capteur (26), de telle sorte que la seule liaison entre le corps de capteur (30) et une plaque de raffineur (10) se fasse par l'intermédiaire des éléments de capteur (26).
  30. Procédé selon la revendication 28, comprenant de plus la disposition d'un support (28) pour le corps de capteur (30) et les éléments de capteur (26), dans lequel le corps de capteur (30) flotte sur les éléments de capteur (26) de telle sorte que la seule liaison entre le corps de capteur (30) et au moins l'un parmi la plaque de raffineur (10) et le support (28) se fasse par l'intermédiaire des éléments de capteur (26).
  31. Procédé selon l'une quelconque des revendications 24 à 30, comprenant de plus l'application d'une pré-sollicitation aux éléments de capteur (26).
  32. Procédé selon l'une quelconque des revendications 24 à 31, comprenant de plus le serrage des éléments de capteur (26) entre le corps de capteur (30) et une monture pour les éléments de capteur (26) pour pré-solliciter les éléments de capteur (26).
  33. Procédé selon l'une quelconque des revendications 24 à 31, disposant les éléments de capteur (26) selon un certain angle par rapport à une surface de triturage (16) du raffineur.
  34. Procédé selon l'une quelconque des revendications 24 à 33, dans lequel les éléments de capteur (26) sont piézo-électriques.
  35. Procédé selon l'une quelconque des revendications 24 à 33, dans lequel les éléments de capteur (26) sont piézo-céramiques.
  36. Procédé selon l'une quelconque des revendications 24 à 35, dans lequel ladite force mesurée est au moins une force sélectionnée parmi une force de cisaillement et une force normale.
  37. Procédé selon l'une quelconque des revendications 24 à 36, dans lequel une force de cisaillement et une force normale sont mesurées, lesdites forces mesurées étant utilisées pour réguler le fonctionnement d'un raffineur par manipulation d'une ou plusieurs variables sélectionnées parmi le débit de délivrance de matériau, la consistance de la pulpe, la charge du moteur de raffineur, la pression d'entrée, la pression de sortie, l'espace de plaques et la vitesse de rotation, de telle sorte que le rapport des forces normale et de cisaillement mesurées soit maintenu constant ou à l'intérieur d'une plage prédéterminée.
  38. Procédé selon l'une quelconque des revendications 24 à 37, dans lequel ladite force mesurée est utilisée pour détecter un contact entre des disques opposés dans un raffineur.
  39. Procédé selon la revendication 38, dans lequel le contact entre des disques opposés est corrigé par rétraction d'une plaque axialement mobile dudit raffineur.
  40. Procédé selon la revendication 38 ou 39, dans lequel un groupement de capteurs de force (14) est employé.
  41. Dispositif de triturage pour de la pulpe de bois, comportant des moyens de détection pour déterminer un paramètre, dans lequel les moyens de détection comprennent le capteur de force (14) selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 23.
EP01914879A 2000-03-15 2001-03-15 Capteur de force pour raffineur Expired - Lifetime EP1264043B1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (5)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US18960100P 2000-03-15 2000-03-15
CA2300737 2000-03-15
US189601P 2000-03-15
CA002300737A CA2300737C (fr) 2000-03-15 2000-03-15 Capteur de force pour raffineur
PCT/CA2001/000336 WO2001068974A1 (fr) 2000-03-15 2001-03-15 Capteur de force pour raffineur

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EP1264043A1 EP1264043A1 (fr) 2002-12-11
EP1264043B1 true EP1264043B1 (fr) 2006-03-01

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JP (1) JP2003527588A (fr)
AT (1) ATE318951T1 (fr)
AU (1) AU2001242150A1 (fr)
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WO (1) WO2001068974A1 (fr)

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JPH0639756B2 (ja) * 1984-07-17 1994-05-25 三菱重工業株式会社 リフアイナ制御装置
SE504801C2 (sv) * 1995-08-21 1997-04-28 Sunds Defibrator Ind Ab Mätanordning för raffinörer
SE509091C2 (sv) * 1997-04-30 1998-12-07 Anders Karlstroem Anordning för mätning av malningsförloppet i en raffinör innefattande sensorer
SE514841C2 (sv) * 1999-06-17 2001-04-30 Valmet Fibertech Ab Förfarande och anordning för mätning av kraftpåkänningar hos raffinörer

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NO20024365D0 (no) 2002-09-12
AU2001242150A1 (en) 2001-09-24
NO325731B1 (no) 2008-07-07
EP1264043A1 (fr) 2002-12-11
JP2003527588A (ja) 2003-09-16
WO2001068974A1 (fr) 2001-09-20
ATE318951T1 (de) 2006-03-15
NO20024365L (no) 2002-11-05

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