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Development of a Flow-Following Sensor Package for Application in Chamical Pulp Digesters
June 1, 2010 By Pulp & Paper Canada
laboration d’une mthode de dbit continu pour application dans les lessiveurs de pte chimique
laboration d’une mthode de dbit continu pour application dans les lessiveurs de pte chimique
Abstract: A prototype flow-following sensor platform has been developed for use in multi-phase chemical reactors targeted for operation inside a kraft pulp digester (pH~13, 175C and 2.0 MPa). The device is assembled using high temperature microelectronic components and micro-electro-mechanical sensors (MEMS) to achieve a small size and an overall density similar to that of a wood chip. An IC-SmartChip, approximately the size of a typical wood chip, is under development. However, the device used to collect the data presented is a prototype SmartChip, approximately the size of a bar of soap. The SmartChip sensors include a resistance temperature device (RTD) and a precision clock, which allows calculation of a location specific H-factor for a cook. A static pressure sensor can also be included on the prototype, which will allow the vertical position of the SmartChip to be tracked, provided the SmartChip moves during the cook, such as in continuous operations. Multiple SmartChips deployed in a single cook can be used to measure the variability of the treatment achieved during the process. The sensors and electronics have been successfully tested up to 180C and 1.3 MPa for several hours in a 5L laboratory batch digester. The accuracy of SmartChip sensors whas shown to be better than +/-0.55C, +/-2 kPa and 2 minutes in 8 hours.
Paper presented at the 96th PAPTAC Annual Meeting 2010 in Montreal, Que., February 2-3, 2010.
Keywords: MULTIPHASE CHEMICAL REACTORS; PULP DIGESTERS; KRAFT PULP MANUFACTURE; WOOD CHIPS; MICRO-SENSORS; MEMS SENSORS, REMOTE MEASUREMENT; FLOW-FOLLOWING
Full manuscript available at www.paptac.ca.
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