News
Modelling the Effect of Plate Age on the Operation of TMP Refiners

Modliser l’effet de l’ge des plaques sur les oprations des raffineurs de PTM

Modliser l’effet de l’ge des plaques sur les oprations des raffineurs de PTM

Abstract: The inherently interactive nature of the TMP refining processes is one of the most important sources of variability in TMP quality, and the operation of TMP refiners is directly affected by the condition of the refiner plates. Although in the past two decades much work has been done on the modeling of TMP refiners, current models do not account explicitly for the effect of plate age on refiner operation and pulp quality. In this work, a methodology is presented for the prediction of motor load changes over the longer-term due to plate age, using real-time data from plant operations and steady state identification techniques. The resulting model is coupled with a pulp quality predictor to study different refining conditions. The model predicts long-term drifts in pulp quality in addition to providing insight on the effect of total specific energy, refining intensity, power split, and plate age on the refining operation. Finally, the model is used to determine optimal policies for TMP refiner operation as plates wear.

Paper presented at the PAPTAC 92nd Annual Meeting in Montreal, Que., February 6-10, 2006.

Keywords: THERMOMECHANICAL PULP, REFINfi ERS, PLATE AGE, STEADY STATE IDENTIFICATION, PULP QUALITY, MODELING, OPTIMIZATION

Full manuscript available at www.paptac.ca.