Paper making and fiber liberation – Processes and products – Running or indefinite length work forming and/or treating...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-30
2003-04-22
Chin, Peter (Department: 1731)
Paper making and fiber liberation
Processes and products
Running or indefinite length work forming and/or treating...
C162S109000, C162S290000, C034S086000, C034S122000, C034S123000, C034S131000, C034S452000, C034S513000, C034S604000, C034S629000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06551461
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the manufacture of high-bulk paper webs such as facial tissue, bath tissue, paper towels and the like, it is common to use one or more throughdryers to bring the paper web to final dryness or near-final dryness. Generally speaking, throughdryers are rotating cylinders having an open deck that supports a drying fabric which, in turn, supports the web being dried. Heated air is provided by a hood above the drying cylinder and is passed through the web while the web is supported by the drying fabric. During this process, the heated air is cooled while increasing in moisture. This spent air is exhausted from the interior of the drying cylinder via a fan that pulls the air through the web and recycles it to a burner. The burner reheats the spent air, which is then recycled back to the throughdryer. To complete the process, a portion of the exhaust air is removed and a proportional amount of fresh, dry air is pulled into the system to avoid a build-up of moisture in the drying air system. The portion of the exhaust air that is removed is either vented or used to heat process water.
Throughdrying papermaking machines utilize a boiler to supply steam to steam boxes located over vacuum boxes that are used to dewater the web prior to throughdrying. If a Yankee dryer is present to complete the drying operation and/or to crepe the dried web, the boiler also provides steam to the Yankee.
While such throughdrying operations have been successful, energy costs today are increasing substantially. Also, the capital costs associated with the installation of a boiler are significant. Therefore there is a need to further reduce the costs associated with the throughdrying process.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It has now been fortuitously discovered that the heat value of throughdryer exhaust air can be used advantageously by recycling the exhaust air to heat the web at any point in the papermaking process after the web has been formed. Unlike boiler-generated steam, the exhaust air is a mixture of air and water vapor, but nevertheless has been found to contain sufficient heat value to obtain a benefit. It is particularly advantageous to use the recycled exhaust air to replace boiler-generated steam used to partially dewater the web after formation and prior to drying. It is believed that the heat transferred upon condensation of the steam on the web decreases the viscosity and surface tension of the water in the web, thereby increasing drainage. A supply plenum can be positioned over one or more of the existing vacuum boxes to introduce the recycled exhaust air to the web. The vacuum provided by the associated vacuum box beneath the supply plenum (and the slight pressure from the throughdryer exhaust fan) can provide sufficient motive force to pull the exhaust air through the web without the need for a compressor. In addition, the use of the throughdryer exhaust air in this manner eliminates the need and capital investment associated with having a boiler as a source of steam. As used herein, a “supply plenum” is any enclosure that serves to introduce the exhaust air to the web and confine the exhaust air within the vicinity of the web such that the exhaust air is drawn through the web into the vacuum box on the opposite side of the web. Advantageously, it can simply be a “box” fabricated of sheet metal. However, if a papermaking machine already has steam boxes in place, the steam boxes can serve as supply plenums as well.
Hence, in one aspect, the invention resides in a process for making tissue comprising: (a) forming a wet tissue web by depositing an aqueous suspension of papermaking fibers onto a forming fabric; (b) partially dewatering the wet tissue web while the wet tissue web is supported by a papermaking fabric; (c) drying the wet web in one or more throughdryers, wherein heated drying air gathers moisture from the wet web as it is passed through the wet web and is exhausted from the throughdryer(s); (d) winding the dried web into a parent roll; and (e) recycling exhaust air from one or more of the throughdryers to heat the web and/or a bare papermaking fabric at one or more points in the process between the steps of forming the web and winding the dried web into a parent roll.
If two, three, four or more throughdryers are used in series, the moisture content of the exhaust air from each of the throughdryers can be different. Therefore, as used herein, a “primary” throughdyer is the throughdryer having the exhaust air with highest moisture content. Other throughdryers are considered to be “secondary” throughdryers. In most instances where two throughdryers are being used, it is advantageous that the exhaust air from the first throughdryer be recycled to the supply plenum because the first throughdryer is the primary throughdryer. However, should the two throughdryers be operated in a manner that reverses the relative moisture contents such that the second throughdryer becomes the primary throughdryer, then the second throughdryer exhaust air could advantageously be used for the dewatering operation rather than the exhaust air of the first throughdryer.)
Optionally, the exhaust air from the second throughdryer or other secondary throughdryers, which generally have a lower moisture content and higher temperature, can be used to heat the dewatered web and/or its carrying fabric(s) prior to entering the first throughdryer in order to further improve energy efficiency. Suitable locations to introduce secondary throughdryer exhaust air to the dewatered web include any point after the dewatered web has been transferred from the forming fabric and before the web contacts the throughdrying cylinder. Such locations can be while the web is supported by the transfer fabric and/or while the web is in contact with the throughdryer fabric. A suitable location to introduce the exhaust air to a bare papermaking fabric would be the span of the transfer fabric returning from the throughdryer fabric and prior to receiving the newly-formed web from the forming fabric. When the recycled exhaust air is used for heating and drying a bare fabric, the exhaust air can simply be blown onto the fabric using the pressure created by the exhaust fan, or it can be drawn through the fabric with the aid of a vacuum box or roll positioned on the opposite side of the fabric. By reducing the amount of water in the fabric, particularly if the fabric has been cleaned using a water spray, rewetting of the web is reduced during subsequent contact with the fabric. This reduction in rewetting lowers the burden on the throughdryers, which in turn allows the papermaking machine to run faster. Alternatively, or in addition to the aforementioned recycle configurations, the exhaust air from the second throughdryer or other secondary throughdryer can be directed to the dried web after the second throughdryer and prior to being wound into a parent roll in order to further dry the web or prevent moisture absorption from the ambient air.
If multiple vacuum boxes are used to dewater the web prior to the throughdrying step, it is advantageous to position the supply plenum over the vacuum box with the largest flow to take advantage of the large volume of air associated with the exhaust. The flow is determined by the combination of the vacuum slot or opening and the vacuum level in the particular vacuum box. Increased flow means more recovered steam and hence more dewatering. However, the supply plenum can be positioned over two or more vacuum boxes if desired.
The temperature of the exhaust air leaving the throughdryer for recycle to the supply plenum can be from about 100° C. (212° F.) to about 249° C. (480° F.), more specifically from about 104° C. (220° F.) to about 138° C. (280° F.). Higher temperatures will increase the dewatering effect.
The water vapor content of the exhaust air leaving the throughdryer for recycle to the supply plenum can be from about 5 to about 35 weight percent, more specifically from about 10 to about 30 weight percent, still more specifically from about 20 to about 25 weight percent. High
Gropp Ronald Frederick
Hada Frank Stephen
Hermans Michael Alan
Leitner Charlcie Christie Kay
Parszewski Marek
Chin Peter
Croft Gregory E.
Kimberly--Clark Worldwide, Inc.
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